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Picture Of The Month



Guess who's back?
jed with a spring Big Mack

Topic: Rain with a bit of sun.  (Read 2395 times)

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24togo

  • Perch
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  • Date Registered: Jun 2009
  • Posts: 80
My dad and I had been planning a trip to this lake since earlier this spring.  It's not a secret lake, though as a fisherman, I have to keep it's location anonymous.  Surely if you've been there, you'll recognize the pictures.  Most of you will make a guess to yourself, and most of you will be correct.  
The long drive was made longer by the torrential rain coming down, leaving puddles of unknown depth all over the roads.  Dad's truck made a few unnerving swerves brought on by hydroplaning. When we arrived, we checked in at the campground and made our way down to the lake shore in the rain, to cast a line and say we'd been fishing that day.  No luck.
My luck didn't get much better when I set up my tent, last used by a friend on our trip to Moab for some mt. biking early this spring.  Every zipper, didn't zip.  I guess it was from the red clay sand (or is it dry, dusty silt?) that caused even my rainfly zipper to stay open in the rain.  Luckily, I thought, this zipper is really only for the vestibule portion of my tent, and the mosquitoes aren't bad yet.  Later that night, I noticed the "drip.  drip.  drip." of my rainfly allowing puddles to form and water to soak through.  "Crap", I thought.  As Luck would have it, I'd brought a synthetic insulated sleeping bag and a down bag, which when stuffed into each other, made a fairly water resistant bedding.  I slept warm and dry, though the rest of my gear did not.
Dad woke me up early with his famous venison steak and home grown eggs breakfast, followed up by home-pressed apple cider pancakes.  He's no gourmand, but these things he does better than anyone.  And at that hour, wet, hungry, and not looking forward to a day without a rainjacket (did I mention I left that at the girlfriends?), this was just the thing to get me going.  We launched, he in his power assisted drift-boat, and I in my kayak, and started trolling.  In the rain.  All day.
We got a break towards the end of the day, and some sun came out and burned me.  More bad luck.  Dad had caught a few kokanee, one was a personal best for him, 18".  And then it was my turn.  I hooked a monster, though I didn't think it was at first.  Until I saw the dorsal and the tail skim the surface and realized the distance between the two was the normal size of kokanee on the home lake!  Now my heart is pumping!  "I have to get this thing!" I'm telling myself, and with notoriously soft mouths, each run causes anxiety that I won't feel that pumping at the end of the line anymore.  When I finally got him to the net for the 5th time, he came in and I let out a huge "Whoo-hah!", which brought my dad over to see.  He was flabbergasted to see such a fish.  That didn't last long, as he caught one just a couple inches shorter pretty soon.  
The day ended in heart-break as I hooked another that fought harder, longer and seemed every bit as big, yet lost the hook 10' from the boat.  Man, that hurt.  I had my trophy, but with fish that taste this good and points on the line, I really wanted that fish.
Back to camp to get in some fresh fish, a beer, fried potatoes and onions over the campfire, and back into the wet tent.  
Day two of fishing was good for me, though the catching was horrible.  I didn't get a bite all day.  It rained almost all of it.  Dad got himself some beauty's (did I mention he's an incredible fisherman?).  I was on cloud nine knowing that I'd reached my goal of getting a monster fish, so I didn't mind not catching anything all day.  Likely it was due to some equipment failures, but, I also just didn't do it that day.  
Day three of fishing was beautiful.  The clouds burned off, the sun came out, and the sky got bluer and bluer.  I broke a fish off at the bite on 4 lb test line.  No more of that, lets up it to 8 lb leader.  Caught a 9"er.  Took too many photos.  Started to get bored.  So I went looking for a Rainbow at the end of the day.  And I found one, pretty decent by my standards.  Dad caught fish, but not as many, and not as large.  Others on the lake enjoyed the weather but not the fishing.  It was just bad, with not many kokanee coming in, and none with any crazy size.
Dinner that night was our favorite camp meal: venison burgers.  We throw them in a pan to slowly cook to medium rare.  Meanwhile, we've got a pan of onions and mushrooms cooking with salt and pepper.  A couple avocados mashed up and a couple buns complete the feast.  It's messy, but damn it's good.  Variations of this happen every hunting season and every fishing trip.
The last day there, the day we left, we didn't launch the boats.  We had a long drive.  Rain was there and more was coming.  I'd paddled roughly 45+ miles in 3 days (GPS quite at 40.5 and I know I did another length plus some back and forth the last night.) and was feeling it a bit.  So we cast our lines from the bank, dad with a crippled herring that he happened to have on.  He got a good hit, but the fish got off.  Oh well.  At least we got to say we fished for 5 days straight.
And then we drove home in the rain.


Spot

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  • Location: Hillsboro
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Awesome!

I sure hope my kids are still joining me on adventures when they get older. 

Thanks for sharing that with us!  That Koke is a monster! 

-Spot-

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.  --Mark Twain

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Lee

  • Iris
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  • Fuck Cancer!
  • Location: Graham, WA
  • Date Registered: Jul 2009
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Great stories and nice fish!

That 4th picture completely gives it away and I haven't been there yet!

(don't worry, I won't tell anyone!)
 


jingram

  • Guest
Nice fish Matt... I was over there a few weeks ago after the records were caught. Wasn't on the yak that weekend. Glad you and your old man had a good time! 


kallitype

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  • Vashon Island kayaker
  • Location: Vashon Island, WA
  • Date Registered: Jun 2008
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fishing with Dad----priceless!!!  Thnx for sharing
Never underestimate the ability of our policymakers to fail to devise and implement intelligent policy


coosbayyaker

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  • Location: Coos Bay Oregon
  • Date Registered: Oct 2007
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Great report, nice koke!
See ya on the water..
Roy



Lee

  • Iris
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  • Fuck Cancer!
  • Location: Graham, WA
  • Date Registered: Jul 2009
  • Posts: 6091
9.67 pounder came out of there yesterday.
 


Yarjammer

  • Salmon
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  • Location: Marysville, Wa.
  • Date Registered: May 2008
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Great report and beautiful fish!  I wish my father was a fisherman, or even lived in the US.


Drool

  • Lingcod
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  • Location: E'ville, Wa
  • Date Registered: Sep 2009
  • Posts: 298

Great pics.  Would love to fish that lake sometime.


 

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