Roy said;
"Hey Sage - is Ray the same guy that used to fish in a float tube up there in the winter? I heard a story once about him where he was pulled clear across the Gorge by "something big" on his tube and had to survive the night in a cave or something? Is that the same guy?"
Roy, Very well could be. I never read the part about being towed across the lake by a big trout but he sure enough used to beach his boat near some caves that he camped out in. The guy was famous for awhile there, he had no quit in him. He would fish the lake until it completely froze solid, breaking ice with the front of his boat so he could troll in the path of water behind, fished at night in the bitter cold, wouldn't wear gloves in fear on not feeling the strike. He'd also, from what i read in his book, always hold his rod, never set it down, would burn anybody elses line with a cigerette if they set their own rod down. the guy was hard core.
His book was one of the worst written examples of writing that this semi-uneducated but fairly well read country boy has put his mind to. The guy did regularly catch monster Brown trout though, did have the lake record German Brown, maybe others as well. Lots of pictures with him and huge browns similat to those lakers in the above post. Claimed that he liked to fish after dark or before daylight, only trolled, and that he only did that in certain places very close to the bank where the water had boulders and dropped off very sharply near the shore. He tooted his own horn over and over at just how tough and great a fisherman he was. Just about everything he had to say coulda been said in a couple chapters but he just repeated his mantra enough times,, building himself up, to make it thick enough to call it a book. I believe he was a fireman and also that his brother fished with him sometimes.
When my Bud posted a want of Johnsons stuff, kinda took me by surprise really. It does makes sence though, obscure local lure maker, mighta only made those lures for a few years. $$ collectable. I was happy to donate my bud my copy of Ray's book, kinda hard to come across i think but whatthehey. My bud is paying about $15-20 per lure if you got any, maybe more if he don't have that size or finish.
There you go, At's about all i know.
Joey
