I Think I'm A Little Out Of Practice

I didn't have any real plan for today other than sitting on my butt and resting. I couldn't do that at home because I'm one of those people who sit in the chair looking out the window and seeing things I could be doing and then go out and do them. Besides, tomorrow Bob and I have plans to move all the rounds I have cut to the splitting pile. That would be three trees worth so I needed to save up my energy.

The logical thing to do would be drive up to Bear River Reservoir (it's only 20 miles from home) and with two rods out sit on a cushion on a nice flat rock and soak up some sun. 

I got to the lake at 0815 and with coffee in hand, stumbled down to a good spot and put out two lines with slip sinker rigs, rainbow Power Bait, and a dab of Pro-Cure sweet corn bait scent. My logic told me that with as hot as it's been any fish are going to be wayyyyyy down. I cut the leader to 14 inches, stuck on a wad of Power Bait and flung that sucker out as far as I could (about 150 feet). That would be both rods exactly the same, pretty much side by side.

I got my butt situated on a nice flat rock, grabbed my cup of coffee and waited. I would give it until 11:30 and then pack up and head home. Should be quite toasty by then. I had no expectations.  

At 8:40 the first hit came and I missed the set. Shortly another hit and I missed that one too. Like the title says, I'm a little out of practice with bait dunking since I've been fly fishing exclusively since the middle of May. Oh yeh, wanted to show you how calm the lake was.

Not a wind ripple in sight

After missing the first two, I did hook up on the third hit and it produced this 11 inch stocker rainbow. Since I've been very lax at keeping Bob's (you know Bob, I plow for fish) freezer full of fish this summer, I threw this one in a bucket full of ice for him. After all, I do need to keep his good will so my driveway will get plowed this winter. 

First fish of the day

The rest of the morning went something like this. Fish in the ice bucket, then one missed, then one more in the bucket, etc. I ended up bringing 6 to hand and kept 5 for Bob and turned the 6th one loose as it was a smaller one (probably 9 inches) and all the rest were 11 and 12 inchers. 

As I was packing up, a guy approached and asked if I could answer a couple of questions. Since I wasn't paying much attention, I didn't notice (until he was right next to me) that he was from the California Department of Fish & Game. Ooops. Not a Game Warden, just a guy taking a survey. Whew....Good thing I only had 5 (the limit) huh. He asked a couple of questions, measured all the fish, shot the shit for a while and then moved on to the people fishing down the way.

As on most trips I always find something to put on the window sill. Today it was a small bobber and one of those bell thingeys that a lot of people use to tell them a fish is biting on their line. Personally I've never had any trouble telling when a fish bites especially when the line snaps straight out from the tip of your rod, but hey, to each their own. 

Bobber and bell thingy

So that sums up a day of relaxing, Bob has five for his freezer, and I'm ready to move wood tomorrow. You saw the pile from two trees and we're adding three more. Should be quite the pile and I have to split it all as well, but that comes later.

I still have story #2 and will get that posted shortly. stay tuned.

Mark