Why Jacks Are Better

EDITOR'S NOTE: Many hunters have found that the new Mossy Oak Apparel Treklite brand crosses over two seasons. Lightweight, comfortable and very breathable, this pants and shirt outfit works perfectly for bowhunting in the early fall. In the spring of the year, you can chase turkeys over hills and mountains and still stay cool and comfortable. Yet many hunters don't realize that Treklite also works great for fishing clothes. Roll-up sleeves with a button-down keeper, zip-off legs so that an angler can wear the pants as shorts and fast-drying material make the Treklite suit ideal for the saltwater angler. Mossy Oak Apparel's Treklite promises to help the angler stay cool, prevent sunburn and remain dry. This past week Mossy Oak Apparel field-tested Treklite off Mississippi's Gulf Coast. Read on to learn about the trip and to see Treklite in action.

As the anglers fishing off Mississippi's Gulf Coast in the Barrier Islands waded the shallow water on the south end of Breton Island, Stephanie Mallory of Pelham, Alabama, moved close to the edge of the channel and cast out a light brown D.O.A. (Deadly On Anything) rubber shrimp. Before the shrimp could meander its way to the bottom, a fish attacked. As Mallory leaned back and held on tightly to the rod, the hard-charging fish began to strip off line. Reeling as hard as she could, and pulling back with all her might, she couldn't check the charge of the hard-running jack.

When the fish finally slowed, she tried to take up line. However, her retrieve only lasted a few seconds before the jack made another run. This time, Mallory could see the silver color of the fast-emptying spool. Holding on to the rod, she walked toward the fish, reeling as she walked. Gaining more and more line, she got closer and closer to the channel's drop-off point. Finally, she began to hold tight and back up. Mallory fought the fish for 45 minutes before she finally got it under control. Both angler and fish were spent.

"I thought I had on a big bull redfish," Mallory said. "And I was determined to get him in to shore. But when I saw that high-yellow dorsal fin, I knew it was a jack crevalle. Okay, these fish don't taste good, but you'll never find a harder-fighting, more fun fish to catch than a jack crevalle. Although I like to eat what I catch, I mainly go fishing for a tug on the line, and I could barely handle this fish. I had a great day of wade fishing at the Chandeleur Islands on the charter boat 'I'm Alone' with Captain Larry Hayden based in Pascagoula, Mississippi. I really enjoyed wearing the Treklite clothes from Mossy Oak Apparel and stayed cool and comfortable while doing all the hard work of getting the jack crevalle under control."

For information on chartering the "I'm Alone," write Captain Larry Hayden at P.O. Box 573, Pascagoula, MS 39568-0573, or call him at work at (800) 647-7252 or at home at (228) 392-3290, or visit the website www.imalonecharters.com. For more about fishing off Mississippi's Gulf Coast, call (800) WARMEST or go to the website www.visitmississippi.org. To learn more about DOA lures, call (561) 287-5001 or go to the website, www.doalures.com. To know more about Mossy Oak Apparel's Treklite clothes, go to www.mossyoak.com.

TOMORROW: Good Food -- Good Fun