“We lived in Garland. My dad had a 6 HP Evinrude outboard motor out in the garage. I think he got it at Sears. We would load it up and head to Lake Quitman, rent a flat-bottomed boat from Ben Hargrove and go fishing for the day.  My kit was a Zebco 33,” described Lake Fork crappie guide Rhandy Simmons. 

The Zebco 33 Spincast Reel was first produced in 1953, and continues to provide that first step for many boys and girls today.

For generations of young kids, the Zebco 33 and those initial fishing day trips with dad were passages of youth.  For Simmons, however, it became a passion and a livelihood. Today, Simmons is one of the senior fishing guides plying the waters at Lake Fork.

When questioned about the ‘hook’ of fishing, Simmons smiled.

“It’s the thump,” he said.

The thump is that feeling one gets up through the line when a fish strikes the bait.

“There isn’t anything like it,” he continued.

There was a lot of living for Simmons between those early fishing sorties in Wood County and today. Fishing had to compete with his other great passion in life: music – or, more specifically, the bass guitar.

“My parents would get together with the neighbors and play dominoes each week,” Simmons explained.

It was at one of those domino nights that Simmons was exposed to the Ed Sullivan Show. 

On one particular night, his neighborhood friend said, “you have to see this.” The two went in and watched the Ed Sullivan show specifically because there was an act being featured for the first time on national television: The Beatles.

“I was amazed,” Simmons admitted. “That is what I want to do,” he recalled proclaiming to his friend.

Grandpa provided the guitar, and Simmons embarked on his second great passion.  

Guitar lessons were short-lived.

“It wasn’t long before my guitar teacher told me that I had to find another teacher, as I had exhausted what he could do for me,” Simmons said.

As the Beatles had sparked a proliferation of lead guitar players, Simmons decided to pursue the bass guitar as his specialty.

His first gig was as a 15-year-old.

“The VFW needed a bass player. One of the veterans told me not to worry about playing at the club. He claimed me as his son, so that I could come in and play at the VFW,” Simmons explained.

Music became his life. Among the many musicians that he performed with, his time with Black Top Records of Metairie, La. (where he was considered one of the ‘blue-eyed soul brothers’) and Roomful of Blues stand out. He also logged time with Anson and the Rockets, and toured throughout the U.S. and Europe. 

Simmons’ name will likely surface whenever long-time musicians talk about bassists.

Fishing never left him. He would often ask the crowd at whatever venue he was at if anyone wanted to go fishing the next day. One such query saw him fishing at Jerry Lee Lewis’ private lake the following day. 

In addition to his guitar cases, he would always travel with some fishing gear. 

Eventually, touring became too much, and Simmons took up residence with his dad, who ran a tree farm on FM 2088 in Perryville. Simmons founded Siesta Ranch Recording Studio.  Most notably, he produced music with Kasey Musgraves, the late Richard Rains, and the bands Perfect Stranger and Shinebox.  

While music was yet a major force in his life, in 1992, Simmons began guiding on Lake Fork. Having fished Lake Fork since it was impounded, Simmons benefited from some local lake legends.

Lucky Fields and Hollice Joiner were two of the major influences in developing his guiding skills.

“When the Lake was first impounded, it was a different kind of fishing,” Simmons admitted. “Lucky Fields used to always carry a chainsaw in his boat when the lake was filling up… it allowed him to cut passages through the timber to reach honey holes.” 

Simmons described the early years of fishing Lake Fork as a frenzy of fishermen and strict, unspoken rules among fishing guides.

“Back then, you only guided out of one specific marina. They booked your customers, you fished all morning, came in to the marina for lunch, and shipped back out again ‘til dark,” he said.

Competition between guides (and marinas) was keen. Simmons has always been associated with the Minnow Bucket Marina on Big Caney Bay. 

“There were, at that time, maybe 20 guides on Lake Fork,” Simmons noted. 

He added that, today, there are a ton of local guides. 

In time, Simmons migrated from bass guiding to crappie. When asked why, he simply stated, “They taste great!”

In addition to tasting great, crappie reproduce quickly, so population levels remain high. They are also just a lot of fun to catch, Simmons noted. 

He also explained that there are basically two types of fishing guides – trophy guides who chase ShareLunkers, and those who aim to fill up a freezer with fish. He is definitely in the latter category.

“I tell my clients that the only thing they need to bring are the empty coolers to carry the catch home,” he said.

Simmons provides all the gear for a fishing expedition, and cleans and filets the day’s catch. 

Simmons favors blackened crappie done in a cast iron skillet with a stick of butter, two minutes per side. He also enjoys beer-battered fried crappie, ‘poor man’s lobster’ (boiled crappie), and crappie scampi. 

The early excitement associated with Lake Fork has passed, but according to Simmons, the lake remains a jewel to fish.

“And it’s full of crappie,” he added.

Simmons runs a 22-foot Xpress, recognizable with the signage NOT SO SERIOUS GUIDE SERVICE in red letters on the bulwark. That sign seems to fit the congenial nature of Simmons. He is, after all, a man with many stories and an engaging personality.

Still, even a fishing guide with 35 years on the lake has a serious side when it comes to catching fish.  Although very forthcoming about his fishing experiences, Simmons was unwilling to disclose the characteristics of his hand-tied crappie jig. There are, after all, secrets among fishermen.