Now with a nice double double in hand I will continue.
Well I finally set my two anchors, one at the stern and the other at the bow of the Leaf Craft. Two anchors are used, to keep it from swinging in the breeze that is coming and going. I donot have fancy anchors as most do, only two 10 pound rubber coated circular weights from one of my son's weight lifting days, they do the job in keeping me in postion. The sounder display says I am in about 20 feet of water, I also am sitting in a small bay that cuts down on the wind a bit. I am told fishing with an indicator the calmer the wind the better, not sure how true that is.
A few fish are surfacing especially right near the edge of the lake, maybe in 3 feet of water at the most. Maybe should try with a dry fly but I do not.
I anxiously make my first 2 casts of the adventure without an incident, using a green indicator, for the green Chironomid, a red one on a red Maple Leaf indicator on the other. Should check if they make blue and white ones.
I am not sure how long it was, maybe a hour before I am into my first fish of the trip, on the red. I try filming with my video camera but a couple of minutes into the fight my first fish of the trip, a 12 to 14 inch silver beauty throws the annoyance in its mouth. Hard to reel in one hand and video camera in the other.
Another couple of hours go by with nothing, have I the wrong colour on, I certainly donot know. Anyway finally the green indicator is gone, I actually do not see it dip but the rattle of the rod at the side of the boat draws my attention, I look just in time to see a fish close to 2 pounds clear the water. This time the playing and filming is successful as it comes to the net, I admire it's beauty. I reach for the still camera to try to capture the fish's rainbow colours but the display says no card, left in the computer at home.
I quickly send it on its way, back to the deep.
I count at one time or another 4 float tubes and two other crafts on the water with their occupants working intently at their craft. One of the tubes holds the chap that got the 11 pounder two years ago and the boat has an angler from this forum, out with his son and wife. The boy is sitting in a high chair carefully situated in the middle section of the boat, neat. Always great to see families out together, enjoying our great pastime of fishing. The dad recognizes me from this forum by my Leaf hat, maybe no one else wears one as he asks me if I am Chris.
The fish may not be too hungry but I am, I head in for shore for a light supper. I meet another angler just loading up, he says has fished nearly twice as long as me, I see one fish by his boat, maybe I did not do too bad after all.
It is now near 7 so I head back out, I miss two as I get two different dips on the green, followed by a nice fish of close to 3 pounds on the red. I try to film the fight but I believe it cost me this fish as while fumbling about with the camera it sees me losing control of the fish, hence loss number 2.
With darkness closing in it signals the end of the day but I try trolling a leech around for a bit, making a circle of the lake but find no more takers although a few fish are jumping, the splashes keeping me interested.
As I head to shore I see a fairly bright light in the Westerly sky. Too bright for a star, not blinking like a plane, for a minute I think of a flying saucer but I donot believe in them so I put it down as a Satellite. I film it but most likely was too dark to show, I have not checked out the video yet.
I put the Leaf Craft to bed and head to my bed as well, hoping an Alien from Mars does not come and spirits myself and the Leaf Craft away. O, they probably donot like the Maple Leafs anyway.
The night slips by quickly but it gets quite cold, I believe close to 1, I even have to fire up the heater in the truck a couple of times throughout the night.
As I am getting ready to start day 2 it is 9 o'clock, two anglers come in with float tubes. They tell me they had been by a nearby lake the day before and were into a few including losing two to a loon.
I head once again to the bay area and fish for 3 hours or so and land none. I have one on briefly, miss a couple including one that has the indicator under for nearly 10 seconds. By the time I catch up to it the indicator is once again bobbing cockily on the top of the water. All these fish were interested in the green.
I go in for lunch and a nap before heading out again, this time I donot even get a chance at a fish.
I just admire the wildlife around this picturesque little lake. I notice a good number of ATV's and motor bikes circling through the area, it seems just about every group of campers seems to have one or more. I have nothing against them while they respect the environment and their fellow campers but I find the noise does interupt the natural silence of the lake. Personally I get away to a spot like this to try and avoid the sounds of city life, yes even in what was sleepy Chilliwack only a few years ago has turned into a busy area.
Back to the launch for a break and supper. The lake is now void of boats as I head out for the last couple of hours. I see a few fish jumping close to the launch so I decide to give this area a try. The wind is almost non existent so I donot bother to anchor just drift free. First though I have now put a similar green on the other rod as this colour seems to be doing better.
As I drift very slowly I see a few casings around, irt seems a Chironmid hatch is taking place. It does not take long as the green indicator is gone as the rod is nearly ripped out of my hands. This is a nice fish and it jumps a couple of times and I have to work it away from a couple of snags before it comes to the net, I am pleased with this fish that looks close to 3 pounds.
It does not take long and the newly attached green chironomid has tricked a bigger fish that gives me 5 minutes of pleasure before I get it near the boat. I try to get it in my too small of net but it keeps slipping out, I told you I was a novice, not properly equipped. What could I do as I wanted to keep this fish for the table. As I was near the launch I decided to row it to shore and beach it that way.
Boy was I glad no one was around to see this performance as I maneuver ashore with rod in hand and trying to row.
By some type of luck I am successful and I have a nice fish at the water's edge, a rainbow that I estimate is close to tipping the scales at 4 pounds.
I dispatch it, clean it quickly, putting the innards in my garbage bag, I never throw them in a still piece of water.
I am anxious to get back out as finally it seems that the bite happening. It is indeed happening as I miss a few before connecting again, another nice one but I lose it as I am trying to get the indicator to slip down the line as I could not break it free.
Then the indicator is down again, solid, a beauty I think but it is acting funny. This fish turns out to be a nice limb fish, slender, dark and long, 3 feet.
The bite stops as quickly as it started but I am more than satisfied as I row the boat ashore, only 30 feet from the launch.
As I climb into my Leaf Mobile Hilton bed, rain now splatters down, its a pleasant sound, combined with the croaking of hundreds of frogs surrounding the lakes edge this is enough to serenade me off to sleep with the sight of leaping rainbows, dancing in my head, only feet from where I sleep.
Saturday morning dawns quickly, I decide to try an early morning fish but a hour of fishing yields nothing, as the wind picks up from a storm moving in I decide to call it a trip. I pack up everything and begin my trek back to the highway. As I near the Coq. the rain is coming down fairly heavily so I decide to forget the festival this year and head for home. Besides I have not had a coffee for two days.
One thing I did learn on this trip, a favorite catch word it seems these days, GO GREEN.
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Topic: A Rookie At This Fly Fishing Game, The Journal for May 20, 2007 (Read 2662 times)