Wet and Wild Weekend

[Garry2Rs]

As usual for the Pike Opener I was expecting a house full of fishing friends. Guys like Todd, Jerry, Kirk and Andy, that long time OFC'rs would know. We rolled out at 6AM Saturday after a night of partying, and had a big breakfast to hold us over until suppertime. The morning drizzle turned into a heavy down pour by the time breakfast was over.

 

My friends left in shifts for the Lake, but I hung back waiting to see if my neighbour wanted to take his 9 year old out and go fishing with me...In the end the thunder scared them off, so it was Buck the dog, and I in the boat for opening day.

 

We launched late, at around 10 O'clock...

It was very dramatic, with a torrential down pour overhead and lightning in the background. This however was nearly the last of the truly heavy rain.

 

I worked my way around the bay I was in to a small point and hooked a good fish of about 30 inches??? The fish fought well but eventually came to the boat...Buck, my big Golden Retriever, ever concerned that I am too old and feeble to land fish by myself, launched himself overboard to assist me. In the ensuing battle, the fish was unhooked and the dog hooked up...The next act involved landing a wet 100 pound dog, with a large crankbait in his armpit, and removing the treble hooks...thank goodness for Knipex hook cutting pliers!

 

I switched rods and threw a few casts with a Spinnerbait before crossing the bay and tangling with an OOS Largemouth under a blow down. We then exited the bay and chugged out into the main lake.

 

We had been using a Kopper Perch Live Target crankbait, but with the hooks now pruned to a nub, we switched to a Bronze Live Target Smelt, which we fished as a jerk bait. Working the shoreline and any weed beds or small points etc. we caught four more pike before cutting the bait off and losing it on a shoal. We decided at that point to call it a day and head home.

 

Sunday was cool, bright and windy...no, let's make that COLD, bright and WINDY...grin. In the open water there were white caps on the white caps! Buck and I went to another bay and tried to fish in sheltered areas. Overnight, we had repaired the Perch bait with new hooks, but had no luck with it. Since we had lost the Smelt, when we decided it was time to change baits, we went with a Gold Rapala Husky Jerk.

 

Within a couple of casts of changing baits, we hooked up with a nice OOS Smallmouth, then we hooked a pike that came straight up out of the water and shook it's head, throwing the hook. I cast back to the same area on the off-chance that there might be another fish, or that number one might hit again...Sure enough, we hooked up and landed a fat 30 incher. This one was netted without incident...Buck was dozing and being a Bass dog at heart, didn't understand the significance of the net...grin.

 

Once the fish was on board, Buck was very interested in the net...even after the fish was released he watched it's ever move. When, a few minutes later, I reached for the net again, he was on double alert! This fish was about a four pound LMBass and Buck went into the water when it jumped...He had a quick refreshing swim while I netted and released the OOS fish.

 

With Buck back on board we worked our way back into the main lake. Behind a point, near a shoal, we hooked a 32 inch Pike. This time Buck waited for the fish to slide into the net, then he tried to join it...I anticipated this move and smoothly pulled the net aside, much like a Bull Fighter moving his red cape at the last second...as my helper dove for it...Ole!

 

Once that one was measured and released, I hauled Buck back on board. Some friends were camping on an island and we had promised to stop by for a pop, so we put the gear away and went visiting for the rest of the afternoon.

 

Half my guests left after supper Sunday, the others left early Monday morning. I opted to go Crappie fishing on Monday because I will be out with a client for Pike on Tuesday, and I needed a break...grin.

 

To sum up the weekend...My friends all caught bigger fish than me...

But, I caught the most fish, and hooked and landed the biggest dog!

We had fun and it was great to see my fishing friends again...all-in-all it was a great Opener in spite of the weather.

Garry

Edited May 21, 2009 by garry2rs

[wolfmachine]

haha sounds like a fun time

[Spiel]

Well I'm certainly aquainted with all four of those folks Garry and thank you for a very enjoyable morning read. Buck is and I guess always will be a very entertaining dog to fish with.

[Governator]

To sum up the weekend...My friends all caught bigger fish than me, but I caught the most and I hooked and landed the biggest dog! We had fun and it was great to see my fishing friends again...all-in-all it was a great Opener in spite of the weather.

Garry

 

 

 

Congrats on the great opener! Any pics? Hope the dog was OK.

[Leecher]

Great report Garry

Your dog Buck, certainly is a great partner to have on board.... you got to train him on getting the net instead of jumping out in the drink.... Hope he's doing ok after that episode.

Thanks for sharing

Leechman

[Garry2Rs]

Buck is fine.

With such a hairy dog it was hard to tell if the hooks had skin or just fur, so I cut them to be on the safe side.

[limeyangler]

Thanks for the great morning read.....very good stuff, glad to hear the puppy is ok.

[JohnF]

Thanks for the great morning read.....very good stuff, glad to hear the puppy is ok.

 

Puppy?????

 

Once upon a time I wuz fishing with Garry, Buck and Vu. Vu is a little white hairball that reminds me of the little critter in the cartoon that was forever bouncing around his big doggy bud yapping away incessantly. Buck is the great hairy bass monster who ignores the yappy little sidekick. His role in life, at least when on the bassboat, is to get BASS!!!!! The first time I hauled in a fish on Garry's boat I misunderstood when Garry kept telling me to "Get in in quick, and keep it high." I thought he meant to horse it in and keep the rod tip up.

 

Silly me.

 

He really meant "Get the damned thing on the boat and keep it away from Buck." As I calmly reeled him boatside and knelt to lip him this gold furred behemoth flew by my shoulder, causing me to jerk the rod tip, displacing the fish just enuf that Buck's snapping jaws missed it as he splashed into the lake - Buck splashed, that is.

 

Thereafter I learned to sneak my bass up to the boat quietly, feigning interest in an imaginary bass circling the top of the farthest tree, thus keeping Buck's attention away from my real bass long enuf fer me to get him in, get him off the hook, and return him to the water. Most of the time it worked. Buck, once he realized he'd been had again, snuffled around the boat in a huff for a while, occasionally following the lost bass overboard to paddle around with his head down in the water searching for the fishy.

 

There was one moment when I was almost sent overboard by a careening Buck, Rock Bass clamped firmly in teeth, escaping from Garry's reach to the rear of the boat. Of course once he got to the back of the boat he stood there head down, not sure what to do, so he dropped the bass and gave it a baleful doggy stare till Garry sent it back to the waterworld.

 

Fishing with Buck is an adventure, kinda like white water rafting without the raft or the white.

 

JF

Edited May 20, 2009 by JohnF

[Mattones]

Thats a crazy pup you have right there. Always loved that breed.

 

Great report + Pictures!

[Garry2Rs]

Buck has been fishing with me for a long time.

In the beginning he wanted to retrieve every cast and would obsess about bobbers floating on the water. He is calmer now and only goes into the red zone when a fish jumps or breachs (swirls the surface). If a fish flips off the hook into the boat, he will try to catch it, but not to eat it. Lacking fingers he is forced to pick things up with his mouth, and that's what he will do...He quickly loses interest if it stops moving.

 

 

 

 

You can see in this three-shot-sequence that he isn't really the whirling dervish that was described...just a curious on-looker...like a guy at a Peeler Bar, he just likes to see them wiggle...grin.

[blaque]

this is one of the funniest reads ive had in a while..........its why i like animals most days better than humans

[steverowbotham]

awesome weekend, great fish!

[steverowbotham]

awesome weekend, great fish!

[JohnF]

You can see in this three-shot-sequence that he isn't really the whirling dervish that was described...just a curious on-looker...like a guy at a Peeler Bar, he just likes to see them wiggle...grin.

 

I didn't mean to cast aspersions on Buck. I like him. I relate to fat hairy guys. I think it was the combination of Buck & Vu that made the boat seem very small at times.

 

I liked your complacency when Buck made one of a number of trips overboard. By then I was inured so I was pretty nonchalant when I mentioned to you that "Oh, by the by, Buck's overboard again." as if you were likely to miss the splash. You were like "He just needs to take a poop." or whatever. Sho nuff, he swam to shore, scrambled up the rocks, and then went out of sight for 10 or 15 minutes. We could hear him crashing around in the trees (deerstalker he ain't) until finally there was a SPLASH and there was Buck stroking for the boat like we hadn't moved 100 yds along the shore. He knew exackly what we were doing and where to find us. The boat had been wonderfully peaceful for a few moments but then Vu threw a hissy fit, hollering at Garry and the world to "SAVE BUCK, DAMMIT! HE"S IN THAT WET STUFF AGAIN." Of course he was speaking Dog, not English.

 

JF

[Garry2Rs]

Good old Vu...he was never really mine. He was my daughter's and I don't miss him a bit...HAHAHA.

Here's a group shot...Vu is the white ball of fluff on the left...grin.

My daughter gave him away when I didn't want to take him to Arizona...

I have low fences down there and it would have been impossible to keep him from wandering.

[Joey]

Great report Garry. Looks like you all were having a ball!!

 

Joey

[JohnF]

Good old Vu...he was never really mine. He was my daughter's and I don't miss him a bit...HAHAHA.

Here's a group shot...Vu is the white ball of fluff on the left...grin.

My daughter gave him away when I didn't want to take him to Arizona...

I have low fences down there and it would have been impossible to keep him from wandering.

 

Buck doesn't look so damned disinterested in that shot. He looks more like he's tryin' to decide which end to lunge at first.

 

JF

[tnt]

Great report Garry! It was great to see everyone again after such a long time. Give Buck a belly scratch for me....lol

[lunkerbasshunter]

wow nice report! Aweosme looking dog you got there

 

Cheers!

[msp]

Nice report. Great fishing partner you got there. My patner is more of a trout dog. She hates the boat but loves the river.Thanks for showing us those nice northerns.