Part Two, Will try to finish.
As I threw the 22 thrust electric motor into gear, Leaf Craft 2 responded quite nicely and quickly left the campsite quickly behind. I joined the others on a shoal or Island as the boys called it and saw Don was into a fish. I pulled out the video camera to film a little of the action.
This will be easy to fill out the 2 a day limit I thought as I threw my make shift anchor ( an old Railway steel plate ) over the side of Leaf Craft 2 as I anchored a little ways away fom Lew. I hoped I was not embarrasing them with this make shift equipment where they have every thing first class.
Fish are breaking surface feeding on an ant hatch. "Not good Lew says as they will feed on these and as they take a long time to digest fishing could make for a tough
few days of fishing". Thanks for the good news I thought.
With a couple of hours of fishing time I pull anchor and move across the lake and see a few fish rising but they would not rise for my offering.
Boy is it tough pulling the anchor out of that Marl bottom.
The weekend warriors start arriving early including a expert from some Vancouver Fly shop one fellow in a float tube tells me.
All of them keep asking me as they pass me "anything",
"have not been out long was my weak reply".
I am sure they realized by my poor casting ablity as I could not hid my inexperience. Also I was constanly getting that 15 foot leader with the indicator around the net, an oar, sweater or the spare battery I had brought out, too much stuff.
Why a spare battery when you had a good pair of oars I thought as the comedy act continued as I spent more time untangling the leader than fishing. Boy does that tapered fly line every get twisted around things.
As the fish continues to rise I spend some time filming, getting a good shot especially of the setting sun through the trees along with a nice reflection from the surface of the calm lake being a bonus for the other wise fruitless day fish wise for me.
As I find my way to the launch the new arrivials from the city are launching their circular water craft and I hear some of them say" hope for a full moon and we can fish to 3 am"
They say they will use leeches what ever that is. I have heard of blood sucking leeches, but to fish with them??
I entertained coming out to join them after a late supper but I would make about one cast and then how to untangle in the dark. Lew says they use head lamps which I have used to collect dew worms with but did not bring along. Terry tells me I made a good decision to stay ashore.
Anyway, I retired to the comfort of Terry's kindly provided sleeping quarters and was asleep with the CKWX news echoing in my ear piece of all the bad news in the Big City. Why do we hear and read so much about bad news. If we heard more good maybe the world would be a better place to live in. So glad I am in God's country and I tell him so before I drift off to sleep.
Before I knew it my inner clock said it was 5:30 and I quickly slipped into my clothes and grabbed my video camera to see if I could capture some bird life.
To my surprise I was the only one up and the 3 am fishers were sleeping under the stars in their sleeping bags as I slipped by them so not to wake them as I headed to the lake.
I was luckly enough to get a shot of a hen golden eye with her day old brood who I surprised having their breakfast along the reeds at the edge of the lake.
Terry was not far behind me to arise and the smell of some freshly brewed coffee waffling fom the 5th wheel was an invitation to join Terry for some sausauge and eggs as well. Also enjoyed the strawberries and corn flakes. You can not fish well on a empty stomack.
After breakfast Terry headed to the lake as he only had a short time to fish before returning to Chilliwack.
I got my things organized and then Lew invites me in for tea and a muffin while he tied me up a damsel fly (spelling) for the sinking line and a chironimid for the floating. We get a call over the 2 way radio from Terry that he has got a nice one of about two pounds. Well done. Lew's wife Anita shows me some wonderful crafts she has been working on. The lovely setting of this lake certainly brings the best out of us.
After Lew has done up the flies for me I head for where I left off the night before and fish are rising but not taking until Lew comes over from the shoal. I no sooner say to Lew I have had nothing and finally sucess as I feel the pull of a fish on the damsel. My thrill is short lived as the fish gets off without even showing itself.
At least I have some confidence now. Lew and Don are both into some fish but my line remains limp. I see a grebe nesting along the reeds and I move in for a shot of her lone egg and some good footage of her mate as he comes in very close to tell me to move on.
I also see the loon that has ben patrolling around my boat hoping for me to connect with a fish that he may have attempted to steal but he gave up and caught his own and swallowed about a 14 incher. Spellbound watching this, forgot to film it, maybe once in a life time shot.
With all this wildlife around to film I thought I should pack up and head to the Lake Nick and I were at a couple of weeks ago and see if the loon that was on the nest there had hatched her young yet.
As I bid Lew and MLL goodbye I check the watch and it reads 12 noon.
On the return trip towards Merritt I stop and film some more birds that I had not seen before in a Ducks Unlimited project. My boy Gordon will enjoy the species of bird life I captured on film.
I am then stopped by a police road block and the officier makes note of the 2 empty beer bottle case I have in the front seat.
"No beer here" I tell the suspicious officier as he leans through the open window for a sniff. "I use them for storing items in," "All in the cooler' he adds with a grin. I tell him I seldom have one, glad he did not see all the empties I had picked up or I would have some explaining to do.
The talk turns to fishing as I answer all his questions without a slur and he tells me about some hot lake I had never heard of or knew were it was.
Free of my brush with the law
I reach Merritt and slip into the Home Rest. for a piece of apple crisp swirled down with 4 cups of coffee while talking the time to read a couple of papers to catch up on the news of the day.
As I jump into the car it is like a oven, the temprature is hovering near the mid 30 the announcer on the Merritt radio station NL says.
I reach the lake about 4 after getting lost taking the wrong turns a few times.
Some other anglers are there and say it is pretty slow today, those ants I think back to Lew's comment he made yesterday.
I quickly launch and spot the pair of loons not far from the launch with one young riding proudly on her mum's back. What happened to the other egg I had seen in the nest 2 weeks ago?. Maybe the eagle that was circling around got him.
I get some great footage and some sounds from the parents as they warn me to keep my distance. Worth coming for this even if I find no fish I think.
The winds dies down after a couple of hours of not a bite.
I see some large fish rising in the middle of the lake, those darn ants I think.
I start the electic kicker and head over to the spot traillng the 2 rods and their offering. I no sooner cut the engine at the spot of the rising rainbows and the sinking line starts screaming off the reel. As I just grab the fly pole a rainbow in the 5 to 6 pound range clears the water by about 3 feet. A guy in a float tube near by shouts" thats a dandy" You are telling me I think as its repeats the jumping performance 3 more times.
After a few minutes The fish seems to settle down so I grab the video camera for a shot of the now arched pole and hopefully the jumping fish for evidence. Ever try filming while fighting a fish? I hope he comes up again as I ready the large net, hey might have been not a bad idea for the large net and the large cooler to put him in I think.
I put the camera down and just then off he goes, I peer down at the fast disappearing fly line, I see no backing and only a few turns left. No time to start the engine to try and follow this monster for I did not inticipate this, let alone hooking anything. My only option was to try to stop him by clamping down on the reel a little.
Wrong wrong as the 5 pound line parted so quickly it would make your head spin. O no I think as my hands are trembling sso I could hardly reel in the line to check the damage.
I find the Lew's hot fly he had tied for me gone as it appeared to have broken right at the hook.
With time running out I search Gwyn's fly box for something similar that I find and are able to tie on as the shaking of the paws is stopping some what.
Maybe moving a little quicker than I was before may work so I tow the newly tied on fly by rowing. The fly had been wet for a couple of minutes at most and another one on.
This fish not as big as the first, does not take line or jump but swims around the boat and then falls off after couple of minutes into the fight.
Wow maybe I am getting the hang of this but that was to be it as the fish continue to mock me by continuing to rise after the ants that were littering the surface all around the boat.
As I row to the boat launch the loon's now distant calls serenades me away from their lake. I am sure after that brief action with a battle with the biggest rainbow I may ever hook I will wait for a day not that far away when I will ask permission to enter the loons and those rainbows world once again.
Looks like I am now seduced and hooked by yet another type of fishing I knew nothing about a few weeks ago, the challenge of the rainbows.
If you have not tried it do, its frustrating a lot of the time but the hours of trying, learning and waiting are well worth the sight of the fish of a lifetime suspended in mid air, an imagine frozen in my mind for ever.
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Topic: Fish Of A Life Time? Fishing Report June 3 to 4 (Read 9182 times)