A Bow And A Queasy Stomach

Since my first experience fishing on Lake Ontario a few weeks ago I’ve been dying to go back and get a shot at even bigger fish.

This weekend there was finally enough time for Darrell and I to escape to the lake in hopes of giant salmon.

I couldn’t possibly have asked for a more beautiful day. The sun was out, the temperature was perfect and the marine forecast looked promising. The only hiccup in our plans was that the wind was shifting to an east wind, meaning the waves had a chance to build up over the whole lake before reaching us. I was told it would be fine and, trusting soul that I am, I climbed into the truck and off we went.

We ran into a slight problem on the way because we had yet to decide which launch to use. We ruled out Bronte right away – it costs far too much to launch and chances are pretty good someone will have a little fun with your truck and trailer while you’re out. The decision was made to head to Port Credit since it’s cheaper and a nice launch. However, when we reached the launch we found it was host to a 5km run/walk and there were more people there than we wanted to deal with.

Finally we ended up at the Promenade in Mississauga, a beautiful place to launch…and it’s free (unless the Salmon Derby is on).

Eager to get out on the water and get a bite, I helped Darrell, as much as I could, to set up the boat and get it in. Only once we were in the water did I look out and see the boats battling some waves. For the first time I started to feel doubtful about the trip.

For people used to the big water I am sure it’s not the least bit intimidating to head out in the swells we faced today. For me, someone that had almost no experience in a boat before last year, it’s a little intimidating to see all that water, big swells and some whitecaps, and feel your little 15ft aluminum boat rolling with each wave. I immediately longed for a bigger boat.

I got over the intimidation factor soon enough as I saw even smaller boats out there braving the conditions and turned my focus to guiding the boat through the waves as Darrell got the lines out.

I managed quite well for a while before I noticed an unfamiliar feeling, my stomach was starting to get queasy. I looked for a fixed object to focus on and eventually found a cloud above the horizon that seemed to help keep the queasiness at bay. I began to realize that I wouldn’t be standing up to reel in any fish today…I didn’t trust that I would stay in the boat!

We trolled along, marking very little on the fish finder, keeping pace with another Sylvan boat as we both rose and fell at the whim of the waves. By this point I was really working hard to keep my nausea in check. And then it happened…fish on!

I jumped up to grab the rod, knocked my chair-back down and ended up sitting on the folded up chair, bracing myself as best I could and started reeling. I wasn’t feeling sick at that point. It was apparent pretty quickly that we had hooked onto a rainbow trout but this one had much more fight in it than the ones I caught a few weeks ago. He made a few short runs before being scooped into the net and was an absolute handful as I tried to hold on for a picture.

Can you see on my face how hard I am trying to stay upright? This bow was in much better shape than the ones I caught only a few weeks ago.

After releasing the fish I went back to steering the boat and Darrell got the lines back out. It wasn’t much longer before I was having troubles battling back the nausea again and I made Darrell get behind the wheel so I could sit back and close my eyes. I lasted a little while longer but we had no more hits and I knew I was going to start chumming the water if the boat continued rolling through waves like it was. Even now I can feel it….going up, falling down, going up, falling down…my head and my stomach did not handle it well.

I finally had to call it quits, much earlier than I would have liked to, and get Darrell to take us back in. It wasn’t our most productive day on the water.

Back at the launch we came across this situation:

That's right, two boats at the launch, not going anywhere but preventing anyone from getting in or out.

I know I already ranted about boat launch etiquette but seriously, if you have a boat, please abide by the rules. If there are two ramps and multiple boats, then one ramp is for those going in and the other is for those going out. Do not block the ramp. Set up your boat ahead of time and only head to the ramp when you are fully ready to launch. Get in and get out. When you take your boat out, do not stop at the top on the ramp and block other trailers from getting in or out. I wasn’t thrilled about these winners at the ramp today but I did have the pleasure of seeing the one boat go out and encounter waves they didn’t know how to get through. They weren’t out for long. Of course, they blocked the ramp again when they came back. Some people…

I wish my sea legs were a little better because I would have loved to have stayed out there for a lot longer. Getting a fish was nice but I wanted something much bigger! There’s always next time.

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argosgirl

Sporadic blogger and sometimes podcaster who loves fishing, the outdoors, hanging with her animals, gardening, and reading manga.

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