The Weekend Report - only 1/2 of the team made it to the water

[Casey123]

Well as many of you know from my earlier post, Michelle had board meetings on Saturday and Sunday, which meant I had to fish alone.

 

We went to bed very late Friday and so my attitude was very passive toward getting up at 4 Bells (I think everyone here calls it LEW time). The alarm went off, and to my amazement up I got.

 

I was a little groggy so it took a good hour to get my stuff together and get motoring up Hwy 6.

 

I got to Mount Forest around 6:30am and stopped for a Coffee, when I was leaving, I noticed an Amish man in his horse and buggy travelling North on HWY 6. My first instinct was to have a thought about being 200 years behind the times and a little back-wards BUT as I reflected on it, I thought about what perfect immigrants that they were as a community.

 

They, like many of our ancestors, came here to start a better life for themselves. They left England to escape religious persecution, to start a new life and in search of cheap land.

 

I have never opened up the Sunday paper and read about an Amish person, going to a Mennonite church and blowing themselves up because the Mennonites drive cars. I have never seen the Amish protest outside of IBM or Microsoft offices because of the evils of technology. I haven't even seen the Amish chain themselves to tractors to protest the advancement of farm implements. Instead they live peacefully, holding fast to their own beliefs, without ever pushing them on the rest of society.

 

So with that thought in mind, I slowed down as I passed, gave the gentleman a wave and a smile, which was quickly returned, and I was on my way.

 

I arrived at my destination around 8:00am and found Owen Sound Bay to be flat calm, not even a ripple.

 

 

I was concerned about being to late, as a few locals were heading off the water, muttering about no fish and the season being over.

 

I waded out about 50 meters to my spot, and began to drift the dime sized bags of bright pink roe. My float was dancing all across the water, no serious takers. I finally hooked a beauty brown about 16". Beautiful silver with big black spots.

 

A half an hour or so passed with no more fish hooked. By this time the water was alive with fish. Everything and anything that floated was getting inhaled. Spiders, flies, a mentally challenged Steel Head even took a run at my 5 gram balsam float. A Lady Bug about 5 feet from me got quickly inhaled and then immediately exhaled.

 

I stopped to light up a smoke, leaning against one of the the old dock moorings:

 

 

I felt something brushing up against my leg which really creeped me out, I have had one too many close encounters with giant snapping turtles in the water. I looked down and saw a spawned out female brushing up against my leg and the mooring:

 

 

I am not sure if you can see her in the picture but she was there.

 

After a little assessment of the situation, I decided to swallow my pride, go into town and get some worms. I could not get them to hit on spinners, spoons or roe.

 

So after a quick trip into town and back.... 12 floats, 12 fish! Back to town for some more worms.

 

I had a hard time figuring out how to take pictures standing in 4 feet of water, holding my rod, a fish and the camera. I did manage this one picture, which cost me a hook in the thumb and a face full of water:

 

 

She was the only female I caught that had not spawned yet. If you look carefully you can see the brilliant colours in her cheek's.

 

Anyways, all and all the day was great. The bay stayed flat until 1:30pm and then the winds pick up and I headed out. 18 fish later I was a very happy camper.

 

I headed up to Sauble to see the falls and stopped at Stoney Creek to check out the fish ladder there as well.

 

i wanted desperately to head up on Sunday, but it was my moms 60th Birthday so I spent the day with my parents, grand father and his friend Anne. Michelle joined us for dinner at Port Dover in the evening.

 

 

Left to right: Anne, my mom, me, my dad and my grand father.

 

Looking forward to a great opener.

Edited April 22, 2008 by 4Reel

[BillM]

Nice to see someone caught something out on the Bay this weekend!!!

 

Awesome report!

[ccmtcanada]

Way to go out there! Some awsome pics....and a great fish too. Good on you for going to get those worms....when they wont hit, it's all about variety of presentation...you just never know when they'll bite.

 

Another great report...thanks.

[MJL]

Beauty fish and great report

 

Love the 2nd pic. Definitely worthy of being in a magazine or the Toronto Bread calendar.

[Reef Runner]

I hope you bought that stealhead dinner afterward...lol

 

 

Nice report. Looks like a beauty of a day. Thanks

 

reefrunner

[fatherof3]

nice report,congrats

[solopaddler]

Great report man, that's pretty incredible fishing for that particular spot, especially with the bluebird weather!

[mattyk]

thanks for the report and pics!