When Things Get Tough....

I dragged my ass out of bed today to fish a river that I knew would be brutal but I had spent the last two days looking after my son... nursing him through some type of stomach flu ..and now that he was feeling better Daddy needed to bolt,....Big Time!
LOL
Poor little fella had 'er on rewind for almost 48 hrs.
I hate when kids get sick...just breaks your heart.
We toughed it out together as a family and hopefully he'll be well enough to go to Christmas in the park tonight.

The river was stingy and the weather was brutal but I still managed to sting a few.



That'll teach 'em.

I only had to share the water with one other guy.....and it wasn't Morin.

He was too busy today getting his beauty sleep...and Christ knows he needs it!!!

One good thing about crappy conditions is the solitude....and I believe that I have mentioned this here before but it certainly bears repeating....I think the solitude is more important to me than the bent rods.

Good for the soul and the blood pressure.



Daddy is recharged and ready for the next challenge......(I think?)

THX fish.

PS..
Here is a picture from Christmas on the Farm. Here we are freezing to death on the Hayride...
Fun stuff though.
:o)

Slippin' in through the cracks..

The river was less than ideal ...but so are most things.
I figure that if you sit around waiting for perfection you can miss out on a lot of cool stuff.
I spent too much time thinking about fishing at work yesterday so finally , on a spur of the moment decision I reached for the leave slips.

The fishing was tough but with a little perseverance I managed to luck into a few including a big old Buck bordering on the double stripe.



The water was low and clear and cold. The fish were scattered and lethargic ( until hooked)....but I couldn't be happier.



I had the place to myself...howling wind, frostbite and all. Oh joy.
There were signs of a recent bank maggot hatch....probably from the previous weekend and I was instantly reminded of how cool it is to be a shift worker. I should make it my goal to never fish on weekends again unless the weather is catastrophic.



Today was close.

At one point ,early in the afternoon, a storm blew in off the lake with winds so powerful that I actually saw a tree go down about a hundred yards from me. The sky went from sunny to black in a matter of seconds and the snow fell so heavy that I literally couldn't see my float. The best part was the thunder.
???


I was so freaked out that I broke down the rod and called it a day.

I thought that maybe mother nature was trying to tell me something.

By the time I had gotten back to the car the weather was fine (of course) and I almost considered heading back to the river but there is nothing wrong with being home early..
The family was glad to see me and it it is Wing Night at Skeeters...
Oh yah...Good day....
:o)

My Car Stinks...

Smells like Victory.....
Well maybe not quite.
Between Brians rotton gloves , the Cherry Cheddar Elk sausage (and the flatulence that accompanies it) , Tim Hortons Coffee, sweaty sweaters discarded in the back seat after barely surviving the hike out of a winter ravaged ravine, not to mention the ubiquitous rotten river stink that finds its way into every piece of fishing gear this time of year,...my poor old Steelhead mobile is REDOLENT of Fall Fishing....
...And it is about time.
I can breath a sigh of relief....finally.


I doubt anything will ever compare to last years fishing but at least now I can look forward to my days off.
The grass is still green in Sarnia , but ten minutes outside of the city we have vehicles in the ditch.
Winter took a shot at the Huron Shore this past week and I loved it....iced guides and all.

I have a fair amount of time off this December and I hope to do a fair amount of fishing...preferably fishing that doesn't involve travelling for hours in a car.
I love a good adventure as much as anybody but after a while enough is enough.
Back to work tomorrow.
The government is going to tell me if I am crazy or not....???....how unsettling is that???
Takes one to know one???
lol
Wish me luck.

Here fishy fishy..

The workplace loosened its hold on me yesterday so I decided to burn some leave and wet a line.
I had set my alarm a little late which is very unusual for me. I like to be first on the water...always.
I am not a fish hog but I enjoy the anticipation of being there before sun-up and having to wait before being able to effectively fish. It is a nice feeling and I hate to miss it but yesterday when I went to bed I had decided that the extra hour or two of sleep would be of greater benefit.
Sounds good?...fast forward to the part where I wake up to find that I have a flat tire. Kim needed the second vehicle for the kids so I was forced to do a little pit-stop action at 6ish. Sweet.
All my gear was already loaded in the car so in order to get at the spare I had to first unload all my crap out on to the driveway. For a very brief moment I considered just pulling the plug and going back to bed.


Brief Moment. ;o)
Oh well...could've been worse.
That baby could've popped on the I69 a few weeks back whilst driving through that blinding MI snowstorm.....NOW THAT WOULD"VE SUCKED.
Regardless....an hour or so late and I am on the road.
I stopped by my favourite river and had a look-see only to confirm that this season is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.....at least around here. Maybe this is some kind of penance for last years easy pickings??
Ah well ...suck it up.
Desperate times...

A fella I know ,who is dialed in on every flow from here to British Columbia (it turns out) recommended a river that flows out of the 'Sea of Tranquility'.I had recalled overhearing a hushed conversation at the local fishing store about Steelhead fishing on the moon so figured WTF??! I have never fished any lunar tribs and was eagar to try them so I quickly dug out my space suit and off I went. The gravity thing was a little bothersome but the beauty of the surroundings quickly made up for any discomfort....that is if you like cheese.

(I did in fact bump into Wallace and Gromit)
Any hoo....the fishing was dismal....turns out that my curse followed me even into outer space.
Might have to book an appointment with the Witchdoctor again.
I did manage to dig up this pic from last year and decided to post it if for no other reason than to lift my spirits.

BTW...hey Kettle ...this is the coffee calling....guess what ...you're black.
:o)

The Curse....

...has settled on poor old Trotsky.




Again.


Nothing new I supposed ..and I have always maintained that when the fishing gets too easy I lose (..not loose! ..lol..) interest...but there is another side to that coin and that dark oppressive cloud has positioned itself right over my fish starved soul.

I can't buy a fish lately and it has been a long time since I have felt a cold streak like this one.

Brian and I fished in MI this past week and it was a great trip. Northern Michigan is everything its legend suggests. Beautiful sprawling forests with endless access and a wildlife management program that creates a sportsmans paradise. You've gotta love a place where the gas stations have fish mounts on the wall and you can walk into a restaurant at 6am with you waders on and not even raise an eyebrow.
It is pretty cool to literally see people just stop at the side of the road ...grab thier gear and disappear into the woods.
The colours were peak on this trip and the walk through the woods would've been worth the effort alone.



I would've liked a fish though....I mean come on.
We fished two famous Michigan rivers and one was so pretty I would fish it even if there were no fish in it. ( ..this works out well because I don't think there were....yet).
...Well..to say I went fishless isn't entirely accurate.
The resident trout were so thick that that you had to alter your presentation just so you could avoid them. They were beautiful little jewels that I would've killed for on the Upper Credit but after two or three you shamefully start cursing them under your breath. The little monkeys were so voracious that you could just set your line in the water at your feet and literally a 12 - 15 inch Brown would snatch it up if you weren't quick enough to remove it.
Weird.
I can only assume that the Salmon run sends these little denizens into some sort of feeding frenzy .
Steelhead weren't so easy.

Could be a tough season.



I am really dumb and it takes me a while to learn things but the water looked obvious.

Anyway...should'nt bitch about a fishing trip....ever.

Numbnuts wants to go back and I am more than willing to take my lumps like a Man.

There has to be one or two stupid fish swimming around there with my name on 'em.

Right?

:o/

Btw..To all my Blog nerd friends who are catching fish with ease I only have this offer.

BTW (2)-....Have I ever mentioned how much I hate midnights!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!