- Right underneath the Lily pads, right on the edge.

(low toned guitar melody begins) You come out and sucked er in.

Beautiful fish.

Put her back in the water, chunky.

(bright guitar melody) - [Narrator] This is a show about the men and women that serve in our military.

It's a story about life as a soldier and now a civilian.

It's a story about honor, courage and sacrifice.

Join us as we make friends, catch fish, and give back to some of the bravest people there are.

These are their stories.

This is fishing behind the lines.

(line zips from drag being pulled) - [Second Narrator] Fishing behind the lines is brought to you by... (bright melody begins) - [Don] Hi folks, I'm Don Meissner and I want to welcome you to this week's Fishing Behind the Lines.

You know, we're in a beautiful place today.

We're on the St. Lawrence River in the thousand islands and my guest today is Jesse Steele.

Who's standing right behind me.

And Mike Bean has agreed to take us out on his boat.

He's fished these waters, done well in the past.

And... so it's early morning.

We're excited.

We know that the fish are in here.

Now the question is, can we catch them?

So stay with us.

(low guitar chords accompany) [Don] Well, I'll tell you as I look back at this water, this is really beautiful.

Lake of the Isles lies right, really, on the Canadian/US border and has all the fish that are in the St. Lawrence river.

As we prepared for this day, we're thinking, okay, we do have bright sun.

Where would these fish be today?

And again, all these thoughts go through your mind.

When you begin any fishing day, you're on new water.

You don't know what really awaits you, but your excitement level is so high.

And as we look to the right, you can see the indentation.

And as you look closer you can see the weeds that are lining both sides.

This is a place that Mike wanted us to start because he thought this was going to give cover to these fish.

- Here's a fish, yup, small fish.

Large mouth.

(water splashes) (line spooling out) - [Don] I got one too.

We got doubles.

- Nice.

Now we're into em.

Little guy.

- I got one too, Eric.

This is, this is kind of surprising.

Both of us, Mike and I we'd fished quite a while here.

Mine's even smaller, but both of us caught a fish on the same cast, smalls, large mouth.

Mike said his was small, mines smaller.

And I put a worm on just because if the fish weren't real aggressive I thought maybe a worm might work a little better.

I don't know.

I got to get hook out of him first fore I can...

There we go.

Now that isn't a big bass but I'm still gonna display it with, with joy here.

So, um... but there may be a number of fish here too, down in this area.

You know, this time of the year we're fishing in the end of July.

So this time of the year can be iffy.

Did you ever strike Mike?

- No.

No.

Pulling at through weeds.

- The water's warm the waters in the 80s here.

And so, you know, that's not a temperature that small mouths can tolerate very well.

So our, our goal here today is try to get large mouths.

There's so much wonderful cover here.

That it's a question of finding those places where the water will drop down in little crevices, little channels, and it makes a break in the pattern.

And that's what we're looking for.

Mike is using a chatter bait.

The chatter bait is a great bait to search water with.

Plus it has action.

It does everything.

It's a very, very effective bait.

It goes underneath the surface.

We've been trying to catch them on the surface but it might be getting a little late in the morning for that surface blow up.

And what I'm using I'm using people referred to it as a Sanco.

It's a, it's a plastic worm that when it goes down in the water, I like to use ones that are pretty dense.

I don't have any warm weight on, but this way I can search for those fish, that might be a little less active.

And a lot of times those fish, when they're not fish feeding on the surface will be more susceptible to something like this.

This is what I'm using.

It's just a regular five inch plastic worm.

I've got a hook, Texas style with a three ought worm hook.

And the next time you see me I'll be holding up a nice bass that caught on this worm.

(upbeat guitar melody) - [Mike] There ain't a fish back there.

My God... - [Jesse]} Huh?

- [Mike] ...said there should be a fish back there.

- [Jesse] You'd think, aha.

- [Mike] There's one.

- [Jesse] Ohh!

- [Mike] Got him.

- [Don] He's got him?

- [Mike] Yep.

- [Don] Is he caught?

- [Mike] Yeah.

He's got a mouth full of weeds.

- [Don] But, he's still on?

- [Mike] Oh yeah.

He's still there.

He's still there.

He's just got a face full of salad.

Come here...come here.

Come here, buddy.

There we go.

- [Don] That's a nice fish.

- [Jesse] Nice.

Nice - [Don] Mike, do me a favor as you're taking the hook out of him.

- [Mike] Yes, sir.

- [Don] Explain to everybody exactly how you caught that fish because this is something a lot of people don't do.

- [Mike] Well, like I said bass tend to hide under the lily pads and thick vegetation, and obviously a main source of food here's frogs.

So this comes up on it.

He sucked her in.

- [Don] Now when he struck, we saw the explosion but I noticed you didn't strike back.

- [Mike] Yup.

Yup.

Yup.

You wait.

I usually, when you're frog fishing, I wait and I count to one, one Mississippi, and then I'll set the hook and make sure the fish is there.

Because a lot of times, a lot of people get excited and reef it away from them on the strike.

- [Don] Yes!

- [Mike] The biggest thing is wait for the fish wait till you feel it.

And then... - [Don] The hardest thing for the average person to do.

They seen the explosion in the water... - [Mike] It takes some training.

It takes some training for sure.

But yeah, that's a nice little fish.

- [Don] Dark.

- [Mike] Very, that's what I mean.

They're up in the shade underneath the pads.

Let her go.

(bright guitar melody ensues) - [Mike] Probably got good action to it.

- [Jesse] That's one of em terminators.

- [Mike] Is it?

- [Jesse] Yep.

- [Cameraman] I know where a whole bunch of these are up in a couple of trees.

(group laughter erupts) - [Mike] Yup.

They're expensive to lose though.

- [Don] Yeah.

There's one... (line pulls drag out) - [Cameraman] Nice.

- [Don] Not the biggest, but by golly it's coming.

Oh dear, I'm kind of embarrassed.

You know, I told you guys the next time you saw me you'd see me with a beautiful large mouth bass with this worm in it.

What I didn't tell you is they're going to be a little baby, but you've been looking at Mike Jesse all this time because they've been doing better.

But, it's a fish and it shows you these bass, doesn't matter what size, they'll hit these baits.

Big baits too.

(glorious upbeat piano chords chime in) - [Mike] Got one?

- [Don] Mhmm.

- [Mike] Good fish?

- [Don] I dunno...

I don't know yet.

I don't think it's too big.

It doesn't have to be too big to make me make it look like it is.

- [Mike] Look at that.

How white that fish is.

- [Don] Yes!

- [Mike] Look at how white that is.

Now, we saw the last fish that Mike caught and then this fish... - [Mike] Wow!

Is that a silver bass?

- [Don] No.

It's just, it's a large mouth, unless it's, it's in what Mike is talking about.

We can't believe... Let me get my hand in here.

How white, this is silver.

You're right.

I don't think I've caught one like this.

- [Mike] Nope.

That's that's wicked silver - [Don] But it's all large mouth.

I mean, it doesn't even look like a... - [Jesse] I've never seen one that color.

- [Don] You haven't, Jessie?

- [Jesse] No... (bird chirps in the sun) - [Don] You can see how silver the color this fish is.

Well, it's a little bit bigger than the last one I caught.

So, things are looking up.

(sploosh) Well, it didn't take him long to orient himself.

It's pretty much when you're out in open water like this, though.

It's pretty much luck when you cast it to the right spot where you get a fish on the very cast.

Now I want to show you something that... this is, this is a brand new Sanco I put on.

You can see how I want to show you how, see how that's all been cut.

Just with that one fish that part's cut.

And then if we look down here, it's all cut again.

Now what that means is, is that if I try to hook this in here the hook won't stay in position because the the plastic, the rubber, whatever, it's plastic.

A lot of people used to call these rubber worms.

What you can do is hook it from the other end but it's not gonna have the same action.

Put your hook in on the tail.

This is, if you didn't have very many of these lures, and, honestly, these lures ain't cheap.

They, they get a pretty good price for them.

And whether it's by design or because of the soft plastic they use makes them very attractive to fish.

They don't last very long.

You go through a number of them.

If you get into fish, you're going to go through a number of baits.

Though, we'll see if this worm works upside down.

That's essentially what I've made it.

(calm high tuned guitar music graces the airwaves) - [Mike] Don's got one.

- [Don] I don't know what it is.

- [Mike] Right off that dock.

- [Don] It almost has to be a pike the way it's... - [Mike] Never know... might be a big large mouth.

- [Don] No, it's a largie, well, I said, this is a big one.

It shows how jaded I've gotten a little bitty ones that I've been catching, but each one is getting bigger.

(Woof Woof) I've got competition.

I've got competition right now for the main, the main stage, but still makes me think of that silver one that we caught earlier.

But these aren't big fish and I'm not going to try to tell you they are.

We can...

I can get him as close to you as possibly.

And he'll look a little bit bigger, but they aren't really big fish.

But you know, when you get a strike and you catch one, it's, it's a great feeling.

So I'll put him back, and we're right along here.

There's, there's a lot of cottages where we are we're back in a bay.

And I didn't know they were there and the dogs didn't know we were here.

And so everything sort of came to be at the same time.

The fish jumped, the fish hit, and the dog barked.

And so anyway, he got my worm.

I got to put another one on.

Jesse.

It's about time, honestly, buddy for you to show us how to get these bigger fish.

(menacing laughter erupts from Jesse) - [Jesse] I'm trying.

- [Don] You know, folks when we're efficient like this, and we've got three people using three different types of baits.

But to me, one of the most challenging part of fishing it isn't so much getting them to strike.

It's thinking, what are they going to be doing on a hot day, like this.

What depth are they going to be?

What cover they going to be around?

The one thing we know is temperature affects everything.

Not just us.

Every fish has a certain temperature range where it's comfortable or it's the most active.

And when we saw that the water temperature in this in this area was 80 plus degrees.

That's pretty doggone warm.

So these are things that we're dealing with.

Also, as you get towards the middle of the day, most things kind of take off for a while.

And so we have to fish extra hard.

But Mike has been doing really well today using that chatter bait.

And the reason I think is.

It's not on the surface.

The fish have quit hitting on the surface, and yet it's moving, it's moving in.

And in this clear water, they don't get a chance to really see what it is but they know it's like something they want to hit.

At least that's my thoughts.

(electric guitar and piano groove together) - [Mike] There's one.

- [Don] Ooh!

- [Mike] I got it.

- [Don] Ooh, I heard that baby!

- It's a good fish.

- [Don] Ooh, that's a good one.

- Yes it is.

- [Don] Yes.

That's a good one.

Way back in the Lily pads.

You lose him or no he's still on?

- [Mike] He's still there.

He's still there.

Nice fish.

- [Don] Yeah.

That's the best fish of the day.

- [Mike] You betcha.

- [Don] Bye far!

- [Mike] You betcha.

(Joyful guitar melody joins the fray) - [Don] Boy, this is what we've been looking for.

That's a beauty!

- [Mike] Sure is.

- [Don] That was quite a strike too.

- [Mike] Sure was.

There we go.

- [Jesse] Nice!

- [Don] There.

- [Mike] One of the better quality fish.

Chunky.

He got it though.

- [Don] He was right back in the thick, thick lily pads, right?

- [Mike] Mhm, yep.

- Yep.

Right underneath the Lily pads right on the edge.

He come out and sucked her in.

Beautiful fish.

Get her back in the water.

Chunky.

- [Don] There's some big fish back, but they're so far back in.

Most, but most people wouldn't cast into that.

They wouldn't realize that.

That's where the fish go for cover.

I just talked about how it's 85 degrees out, almost the same under the water.

These fish need refuge.

They need shelter.

So they go back in the thickest cover they can.

And that's what these lily pads are.

You wouldn't think that the fish could see the lure on top, but they can.

Now what Mike, what I want you to do is if you could position the boat up a little closer and then cast in and I want people to watch what happens when we cast in how we're fishing this.

- Yeah, this is a action rod with a 65 pound test braids line, so.

Its like a tow strap.

(group laughter and melodic guitar chime in) - [Don] Okay.

When you're ready.

- Cast it up there, there's little holes.

In those Lily pads that those fish'll see They see that bait, and they'll feel the pad vibrate.

They just want to twitch.

Rod tip and they'll come up.

A lot of times, they'll get it right towards the edge.

- [Don] They'll follow it.

And then when it gets a little bit towards open water, they'll hit it.

- [Mike] I just want to slowly work it out.

Like a frog would.

kind of hop along his way out.

(quick, upbeat guitar continues) (line pulls drag) - [Mike] Fish on.

Look at that.

Nice large mouth.

Nice, large mouth.

- [Don] Whoa.

Oh, oh, oh, that's a beauty, Jesse.

- [Mike] Nice one.

There you go.

- [Don] That's the nicest one.

- [Mike] Nice.

- [Don] What do you got on Jesse?

- [Jesse] Wacky Worm.

- [Don] Do ya?

- [Mike] Yessir.

- [Don] Do you want some help?

- [Jesse] Nah... - [Don] You bring it over and I'll land it for ya.

- [Mike] Nice.

- [Don] Maybe.

- [Jesse] I should be able to get it.

- [Mike] And I got all my rods in the way.

I apologize.

- [Jesse] Nah.

You're good.

- [Don] Oh boy.

- [Jesse] There we go.

- [Mike] There you go, and he choked it too.

- [Don] That's a beauty!

- [Mike] Good job.

- [Don] Boy now.

That's what we've been trying to catch.

That's what I've been trying to catch.

So now you and Mike both got a dandy.

- [Jesse] Come on, buddy.

(bright guitar begins to play) [Mike] You need pliers, you got pliers.

- Yeah, I got em.

(flute joins the melody) Nice.

Can't complain about that at all.

- [Mike] No, sir.

There you go.

- [Don] So Jesse, was he in open water or was he under... - Yeah...

I just cast right in between those lily pads had that... yum dinger on.

- [Don] Don't let him go yet.

Let him... - And uh, just let it sit there... and he took it.

- [Mike] Nice.

- [Don] Great!

- [Jesse] Saw a flash.

- You did?

- And he came out from underneath the lily pads.

- Holy cow.

- [Mike] Those shadows.

- [Jesse] Yup.

Happy day.

Happy day.

- [Mike] There you go.

- [Don] Ahaha, happy day is right.

(mesmerizing flute and guitar combo groove together) - Well guys, we've had quite a day, you know, and, and I always like to take time for us to come in unsure.

And you can get to know our guests and the guide that helps take us out fishing.

And so, first of all, I want to talk to you, Mike.

You know, you've done this two years in a row for me, and today in particular, I'm not even sure we'd had a show.

If it wasn't for all your great fishing, and you taking us out to these different spots.

Well, but why do you do what Mike?

Why?

You know, you you're, you work all week and you have a chance to do other things.

Why would you come and do this for us?

- Why not?

I love fishing.

(drum beat joins the conversation) I love getting somebody out in the water.

You know, who wants the experience and wants to go out and have a good time.

And it's in my blood.

I wouldn't change anything.

Like, I strive to go fishing as much as I can.

- How do you feel about teaching people how to fish?

Because you really could be a good teacher.

I know you're fishing tournaments and all that stuff.

- No, I, I... - So many, you do things in your, you probably take it for granted.

You're not aware that other people might not know how to do that.

- Right.

And, and when I was a young age, I was taught very well by multiple older people.

So I learned a lot from them and I'd be more than willing to teach anybody.

If they had questions, feel free to ask me.

I'd like to show people what I know.

And of course I'm still learning stuff down the road too, so.

- Well, we sure do thank you today.

- And I thank you.

- And I know Jesse, you and I sort of lagged behind a little bit about where the whole expert today.

- Yeah!

- But let me ask you Jesse.

Now you you've been in the army.

Tell us a little bit about your army life.

How many years were you in and so forth?

- I was in for eight and a half years.

Enlisted in 2003... in April, 2003.

And I was a cav scout.

I got to Fort Drum in 2004 and spend most of my time in the army at Fort Drum.

The 371 cav.

Deployed to Afghanistan from 06 to 07 with them.

And it was, it was hard for me because I got, when I got back, my unit had already redeployed back to the states and I was in the hospital.

And so I didn't get that.

The redeployment with them, I didn't get.

For me, I didn't get the sense of mission complete overseas.

- Yeah.

- I was medevaced like, I think it was two or three weeks before we were supposed to come back.

I got, I got injured and I medevaced out.

And I was, ended up being in the hospital for awhile.

But it was, I loved being in the...

I wasn't ready to get out by any means.

I miss it.

- What do you love?

Tell people why you love it.

Cause you went through hell too.

- Yeah, It's the camaraderie that you find.

The friends you make the brothers you make.

Then, I mean, there's, there's people that I've known my whole life that I don't talk to as much as guys that I've known for, that I knew for three years.

- You know, to end this, Jesse.

What would you tell people out there that might wonder about Fishing Behind the Lines?

Might wonder why we do the show.

Why we go fishing?

What, what does it bring?

What, what does something like that spending a day on the water and going out, being able to do this?

What does it mean?

- It, it means the world.

I mean, I thank Don, thank you, Mike.

Thank you guys for taking me out today for a great day.

I should've said that earlier, but thank you guys from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you guys.

But being able to do something like this, it's just, the fact that you guys are willing to take people like me out.

Just to go, you know, that's just humbling.

It's beyond.

I can't.

I mean - I want to thank you for going out with us.

and I hope... - Thank you for having me.

- ...that we didn't catch a lot of big fish but I don't think it matters.

- Nope, not at all.

I can say a catch is a bonus.

Catching is always a bonus being out on the water.

That's that's my peace.

- Well folks, it's been quite a day for us.

We've got so hot that we could hardly move.

I got dehydrated.

I could hardly cast, but you know, it was all worthwhile.

We didn't catch a lot of huge fish today but we really did have a good time.

And I want to thank Mike again because not only did he let you guys see a lot of good fish but he taught both Jesse and I more about fishing than we knew before we spent the day with Mike.

I hope you've enjoyed today.

And we'll see you next time on another Fishing Behind the Lines.

- [Narrator] Fishing Behind the Lines is brought to you by... (upbeat chords crash in) - You know, folks, the fishing was really fantastic today but that's only the beginning of the attractions to see and do around here.

For more information about this go to our website, WPBS tv.org.

- [Second Narrator] If you would like a copy of this episode of Fishing Behind the Lines for $15, including shipping and handling visit wpbstv.org and click on the shop WPBS button please ask for the episode number on your screen.

(fast guitar riffs ring out the scene) (somber piano and harmonica flow into the scene) (crashing piano and guitar chords)