Chasing Walter

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In the movie 'On Golden Pond' the Henry Fonda character talks about trying to catch Walter, a huge lake trout.

I think we all have our Walters.  Mine is a 4 pound smallmouth.  Every year I seem to hook a large smallmouth  or two, but never land one.  I have had broken lines or jumping fish throwing the lure.

I lost a Walter 2 weeks ago.  I had the drag set just tight enough to allow him to pull line without trying to come to the surface.  I played him for a while and had him next to the boat.  I could see he was about 19 inches long.  As I reached for my net he gave a shake and was off.  Son of a ....

I keep trying.  I paddle out at first light.  I work the abutments of the bridges.  I slowly paddle to the bridge and scan the surface.  It is calm and weed free.

Don't rush it.  Patience.  Patience.  I need that perfect cast - downstream right where the surface of the water hits the bridge abutment.  I take my time and cast.  The lure hits the water within inches of the abutment.  SLAM!  Fish on!

It jumps and then takes some line - but it is no Walter.  The fight is good and I am able to get him in the net.

A  nice 11 inch smallmouth.  Not a Walter, but it was a chance to practice and perfect my skills.

I'll keep trying ...

Blowout

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There is a reason I call this the Brown Water Journal.

A heavy rain caused the river to rise.  It was blownout!  There was so much runoff the river stayed very brown and turbid for several days.  Not so good for fishing.

Nature keeps going on.  I decided to paddle upstream to see how things were going.

Off in the distance I saw a blue heron - but there was something peculiar about his head...

Look like it was  having a bad hair day!  It must have just caught a fish.  It kept its mouth open the entire time I was watching him.  I wonder if it was now going down well.

There were more blue herons about.

The ducks were still waking up.

Though I wasn't fishing, I was so lucky to get a shot of a green heron...

... and a kingfisher.  What a treat!

The osprey were on the nest taking care of the young.  We have seen 2 young birds,

Such beautiful birds.

A killdeer was nosing around the shoreline.

There are times you come across scenes in the river.  I guess someone likes to sit in the river - maybe some evening fishing?

This heron was being very sneaky lurking under a bridge.

Off in the distance I saw several large birds.  Coming closer I saw they were vultures.

Another blue heron.  He had just caught a fish.  He dipped it into the water a few times, and then...

... it was down in a single gulp!

The Canadian geese are about with there babies.  As the goslings get bigger, the geese group together in large family groups (we have seen as many as 60 at once)!

I was surprised to see such a young family.

So cute!

A beautiful day!

Enjoy!

Rule of 50

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Since we bought the river house, I fish a lot.  I mean a lot - pretty much every day in the weekend.  Sometimes its 15 minutes on the dock, but more often it is about 2 hours in the morning from the kayak/

I have come to formulate a theory - the rule of 50.

For every 50 smaller fish, you will catch a big fish.  For every 50 big fish, you catch a very large fish.

Does it work?  Well, I have been catching a dozen or more small fish each outing.  It seems every four outings I get something larger.

Case in point, last weekend I finally hooked into some decent smallmouth.   The one on the right is 10 inches and about 2/3 or a pound.  The one on the left is 14 inches and about 2 pounds.

I figure I have a few more weekends before I see another 2+ pound fish...

Things are Picking Up

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The end of May brings warmer weather, slower flow on the river and sunnier days.  The fish are moving into the shallows.  The fishing is picking up!

The largemouth seem very plentiful this year.  May be the mild winter is to their favor.  I have also hooked many pickerel.  There seems to be patterns to the years = one I cannot yet understand.

And finally I get my first smallmouth.  They are my favorites.

As we head into June, the rock bass have moved into the shallows as have the bluegills.

Things are picking up. . .

Slack Water

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Spring had brought warmer weather, but the river had been fast and cold.  For weeks it had been turbid.  The winter runoff has made fishing more difficult.  I paddle about and cast to the points and drop-offs that worked for me last summer, but I see no action.  I needed to rethink my strategy.

The water is now starting to clear, but it is still fast.

I need to find the slower moving water.  Maybe someplace where the sun can warm the water.

I head into the turtle marsh.  I slowly paddle in and watch the water.  I see schools of smaller fish scatter about.  Maybe a pike or pickerel is about.  I cautiously paddle into the marsh and cast about.  I immediately hook small fish, 4 to 6 inch bass.  I move to the end of the marsh.  I see large schools of smaller fish suspended about.  I cast right into the edge of the march, hoping to find larger fish hiding in the weeds.  I hook a few 8 and 10 inch fish.

I peer into the water as I paddle about.  I see a larger bass dart through the school of small fish.  It must have been wary of me.  I continue to cast about and land a few more small bass and a few bluegill.

I think my strategy is sound.  I need to find slow moving water that is deeper.

I paddle over to the north side of the river by the Crescent Islands.  I rarely fish this water as it gets very weed-choked in the summer.  For now, it is weed-free and slack.

I cast near the shore by a little pocket of cattails.  I catch two 10 inch bass.  There is a slight current.  It allows me to barely drift down the river.  I cast to the shore.  I hook a few more bass, a bluegill, and a white perch.  This was the first white perch I have ever caught in the river.

My lure is then slammed by a larger fish.  I was hoping for a pike, but a 20" pickerel found its way to my net.

I drift downstream a few yards and then hook into another pickerel.  This one is 24 inches and was quite a fighter.  It jumper out of the water, was stripping line, and darted under the boat.  What a good fight!

I land him and then let him go.

For now my slack water strategy seems to be working.  I catch a few more small bass as I drift back to my dock.

Maybe I will hook into a large pike. . .

Illusive

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It had rained and was cold.  Above freezing, but raw and damp.

The wife knows I will get out on the river.  Spring is here and I want to see nature's secrets.

I think of early season paddles in previous years.  It would be cold and icy.  But I would see the hidden - bald eagles, otters, the first redwing blackbirds.

The hooded mergansers have been so numerous on the river.  They congregate in small groups.  They don't let me get close.

Of course the mallards are about.

The snow is melting and I come across some snow drops.

The blue heron stayed all through the winter.  We did not have a lot of ice cover on the river.  I suppose they were able to find food all winter.

There were Canadian geese about.  Their honking breaks the silence . . .

I paddle about.  Common mergansers fly overhead.  Of in the distance I see a large group of the red headed females, but they take wind when I get close.

I come across some less common visitors.  There is a pair of wood duck.  The colorful male was just magnificent.

I also come across a shoveler male and female.  I see these less often then the wood ducks.

The redwing blackbirds watch as I paddle about.  They are the harbingers of Spring.

 
The cold starts to seep in and my hand are going numb.  I head back, but see the hooded mergansers swimming about.

How do they stay warm?

Has Winter Gone?

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Late February . . .

Typically It would be very cold and snowy.  The river would be iced in.  Instead, we are having another warm winter.  I spent one night sitting on the dock, enjoying Orion overhead.  It was 60 degF.  I cannot remember a time when I was able to watch that amazing constellation without a warm coat, boots, gloves and a hat.

I paddled up the river,  The river is very brown with all the snow melt and runoff.

I paddled into the turtle marsh. . .

Suddenly, I heard it.

The 'conk-la-REE' call of redwing blackbirds!

Yes!  A sure sign of an early Spring!

I spent a while just watching the redwing blackbirds fly around and call to each other.  Suddenly, it all stopped.  A cold front was pushing in.  Did they sense it?

As I paddled back around the islands, I noted that the geese are getting busy pairing up and setting up nesting spots.

Yes, Spring is just about here . . .