Saturday, June 4, 2016

The road less traveled..

The road less traveled.. barely room for a truck to pass under those leaners.



Over winters deepest extremes I can't help but look ahead towards spring. With sincere full intentions of giving serious attempt toward numerous different extremely viable options. May is a crazy month.. with so much diversity it would be impossible to actively pursue all of them. I still wish I'd do better with following through on at least 30% of the mental itinerary.

I did wake up at 4:00 a.m. not long ago and instead of fluffing up the pillow and turning over leaped ..well, rose slowly.. with the thought that it should be a good day to try a little hidden backwoods gem I used to spend a lot of time on with rod and gun both. It was one of my all to rare "smart moves"

Even getting a boat on it requires considerable effort. Back in the day the only way possible was two guys, both in hip boots, cursing between coughs from inhaling mosquitos as they drug a boat 150 feet through deep treacherous peat muck interlaced with dead cedar limbs. Over the last two decades a sort of 'hillbilly' boardwalk has been implemented, mainly from old pallets and scrap lumber. I bet there's 6' or more of old pallet base supporting the current deteriorating ones above the muck. Not a place for the meek white tennis shoe crew. On the plus side it see's decidedly less pressure than most fishing lakes with a 'civilized' access and more importantly ..the modern boat launch.

I tried to tough it out get the boat in and move off shore before using the dope (grin) but couldn't take them long enough. As a rule once off and away from shore they don't seem to be able to zero in on you as well. After a good dose of deet I drifted.. rigging the rod, an old 8' Orvis 'Western' that was picked up at bargain rate for a spare / loaner. Noticed a Loon off to the north, the direction I was drifting. He was skeptical of my intent and kept the same distance between us. Finally he ran out of lake and was being pinched into the bank. At this point he took off, skimming the surface with his wing tips for well over 100' and passing the boat less than 15' out. Times like this you wish for the capability to shoot a little video. I watched him climb to an altitude above tree tops and circle to the east then resumed rigging. In less than 30 seconds I heard a sound and barely had time to recognize it.. wings. If you've never hunted waterfowl odds are you wouldn't have known it. Anyway, all this in about 2 seconds. I looked up and the Loon passed me so close that it's still hard to believe! I would say 5 feet tops.. Startled me big time.. had he struck you at that speed and weight you'd have been stunned and dumped over the low sides of the pram boat before knowing what even hit you. I still don't know why he took such offence, there was no nest, no real reason, other than he was apparently just a cocky misanthrope Loon. A new experience for me.

Completed rigging the rod and tied a small black popper on, couple test casts and began easing the boat along the breakline. A rise well within range got the first real cast.. nothing took nor did they on the second. However I sighted another ring ahead and eased along to it and dropped the light 7 pound anchor over fixing me in place. First cast it was game on! Nice Gill




The next fish wasn't long coming. He was hooked a bit more difficult but got the popper freed without much trouble. Looking at it decided to pinch the barb.. THAT was the best move I could have made! Next fish ATE and was hooked deep. To complicate things more yet he was a smallish fish. Without forceps and a crushed barb fly I would never have gotten it. I had some other flies that were bigger and looked very promising (reason I bought a few) basically the old foam wiggle bug pattern but scaled way down from the standard Bass / Pike size.  Seemed like a good time to try one, bigger fly, tougher to swallow. It's overcast big time and threatening rain.. Black was the call once again. You couldn't keep the fish off this fly! It is the epitome Bluegill fly! (Pictured in the mouth of the Bull Sunfish) With it's longer shank and crushed barb most fish didn't even have to be removed from the water to release. All you had to do was reverse the shank and wave good by. Even a deeper hooked release was a breeze with the forceps.





Bull Sunny


The day stayed DARK threatening rain that never came.. occasional brief periods of sunshine before going back to darkness. These kind of days are ones I've had epic outings on and this one did not disappoint. I fished from 5:30 a.m. to just after 3:00 p.m. before prying myself away, long out of drinking water and tired of battling the wind. The fish seemed enthused by the stiff breeze and even though it affected casting and you had to occasionally grab for your hat as it lifted off, I didn't mind. The trouble was with the light anchor.. between the waves and wind it wouldn't hold. Always a frustrating circumstance. I never saw another person all day..

..It was one of blurred casting, admiring beautiful fish.. and releasing them. The heaviest hardest pulling one came un-buttoned (naturally) Did not much phase me with present circumstances.. not a big deal. Pretty sure it was a Bass but not positive.. it ran in a big wide arc against the line tension like the other heavy Gills had, versus a Bass bulldogging at depth. I'll remember it a long time.. I did get two Bass about same size (see below)



It never ceases to amaze me how gorgeous most fish are and how perfectly adapted (color wise) to their environment they seem.




The next morning Scott and I went back, getting a later start due some responsibilities he had. We were still fishing by 8:00 a.m. It started out pretty gang busters but fell off considerably from what I had experienced the day prior. I lay it on the bright sun conditions. Still, all in all it was a good days fishing! I tied a chartreuse wiggle bug on his leader and wished I would have tied it to my own! The fish REALLY seemed to be ga ga over it. I didn't fish for the first hour or so then tried same bug in white. They did not care for it. Same with white body heavy red hackle. No go. After that I fell back on 'Old Faithful' the beat up eyes nocked off black bug from day before. They would take it.. but still not as readily as the chartreuse. An interesting observation.. now wondering if it's a constant.





Scott with a nice one.
 
Wild Copper Barring
 
 
The fishing was good enough that he went back the next morning with his daughter. She's fast catching onto casting fly line ..and fish! Hopefully she'll excel at rowing drift boats as well ;-)


The future.. in fine fishing form