My friend and fellow Bell System co-conspirator, Glen Lien, reports the best sunfish bite in years in the Webster, Wisconsin, area. And they're not even on the beds yet! Having watched Glen, up close, harvest mallards in North Dakota and walleyes on Leech Lake, this news isn't exactly surprising. His angling skills long ago earned him the nickname: Top Rod.

When the caller ID on the phone reads Glen Lien I know the fish are biting or the ducks are flying. And I'd best grab some gear and go. Many an evening Glen and I washed the swamp dust out of our throats in the Barton, North Dakota, bar while listening to the juke box play that old country western classic "Bony Fingers". He had found the mallard mess hall and asked me to come up and help him defend himself.

In the spring and summer Glen has a knack for finding the fish mess halls. He is finding the pumpkin seeds in shallow sandy areas. And tempting them into the frying pan with a homemade weighted fly tipped with a wax worm. All this about 30" under a bobber. Casting and retrieving over a four-to-five foot break seems to be the best tactic.

Sorry this post is shorter then normal. I've got some light weight fishing gear to pack. I can smell those sunny filets crisping up next to a couple of eggs already. Now where did I put that Hoyt Axton album?