Saturday, March 24, 2012

3/22/12 Middle Creek State Fishing Lake..."In Search of.....Well , Anything."

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After 3 straight days of persistent rain around here it finally broke for a few hours yesterday on what just happened to be my day off. I could tell Joe was tired of being couped up and was anxious to get outside , it's amazing how much we think alike.
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With a few hours to kill in the morning we decided to take off and go hit a small public fishing lake just South of home. I didn't expect to find much of anything except a soggy trail leading to an off-colored lake still on the rise from the recent deluge of rain. My intuition wasn't too far off base. No matter , the sun was trying to peek out from behind the thick clouds and Joe and I were both happy just to get out. We walked along the dam of the small lake , mostly because it was one of the only areas we could hike without slopping through six inches of mud.
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This lakes inhabitants include saugeye , walleye , white bass and a few hybrids along with the usual mix of warmwater species for this area. I threw a chartreuse and white clouser haphazardly as we walked along , not really expecting to catch anything but still hoping I might get lucky and pull the ol blind squirrel trick. Despite my best efforts (well not really) the fish eluded us.
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It was a nice little hike from one side of the lake to the other and we got to see a flock of wild turkeys strutting out in a field as well as several geese chasing each other around along the dam. A nice little nature walk if nothing else.
I still had one other spot that I wanted to give a look before we headed back North towards home , this particular lake has an overflow that I'd had some success fishing back in my pre-flyfishing days. The one issue with this spot is that the only parking is on the shoulder of a 4-lane highway and you have to climb a 60 inch barbwire security fence to get to it. I suppose you could say that I had to tresspass to fish it , but that seems like pretty harsh terminology to me . The water in the lake is public so it only seems right that it still belongs to the taxpayers on the other side as well , elementary thinking at it's finest. A short drive and we arrived at the spot.
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Joe had to stay in the truck to his dismay ,I just didn't feel comfortable getting him out on a busy highway and besides that he could explain the situation to any highway patrol officer that happened to stop and check out my vehicle. This spot's really nothing more than a pothole and isn't even fisheable unless we've had a good amount of rain and the lake is topping the overflow level like it was on this day.
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Still not much to look at , even when full , but I just had a feeling there was a fish or two in there somewhere. Still using the same clouser , I worked my way around the small pool , basically pitching my fly into likely looking current seams. On about the third cast I felt a tug that turned out to be a decent sized white.
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At least the skunk was gone I thought to myself as I released the fish and made another short cast. I didn't linger too long , working my way around the small pool quickly, glancing back up towards the highway occasionally to make sure I didn't see any flashing red lights. It ended up being worth the effort , landing two chunky white bass and one dink crappie before calling it quits.
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Definitely nothing to write home about but at least I didn't have to ride home with that skunk on my back...I'm easy I guess.

8 comments:

  1. Sometimes those little jaunts to nearby waters are some of the relaxing and rewarding at the same time. Enjoyed the pictures of you and Joe.

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    1. Mel - Thanks...and you're absolutely right. As much as I enjoy taking a few days and getting out of town it's often more hectic than it is relaxing by the time evrything is arranged. Those little jaunts to a local water are usually carefree trips with nothing to do but enjoy the opportunity.

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  2. Nice pics!

    Joe looks pretty bummed in that one pic.

    He likes his fishin'!

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    1. G-Lech - Thanks man....Ol Joe would rather fish than eat , and I can't think of much else I could say that about. Damn , just another reason why he and I are so much alike!

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  3. Not getting skunked and eluding the law...has all the makings of a good trip.

    ...even on taxpayer water.

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    1. Sanders - Nothing like a little excitement added to your fishing. I'm obviously getting old though , 10 years ago I wouldn't have thought twice about what I did or worried the least bit while fishing. I have to admit that I spent a good amount of time looking over my shoulder the other day though!

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  4. Haha I will admit that there are two or three waters in Lawrence which I am not certain if I can fish in or not, and therefore haven't.... yet. Though the temptation is starting to become too much.

    Looks like you had a good time however and those are some nice White Bass.

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    1. Atlas - A little adventure is good for the soul!! I'm not normally likely to trespass anywhere to fish but seeing as this fence was put up by the highway dept and not a landowner I figured what the hell. Fish were caught and I didn't go to jail....win - win in my book.

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