Sunday Fishing Report: Sanctuary

The weekend was good, but extremely busy and intense. Lots of family, but also lots of work. After it was all over I slipped away to the lake for an evening of rest and renewal.
I launched at the channel between the upper and lower lakes, rich waters that include John's Cove. But I angled away from John's Cove down the northern shore of the lower lake where the water was unruffled by a breeze from the north.
This is a storied stretch of shoreline; Lidia caught her 20 incher here.
On the way, trolling as I went, the healing began.

Caddis are more a factor here than in any other stretch of water that I know of. So I tied on Lidia's Caddis. Things started slow as I worked the lake edge of the shoreline weedbeds. But I was able to coax this trout to take.

I saw slashing rises beginning inside the weedbeds right at the bank. One spot looked well-patrolled by some good fish. I worked my way in and dropped my fly right into their kitchen.

Almost instantly a fish came to it. I had been expecting another slashing, splashing strike, if I got anything. But the take was understated, almost delicate. If I had looked away for a moment I might have missed it.

I tightened on a heavy fish. I couldn't back out into open water as I sometimes do, and I couldn't pause to reel in slack line, so I kept levering his head up as well as I could and stripped him in through the weeds.
He was the best Rainbow of the season so far, one of the best ever. He was two handspans from his head to the fork of his tail, so I make him at 19 inches.

I began to feel like myself again.

I dropped the fly back into the same place. Again a quick take, a weedy battle, and a beautiful fish. This take was even more delicate. I saw a single, thin ripple begin to expand and noticed that the fly was gone.

I like my work. I try to help harried souls find sanctuary.

But sometimes what gets me through is knowing right where my sanctuary is.