A Fish And A Sunburn
The beautiful, warm weather around these parts meant the ice disappeared in no time and this past weekend, there was open water everywhere. It was a very welcome sight!
As the sun shone bright on Sunday morning, I found myself eager to hit the water – but no so eager to wake up early and get out of bed on a non-workday. The frequent reminders from the dogs and cats that they were hungry and needing breakfast finally got us out of bed and in short order, Darrell and I were climbing into the truck for the trip to Bronte.
The fact that we were going to be fishing Lake Ontario for the first time this year was enough to have me grinning from ear-to-ear. The fact that this was our first time out in the boat this year made it even better. On the drive I thought to myself that the only thing that could make the day batter, was finding the lake absolutely, completely calm. And boy did we luck out. The water was glass – just the way I like it.
After setting up and getting the boat in the water, we tied on some lures and took the boat for a short run. What a rush. Even in our little 12-foot aluminum boat, with that 9.9HP motor on the back, we managed to move along fast enough to get a rush.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day, no matter where you chose to spend it. I just think being on the water was the best way to spend the day!
Talk about some crystal clear water. I felt like I was looking into a creek, not 10 feet-of-water on Lake Ontario.
The goal for the day was to hook into some brown trout. We began by tying on some tried-and-true Rapalas and pulling planer boards down along the break wall. It was my first experience with using planer boards and I was surprised at how easy they were set up and use. They allowed us to cover a wide swath of water and to get lures in tight to the wall, without the boat spooking the fish.
If I'd known I was going to spot an owl, I would have brought my other camera for a better shot. What a treat it was to see this bird. I think it wondered what us crazy people in the bright orange suits were doing.
Despite the warm temperatures, the water surface temps were 41-43F so I found myself dressed as if going ice fishing – wearing my -100 Baffin Titan boots and my floater suit. The warm clothes certainly did the trick as we spent the better part of the day on the water and I stayed comfortable all day (except for my rear going numb after sitting for so long).
We were getting no bites, although that detail was not bothering me. The fish may not have wanted to play but I was loving the day in the boat, on the water. I say it all the time, but there is no better way to relax than to spend the day on the water, wetting lines and playing with lures.
I never tire of this sight.
We continued to troll along in 8 to 14 feet of water and had just finished turning a corner when I did a double-take – the line had popped out of the clip – fish on! I jumped up, grabbed the rod and started reeling. I had a fair bit of weight on the line and knew I had a decent fish, then all of a sudden the pull on the line slacked. I kept reeling, telling Darrell I might have lost the fish. He laughed and told me to reel faster as we watched the line go from left to right and it became obvious the fish was swimming at the boat.
It had been months since I’d caught anything bigger than a crappie, and I was thrilled to feel more weight on the line. In the excitement I started yelling at Darrell to get the net – no such need, he was already trying to extend the handle. I don’t care how many fish I may catch in my life, it’s always such a thrill to have one on. I was having a blast. I finally got the fish to the boat and Darrell netted the wonderful rainbow trout. I love rainbow trout – they’re always so willing to come out and play.
A fish!!! She made the day perfect.
It took some time for the two of us to come down from the high of catching a fish, and while we covered a fair bit of water that day, we ended up with just the one fish. I honestly didn’t mind. I lost all track of time out there and when I did check my phone for the time, I told Darrell we really had to pull lines since it was going to be dark by the time we got home.
Another wonderful view
Such a beautiful end to a wonderful day.
Spending the day on Lake Ontario was awesome. It was the perfect end to a fantastic weekend, and catching a fish was the icing on the cake. There was, however, one problem – I forgot to pack the sunscreen. As a result, I ended up with one heck of a red face. I can’t believe that it’s March and I wasn’t covered up enough to avoid a sunburn!
All-in-all, I’ll take the red face for the chance of catching a fish.
argosgirl
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That’s a nice rainbow!!!!
One of the best reasons for a red face. Excellent start to the open water season.