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Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Trout Lake Report: Just How I Was Feeling

I went back Tuesday afternoon. It was a long, lazy time on the water. I try not to feel I have anything to prove when I'm fishing, but that notion creeps in. After a good day, such as I had Monday, it's a lot easier to relax and just enjoy the ride.


I was able to go in at the channel--no one was there. The day was warm, as promised, and I began without a jacket. It was still windy though, and later the jacket felt good.


I still had a good feeling about that Muddler, so I started out with it and fished it for a long time. I made my way out into the south lake.


I worked my way down this shoreline casting the Muddler in to the bank, and then trolled it back to the channel. I had so much fun I hardly noticed I hadn't caught anything.


OK, to be honest, I did notice and felt something had to be done. In the channel I switched to a green bead head and soon had a nice Rainbow in the net.


I went the other direction out into the north lake, drifting with the wind and trolling that bead head the whole way, but I didn't catch anything. That's OK, though; a fish would have disturbed my reverie. After awhile the wind began to sit down.


The lake calmed, but nothing was rising, so it seemed like a good time to tie on a Muddler. I worked my way up this shoreline casting in to the bank and stripping back.


Just when I thought I should reexamine the whole Muddler strategy I had a strong take. I was sure it was a Brown, but it turned out to be this gnarly Rainbow. Strong fish.


Fish were starting to rise, and Swallows were swooping over the channel, so I disciplined myself and clipped off the Muddler. I tied on a little Peacock Midge and set out for the channel to catch a fish on a little dry.


Right at the south end of the channel this little guy obliged me. He becomes the first fish caught on a dry at Trout Lake this season. (I've been fishing the Muddler wet, so I didn't count that.) 


I paddled up to the north end and began targeting rises. It wasn't a heavy rise going on, but there were enough fish working to give me something to aim at. Many, though, were little flippers, as I could tell when they flipped clear out of the water. Then I saw a steady riser up closer to the bank.


He came up, then came up again. I laid the fly down near his last rise. He came up again a foot away from the fly, then a second later calmly sipped it in. I set and was surprised to feel some head-shaking weight. Another strong fish, and a Brown this time. Not as big as Monday's fish, but just as determined to avoid the net.


The rises subsided, the dusk deepened, the bats came out, and I tied on the bead head again. I trolled a big circle but the catching was over.


So I paddled in as Venus brightened and the frogs sang love songs.


Just how I was feeling.

8 comments:

  1. All these photos, all those words....reek of being happy to be out on water again. *big grin*
    Hope all is well with the new little family member?

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  2. Good to hear from you again, Erin. Yes, you caught me; I'm reveling in the new season. Iris is doing great. Thanks for asking about her.

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  3. Jim
    Those are some of the best looking trout I have seen in a while. I envy you because of the fact you have the opportunity to land trout that size. Thanks for sharing a great tirp

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    1. They're strong and bright. They need little reviving at this time of year.

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  4. Wonderful post.
    Your close up trout pics are great.

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    1. Glad you like them as someone who knows trout pics. I confess I do, too. Something about that eye to eye view.

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  5. The storytelling really has me engaged. I love the panorama and clouds. Almost like I'm getting to know the lake."head shaking weight", what an image. The photos of the last brown are great. I especially like the different focus one. It gives the viewer it's own interpretation. To me it almost looked like a wood turning, like on a lathe. Pretty cool. We have a guy here who carves from photos of released fish. An amazing artist.

    The ending video was really peaceful. Another great day for you,the oncoming evening,Venus and those beautiful frogs. We call them peepers here. They've become a very integral part of spring for us. It's very special how nature speaks and sings to us in different ways. I sense your happiness as well.

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    1. Thanks, Scott. That "different focus One" was all the Brown. He was a spinner; kept spinning round and round, as you say, like a lathe. Yes, the peepers. These seem lower pitched than what I remember as peepers back east. Need to research frogs in this region. But the result is the same: Peace and serenity.

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