Photo Heavy-Year End Summary

[Garry2Rs]

For me, the 2006 season ended on a fairly low note.

That September, I had a mild heart attack and although we told everyone we were was fine, it took the rest of the year to recover.

I did do some fishing while in Arizona, but it was mostly short trips to a stocked pond. We just didn't have a lot of energy and generally quit after about 3 hours...

As 2007 began, I was starting to feel more like my old self...Buck and I returned home in April and spent a month wasting time before hooking up with my neighbour Mike and his daughter Natalie for some Crappie fishing.

 

When Pike season opened on the third Saturday in May, we change our focus to target Esox.

Natalie led the way.

This is her first of the season, she caught it opening day, on a Storm swimbait that she was casting in front of emerging weeds and docks and retrieving out over the first break line, in a small bay.

After an epic struggle, with lots of encouragement from the peanut gallery, she brought it to boat side without assistance.

Daddy handled the net and gave her a power assist to hold it level...knocking her hat over her eyes...grin.

 

Here's one of me on a different day...

 

And this is the face that the Pike make when you try to take their picture...

 

We chased Pike throughout June. Natalie was waiting for school to end, so we could fish everyday...I was waiting for Bass season to open.

 

Okay so here's a short story...

One rainy morning, at the beginning of July, Natalie came over to see if I wanted to go shore fishing, just up the road, at Eel's Lake.

My motor was out of service awaiting a replacement part for a cracked float bowl.

She said I could fish for Bass if I wanted to, but she and her Dad had some worms and were just looking to have some fun with the Rock Bass that could be caught easily from shore.

"Okay" said I, and off we went.

I took a bag of Senko worms, some EWG hooks and a spinnerbait.

In short order I had caught and released a couple of what I refer to as average size fish, about a pound and a half, Largemouth on the spinner bait.

I called Natalie to come and try her luck from the high rocky point where I was standing. As she was running over to me, her line twisted around her rod tip.

After a minute or so of struggling on her own, she asked, "Could you untangle this for me?" I said "Sure." "Here, take my rod and reel in my spinnerbait while I unloop your line."

After one or two cranks of my reel, she hollered "fish-on!"

Once again, she had big fish of the day!...Did I mention again? Grin.

You have got to love fishing with kids!

 

As the weather got warmer we tried some leisurely Lake Trout trolling with steel line...

Yah, the kid led the way...Again! Here we are on Jack's

Mike did his part too, here are father and daughter with a seven pounder.

One of three he caught one day...on a small nearby lake.

 

Don't be looking for me...I just steer the boat and take the pictures...hahaha.

 

July stretched into August...Natalie had a birthday...now she was 8 and learning to baitcast. It must be hard to thumb the spool with such little hands.

I was bored with steel line and Buck and I went back to playing with the Bass. My friends soon joined me, I regret that there are no pictures from this period. Buck and I were fishing four or five days a week, about half of the time with the neighbours, we were catching lots of small and average size fish.

They all looked the same...It just didn't seem important to get pictures, at the time.

 

I found a few nice ones here and there...Of coarse I had help.

 

There weren't many rainy days this summer, with the clear skies and bright sun, we could see bottom where I've never seen it before.

The weed beds were getting thicker...and the fish were spooky.

 

I was experimenting with smaller baits and making long casts with weightless three and four inch Senko type worms

and with skinny curly tail worms on small jigs...I had good luck on suspending Smallmouth using those skinny worms.

One calm sunny day, on a gin clear cottage lake, I watched this 19 inch Small Mouth leave cover and hammer my weightless 5 inch worm as it slowly sank beside a water loged tree limb.

 

I was fairly proud of that fish...until Musky Bill came up and showed me a real fish from the same lake...GRIN.

 

Autumn sort of eased in so you didn't notice it at first...Then one day...Surprise!

The leaves are turning and it's taking longer each morning to warm up.

 

This is my favourite time of the year in the North Kawarthas, where I live.

There are no bugs, the summer people have packing up and even on weekends we have thing pretty much to ourselves...

School was in, but Natalie, Mike and I continued to go fishing every chance we got.

There was still some Tee shirt weather on most afternoons.

We started revisiting our Pike lake to see if the big ones were returning from the summer depths...

we found some small ones, but I guess it was still too warm for trophies.

By October it was cooling down, my furnace was kicking on at night and I was thinking about my trailer in Arizona and a return to summer-like-weather.

The three of us went out one last time, at the end of the first week of October.

 

That was the end of the regular season, but just like the NHL in March, Buck and I were just entering our second season...grin.

 

We locked up the house and headed south on Friday morning, the 12th of October.

Forty eight hours later, on I-40, just before the turn-off for Flagstaff Arizona, the right side leaf spring on the trailer snapped...

Boat, motor and trailer fell, first onto the tire, then onto the road at about 60 mph. We had a very exciting 30 or 40 seconds while we got the rig stopped...

The prop and skeg hit the road, both were bent.

The right side wheel was bent around behind the boat, causing damage to the right rear corner of my old Skeeter, before stopping against the outboard.

Pieces of the broken spring and other hardware, damaged the underside of the hull.

 

Buck and I were thrown into a series of left/right/left skids, but we didn't hit anything and were not injured.

The Highway Patrol wrote up a report, called a tow truck for the boat, and in about an hour we were able to continue on our way.

The boat was a write off, but it would take a month for the insurance company to decide that...

In the meantime we were shore fishermen again. Still, it was fishing, the weather was warm and the living was easy...

We caught a few Catfish and some strangely coloured Sunfish...Possibly Long Eared Sunfish???

As soon as the insurance indicated that they intended to pay us off we went boat shopping...we found several choices in our price range.

This Ranger was the one we chose. We had a friend remodel the interior to give us a larger casting deck with a step-up, creating more room to fish and storage space.

Through November, Yuma was very warm, temp's were in the 80's and even some days in the 90's.

Just like mid-summer at home, but without the humidity. Fishing was tough, but we caught a few small fish.

 

As usual, Buck enjoyed the water.

And kept a sharp eye on things like rowdy ducks and jumping fish.

 

Through December it has become progressively cooler. This week it is in the 40's overnight and only 60-65 at noon.

The fishing is still slow, perhaps because of the sudden change in water temperature, but the average size is better.

I have been told that it takes about a month for the fish to acclimatize to the cooler water.

There's still a week of fishing left this year, but tomorrow my boat is going to a local canvas shop to have a custom cover fitted and installed.

With lost shop-time over Xmas, it will be tied up for the whole week.

 

Looking back I can say I had fun, and learned some new stuff. I was also able to pass some knowledge on to another generation.

All in all, that's what I call a pretty good year!

Garry2rs

[fatherof3]

great report and some awesome pics as well

[Gerritt]

2'rs thanks for the awesome year in review!! sweet pictures and a well recorded report.

 

in the 4th picture from the bottom.. it looks as though Buck has a nasty cut on his front right leg..?? he ok?

 

again an awesome report!

 

G

[Ramble]

Excellent report. You caught some beautiful fish.

[Joey]

Very nice review Garry. Looks like it was a good year.

 

Joey

[Garry2Rs]

I'm not sure how that first got started, perhaps a bite of some sort, but Buck has been worrying that spot on and off since last year. When he licks it, his saliva turns the fur reddish-brown. There's nothing there, but every now and then he start licking there and can't seem to stop. These time seem to coincide with periods of low activity, so when he gets going I take him for a long walk to burn off the extra energy. That photo was taken on December 18th, we had several days of high wind, followed by a visit from relatives...in other words several days at home preparing for and entertaining guests. Since then we have been out most days, today that spot is invisible.

[addict]

sweet report thanks for sharing.

[ehg]

Great report for the year 2007!

 

Nice job on the recoveries on all fronts.

There is a lots to comment on, but i like the two pictures you posted below.

 

Thanks for taking the time to post and share.

 

 

ehg

 

 

For me, the 2006 season ended on a fairly low note.

That September, I had a mild heart attack and although we told everyone we were was fine, it took the rest of the year to recover.

I did do some fishing while in Arizona, but it was mostly short trips to a stocked pond. We just didn't have a lot of energy and generally quit after about 3 hours...

As 2007 began, I was starting to feel more like my old self....

You have got to love fishing with kids!

 

 

This is my favourite time of the year in the North Kawarthas, where I live.

 

 

Looking back I can say I had fun, and learned some new stuff. I was also able to pass some knowledge on to another generation.

All in all, that's what I call a pretty good year!

Garry2rs

[Musky or Specks]

Very nice report good to see you out fishing with kids. Its so rewarding for both adult and child. Yes that is a long eared sunfish.

[fishing n autograph]

Great post man! Nice fish

[trapshooter]

You had an interesting year!! Good to hear you are feeling better again and things with your boat worked out well too. Great pics, thanks for the report.

[Mark Kulik]

Nice Pics-great to share this with kids! Have an awesome 2008! Mark

[tbayboy]

Wonderful summary Garry. Fishing with kids, fishing with dogs, fishing with friends - what a great way to spend a year.

[Garry2Rs]

Thanks Guys.

[fishindevil]

Great report,and fishing trips with your freinds & buck too !!!! well your replacement boat looks great,and i hope it does you well,take care and all the best in 08,keep fishing !!!!!

[musky_man]

Garry,

 

Great retrospective. Glad that you are feeling better.

 

Interesting book that I just read that I would highly recommend -- "Heart Fraud" by Dr. Charles McGee. I think you would find it a VERY interesting read.

[Moosebunk]

Good showing of the 07. Good luck come 08 G2R

[Marty]

Great to hear from you and see all the fun Garry.