Don’t Fall Off The Bank!
There’s nothing like a relaxing evening of fishing to get the creative juices flowing…and boy, did I need it!
This past weekend was supposed to be spent at Lake Simcoe, catching perch to enter in the Orillia Perch Festival. Unfortunately, some last minute repairs to the boat motor did not produce the desired result and without a working motor the boat was doomed to stay at home.
Since we had already made arrangements to be away for the weekend there was a quick change of plans and instead of hitting the lake we decided to pack up for some river fishing up north.
With no exact destination in mind we started driving north on a beautiful, sunny spring Saturday morning. It was pretty neat to have the time to stop at any stream we came across that had a promising looking hole.
Our first stop of the day was a little spot along the Boyne River. We were driving over the bridge when we noticed a promising looking pool and decided to pull over to take a few casts.
Waiting for a bite. Darrell had a couple hits in this pool, I had nothing. It was a nice little spot to stop. There were other drivers pulling over to ask if we had caught anything even before we had a chance to wet a line.
After climbing back into the truck we followed the cedar-lined, winding road along the Boyne. There were several nice places I would have liked a chance to fish in, but the properties were marked as ‘no trespassing’ so I never got the chance.
Taking the back roads is a sure way to have some adventures and when we came to a road marked ‘no winter maintenance’ we couldn’t resist trying out the 4×4. I even took a video of the drive as we were both laughing like hyenas and getting a kick out of the twisting and turning route with ruts, rocks, and practically impossible to make driveways. I’m really glad we did not encounter another vehicle along the way because it would have been a very tight squeeze.
After a few more stops and an early lunch break when arrived in Meaford to hopefully chase some rainbow trout around the Bighead River.
There were so many anglers in the first few pools (all reportedly coming up empty) that it was a bit of a hike before we found a suitable place to stop and take some casts. We started with spinners and eventually worked our way through a few more lures before deciding the lack of bites meant the fish didn’t want our offerings and we moved on.
Darrell had one little fella come out and chase his spinner at an overhanging tree but, in the end, we were skunked. However, a five hour hike along the incredibly high and fast river, fishing wherever we came to a suitable spot, was an awesome way to spend the day.
I could not believe the change in the river since we had last visited in December. The fantastic force of the water was evident everywhere along the river’s edge. We avoided the trail in many places because staying on it would have lead us along precarious overhanging banks that looked ready to fall away at any moment. I was extremely aware of where I was placing my feet whenever we got near an edge – I did not want to fall off the bank!
Trout Hollow trail along the river was unbelievably wet. When we came to this section of trail I had to get off the path because the water was too deep for my boots!
This little fella was enjoying the spring sun.
Although we seemed to be in the majority of anglers coming up empty, I saw at least two anglers walking home with nice fish in their bags.
By late afternoon we had managed to drag our tired feet back to the truck and pull ourselves into the seats before crashing for a few minutes. I got a lot of sun and plenty of exercise and needed a moment to recover!
As we headed to friend’s place for the night we took a quick trip over to Thornbury to see how the fishing was in the Beaver River. No one we spoke to had managed to catch anything, and given our exhausted state we did some sightseeing instead of pulling out our gear.
Anglers will always push it when trying to land fish...notice all the lures and floats wrapped around the rope?
The fish ladder on the Beaver River in Thornbury is pretty impressive.
We had a great night visiting with friends before heading back down the road Sunday morning. It was a much chillier day and the wind was creating dust storms in many areas.
The trip home involved more stumbled upon fishing spots but the wind was blowing so hard it was getting difficult to make accurate casts and keep the lure from flying into trees.
By the time we returned home we were both so exhausted that it was difficult to complete the simple tasks that needed to be done before the day could end. Eventually we were able to crawl into bed, exhausted and happy from a wonderful weekend spent visiting various rivers in search of fish. It wasn’t until tonight, after 30 minutes at the river catching some aggressive trout, that I felt restored enough to write about the weekend.
There’s nothing like a fishing trip. Whether or not I catch anything, the pursuit of fish is a reward in itself. What a great way to spend a weekend!
argosgirl
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Sounds like you had a great weekend, even if it was fishless.
It really was a great weekend. Nice to get away and have no worries for a little bit 🙂
Time on the water and enjoying the experience pays its dividends even if the fishing is slow. Your fish will come!
You are absolutely right, the experience pays off. I spent all week thinking about what I had learned on opening weekend and when I returned to our little river on Monday I caught quite a few brookies.