09-20-2018, 08:39 PM
If you read my last post you know that I have been catching only one fish per trip lately. Well it happened again today.
I met BLK at Lincoln Beach about 7:00 this morning and we made our way out the channel, which was about 1.3' deep. When we got into the lake proper it was windy and choppy--almost too much so. So we turned around and went east; still too rough, so we pulled into the bay south of the south dike and cast out. Soon Lynn had a fish on. It turned out to be "too little to measure" and back he went. A bit later he tied into another one. When I saw its dorsal fin sticking up out of the water I said to myself, "Now that's a big fish!" When I netted him and got him in the boat Lynn guessed he was 27" and I agreed with him. We measured him anyway and were both surprised that he was a 29"er. We took pictures and returned him.
After a bit the water calmed enough so we could turn and "stroll" west past the mouth of the channel and on west. When we got even with the jaws my pole bent and began to dance. I set the hook and started reeling in what I thought was an "okay" fish, maybe the 27"er I was hoping to add to my score. Then halfway to the boat the line went slack and I thought I had lost him, but I started reeling fast. Sure enough, he had swum straight toward the boat and was almost there when I caught up with him. He still felt like a good fish, but he didn't fight as well as some smaller fish caught this year. But when I pulled his big old head out of the water we both realized that he was a good one. We put him on the board and with a little strategic positioning he also went 29 inches. I had just reached another of my goals: to put a fish in the top ten to help increase the team score. I felt "well pleased," (my replacement expression for "proud.")[
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We dragged some more carp and white bass around toward the springs but all we caught were some rocks that weren't supposed to be there. We passed the time pleasantly in getting to know each other but no other fish came to play. So, a three-fish day, but we each had bumpers and were thankful for what really turned out to be a great day: two great fish and good company; what more can you ask for?
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I met BLK at Lincoln Beach about 7:00 this morning and we made our way out the channel, which was about 1.3' deep. When we got into the lake proper it was windy and choppy--almost too much so. So we turned around and went east; still too rough, so we pulled into the bay south of the south dike and cast out. Soon Lynn had a fish on. It turned out to be "too little to measure" and back he went. A bit later he tied into another one. When I saw its dorsal fin sticking up out of the water I said to myself, "Now that's a big fish!" When I netted him and got him in the boat Lynn guessed he was 27" and I agreed with him. We measured him anyway and were both surprised that he was a 29"er. We took pictures and returned him.
After a bit the water calmed enough so we could turn and "stroll" west past the mouth of the channel and on west. When we got even with the jaws my pole bent and began to dance. I set the hook and started reeling in what I thought was an "okay" fish, maybe the 27"er I was hoping to add to my score. Then halfway to the boat the line went slack and I thought I had lost him, but I started reeling fast. Sure enough, he had swum straight toward the boat and was almost there when I caught up with him. He still felt like a good fish, but he didn't fight as well as some smaller fish caught this year. But when I pulled his big old head out of the water we both realized that he was a good one. We put him on the board and with a little strategic positioning he also went 29 inches. I had just reached another of my goals: to put a fish in the top ten to help increase the team score. I felt "well pleased," (my replacement expression for "proud.")[
]We dragged some more carp and white bass around toward the springs but all we caught were some rocks that weren't supposed to be there. We passed the time pleasantly in getting to know each other but no other fish came to play. So, a three-fish day, but we each had bumpers and were thankful for what really turned out to be a great day: two great fish and good company; what more can you ask for?
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The older I get the more I would rather be considered a good man than a good fisherman.