Monday, September 15, 2014

In Search of Unicorns

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Plans were made mid-week when we both were finally able to pencil the trip in on the calendar , with the unexpected last minute emergency as the only game breaker. The call had come during a week of milder than usual weather which had both of us thinking about a certain quarry known for it's preference of crisp Fall days and cooler water temperatures. After a long stretch of work I was desperately in need of some water time and my buddy was in need of an outing where he was actually fishing instead of untangling wind knots and yelling "set" to a sport who's trying to update his Facebook page while floating the best section of river.
The prospect of a chilly morning and a three hour drive time had us choosing to fish bankers hours instead of our usual crack of dawn start time for a change.
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The lake is just a small city water supply reservoir , 450 acres of electric motors only water where the constant whine you hear can be attributed to an oversized dragonfly circling overhead opposed to that clan of mouth-breathers on their jet skis that frequents the waters you normally fish.
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You arrive at the boat ramp and set up the vessel of choice for the day...locked , stocked and loaded with 10 weights , half-chickens lashed to irons and 50 pounds of adrenaline inducing thrust to get to where the action is.
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You've played this game before so the reality that you probably had a better chance of hitting that $5000 scratcher you picked up along with your Little Debbies this morning than you do of actually catching the fish you're after doesn't even phase you. The fishing is done in shifts , with one guy running the trolling motor while the other tries to fool one of the toothy predators lurking within the dark waters with a hook full of feathers.
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The day goes by too quickly , as is always the case when you finally get to spend time doing something you actually enjoy. The good thing about this kind of trip is that you never have to worry about the fishing not living up to your expectations. We fully expected to end the day with sore shoulders and not much to show for it...in the end it was mission accomplished.
We've all heard the moniker "fish of a thousand casts" thrown around in fishing circles when describing this dentally challenged beast. Now , math was never my strong suit , but I'm pretty sure in the half dozen trips made since taking up this pursuit I've more than met my qouta of ugly casts...now if I can just get my fly in front of a fish who's using the same math I am my luck just might change.
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15 comments:

  1. It will come, and I want to see the photos.

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    1. I keep thinking the same thing Jim , it's one of those pursuits that you just have to stick with despite the odds. And that makes two of us!!

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  2. The day was ever so successful.
    I have enjoyed such outings and you remember them always.

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    1. I feel the same way Alan , sometimes those things that don't come easy are just appreciated that much more when it finally does happen. Regardless , you just have to enjoy the journey as much as the end result.

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  3. toothy fish? okay, for this non-fisherperson, you'll have to spell out what you were after. i saw someone post pike yesterday.

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    1. Sorry Theresa , you're close with the pike comment though! We were after Musky which look alot like pike except they get bigger and are even more difficult to catch. With a little luck maybe I'll have an actual picture of one before the Fall season is over....maybe.

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    2. well, that was my second guess. :)

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  4. Did George Clinton hook you up with his fly box? Nice!

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    1. That's a good one man , I laughed. Let's just say I covered all of the color bases when tying up my musky patterns , the waters I fish for them are semi-turbid anyway so something bright always seems a logical choice.

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  5. There's always that fish that keeps us humble. It's the game...and I love to play.

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    1. Couldn't agree more...if I wanted an easy , sure thing I'd grab a box of worms and a spinning rod and head to the nearest body of water. Having to really work for something only increases the enjoyment when it comes to fruition...or so they say anyway!

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  6. That looks like a great place for a day trip. I'm in!

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    1. The water and the company were just fine...at least a look at an actual fish would have really put it over the top!

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  7. Sounds like the same results we had last year but who's to argue with good fishing even when the catching doesn't keep up with the spirit f the fishers.

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    1. I really just needed to get out anyway....catching fish would have just been a bonus!

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