Spring has sprung. Get out and shoot your Henry

First Outing of the year!

Freshwater saltwater Lakes, Ponds, Rivers, Streams talk about the ones that got away. Show us the ones that didn't.
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BrokenolMarine
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First Outing of the year!

Post by BrokenolMarine » Thu Apr 18, 2019 8:03 am

8-)

After prepping the gear and the trailer on Tuesday, we were able to get out for the first time this year yesterday and it was a beautiful day as well. We woke up at our usual time, since the table said that the best fishing times would be between 10am and Noon. Great, I hate getting up at zero dark thirty these days. Pain wakes me up early enough, I don't need to set an alarm to do it on purpose. :lol:

Anywho, my sidekick and I were ready at...
"What? No, I didn't mean anything by that, I was just..."
:? :roll:

The BOSS and I headed out about 930am and arrived at the pond just at 10am. we unloaded the yaks and began rigging. Since I have to rig my fly Rod as well, the BOSS, (sidekick, sidekick) started throwing a small spinner bait from the shoreline while I accomplished that task. Boom, nice crappy right from the bank. :D It was going to be a good day. Miss T dragged the kayaks down to the water and slid them in. This is a farm pond, and there is no ramp, so it involves work, and cussin. (Cover your ears as you read this part.) She won't let me help as twisting my right leg could result in a severe break. :evil:

Once in the yak, off I go. This was a major draw to kayak fishing for the disabled vets in our program. In the kayak, everyone is equal and the Captain of the Ship for the day. Back injury, amputee, doesn't matter, you glide smooth as silk across the water, and command the craft. You don't have to cast very far as the kayak can take you in close as quiet as a ghost. :) For the vets with upper body injuries, we had kayaks with pedals. Yup, pedals those puppies.

I had a spinning rod with a bettle spin tied on, a bait caster with a small ribbit frog in place, and my 6wt with floating line and one of Miss Tina's deer hair mice. I started with the fly rod, and working the bank on my favorite cove. Boom, about halfway down one side, a foot long one pound bass. Fun on the fly rod. The way we designed the mouse, the bream and crappy can take it, but can't hook up, it's too big. As I looped the back of the cove, working the mouse, and turned to start back out, I had high hopes for the back corner where the high sun and trees were creating shade pockets. Sure enough, a huge topwater strike against the bank and I was hooked up. A big strike from a big bass. 18 - 20" towing the kayak at a good rate. :P

This is where that time away cost me. I didn't let the fish run a bit and tire itself, I fought back and tried to strip him directly back to the kayak, anxious to see what I had hooked. after a two or three minute battle, the fish shook himself loose and was gone. Not my finest minute of the day. The Hookup itself was a blast. I continued on around hooking up with several small bass, and another monster hookup on the back side of the pond in another shade pocket, another five or six pound fighter. :o

The Boss was throwing a spinning rod, and targeting sunfish, and had a fantastic day, catching fish all thru the three hours we spent on the water. We didn't make a long day of it as the temps were up, the sun was out, and we didn't want to overdo or over expose. She was pulling crappy and bream off the water in a steady stream and having a blast. The other note, a Large Mother Goose on the pond when we drove up disappeared when we arrived. Tina saw her head poking out of the tall grass on a corner of the bank as she paddled by, and radioed me to let me know. I gave that corner, a normally favorite place to work the fly rod, a wide berth. I did see mama flatted in the high grass there, so glad I did. There is a you tube video of a kayaker attacked and knocked from his kayak by a large goose... wings flapping, beak striking... and I didn't want to be the next viral video. :roll:

YES, Miss Tina said she would film the entire thing and send it unedited for language straight to You Tube. :lol: Mama had either a clutch of eggs she was covering, or worse yet, new chicks. I wasn't going to approach either. I went wide enough that she didn't raise her head or hiss. We never saw papa, he was probably hidden in ambush mode... waiting for the hiss. :twisted:

Overall, a very good day. Sorry, no pics. I didn't take the good camera and T said she would take a few with her phone, but the fish were coming fast and furious and she just didn't want to stop... can't blame her. Next time, pics, I promise.

I did throw the bettle spin, and the ribbit, but I had all my luck with the fly rod. Once the duck weed covers the pond, that Ribbit Frog will rule, it drives the bass nuts. chatter baits and loud spinners will work, and Tina's worm techniques on the bottom, but yesterday, that pond mouse was killing on the bass. :)
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markiver54
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Re: First Outing of the year!

Post by markiver54 » Thu Apr 18, 2019 9:35 am

Great story Jim!! Thanks for taking the time to share it with us. Very descriptive, felt like I was there enjoying it with you!
Glad you and T had a good time and no goose attack, :lol: I know how awnry they can be! :o
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North Country Gal
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Re: First Outing of the year!

Post by North Country Gal » Thu Apr 18, 2019 10:09 am

Nothing like a good fishing report to get us excited about our upcoming fishing season, though we have a very long way to go just to get the ice off of our lakes. Thanks. Really enjoyed your fishing adventure.
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CT_Shooter
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Re: First Outing of the year!

Post by CT_Shooter » Thu Apr 18, 2019 10:33 am

BrokenolMarine wrote: After prepping the gear and the trailer on Tuesday, we were able to get out for the first time this year yesterday and it was a beautiful day as well. We woke up at our usual time, since the table said that the best fishing times would be between 10am and Noon. Great, I hate getting up at zero dark thirty these days. Pain wakes me up early enough, I don't need to set an alarm to do it on purpose. :lol:
Marine, your skill as a writer should find its way into a best selling novel. Thanks for sharing another cool story with us.
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BrokenolMarine
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Re: First Outing of the year!

Post by BrokenolMarine » Thu Apr 18, 2019 11:00 am

Thanks CT, I did write some popular columns for a local small paper to help out the owner. She always told me I should put them out as a collection. They were mostly humor. Childhood observation and anecdotes, but she said the readers liked them. I liked writing and sharing, I enjoyed the creative process.

I write the first draft, just let it flow. Then go back hours later and make a second pass, a day later a third. Once I'm happy.. I would submit.
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You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

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