Lunchtime Fishing
Class, driving, schoolwork, staring at computers, running errands, looking after horses, and more…it just doesn’t leave much time for fishing. I have been averaging one fishing trip per week and it really isn’t cutting it – I need time on the water to keep my fishing skills sharp (so many missed hooksets as of late), and most importantly, to keep me sane. So today I decided that despite the continued sweltering heat and the ever present threat of rain, I was going to take advantage of my proximity to the Scugog River and wet a line before heading home.
After my morning lab I grabbed my rod and tackle bag, and headed for a long walk down the road. In hindsight, it would have been smarter to move my car to the closer parking lot and save the long walk in the summer heat, but I was so happy to be going fishing that I clearly was not thinking straight and told myself the walk would be a good idea. I reached the river and spent several seconds trying to wipe the sweat off of my face. Note to self – do not get sunscreen on your hands and then wipe your eyes.
While casting around with Mini-King I half-listened to the birds and tried to identify their songs. I picked up the easy ones right away, but then got distracted by some small bluegills hanging out on the edge of the weeds. Fish are very distracting. Not having my preferred lures for a shallow, weedy location such as this small bay, I followed the path through the forest, over the boardwalk, and stopped at another spot along the river. There was still a lot of weed, but it wasn’t reaching the surface and the water was deeper.
A nice place to eat lunch and take a few casts.
Other than the road and house that were visible across the river, I felt like I was in my own little world. I tuned out the white noise and spent some time observing the water. I had visited this spot before, but never to fish it, and now that I had some free time I was able to read it. One of my favorite things about fishing is taking the time to read the water – watch the current, look for weed edges, look for drop-offs, identify structure that fish may be relating to, look for a hatch, and sit quietly to see if any fish reveal themselves.
Itty-bitty rock bass still counts as a fish.
I started by casting for bass, but quickly changed up to panfish lures. I didn’t have a whole lot of time to spend on the water, and I wanted to get a few fish, no matter how small. Besides, the little buggers were easy to spot and taunting me as they kept splashing on the surface. Using small jigs I managed to land a few tiny perch and rock bass. I saw a flash in the weeds and knew it was a slightly bigger fish, so I cast to the spot and landed a decent bluegill. I caught some more fish and managed to relax. I miss the days when we used to live on a river and could fish every night after work during trout season. Quick lunchtime fishing sessions are going to have to replace that.
Perch just can’t resist jigs.
The bluegill wanted nothing to do with a photo session.
A couple of boats went by while I was fishing, including one belonging to a nice gentleman who offered to take me trolling so I could catch something bigger. It intrigues me that people think you have to always catch a big fish to make a trip worthwhile. The bite eventually slowed down, I snagged my lure in a tree and lost it, so I called it quits and headed back to the car for the long drive home.
Despite showing up at Tim Hortons with a lobster-red face and sweat dripping off of me (I got told that I looked extremely warm as I ordered my frozen lemonade), I had a fantastic little break by the river. A little bit of fishing goes a long way (to making you want to fish more), and I feel a million times better for having hit the water.
argosgirl
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Way to get that angling fix, and to be recharged! Nice.
It’s not the same as wandering along a beautiful trout stream with my fly rod, but it will do for now 🙂
Thanks for demonstrating to the rest of us what a little true grit will get you. I agree a few fish changes ones mood in a hurry. By the way, nice Bluegill! Remember, I like to catch smaller fish. Tee Hee!
LOL there’s nothing wrong with small fish, they deserve our attention as much as the big ones 🙂
We get in maybe two fishing trips a week, usually on Saturdays and Sundays. When we were up north this weekend, Matt was upset we weren’t getting any pike, muskie, or big bass. Or even bigger panfish. Most of the fish we caught were about the size you have there. I was just happy to see my bobber go under. The fish in the Madison chain are very heavily pressured, and extremely skeptical of any lure. We opt for live bait, and even then it’s rough. I’ll take little fish over no fish any day.
I agree, most days I’d like to catch at least something small. That said, there have been days where I just get lost in the enjoyment of the river and kind of forget about catching fish…