Meskel
10-18-2005, 02:13 PM
Saturday early evening I made way up to one of the mountain lakes (Trillium) to launch the float tube and get some exercise. The wife was in Hawaii for the past week (along with the digital camera – so no pics) I wasn’t expecting much just wanted to jump at the chance to get out of the house.
I was the only person on the lake. Not surprising. I set out at about 5:30 with a flask full of tequila, my i-pod and a three weight in hand. I kicked much of the far end of the lake. The weather was overcast, no rain, but it was cold. The kicking and tequila helped to keep the body temp up but the digest got down right cold.
I did manage to get three fish in about an hour and half time. The biggest being 12 inches and the other planted bows around 10. Both small guys were taken on a green bugger but the larger fish was on elk hair caddis. I had a plethora of takes on the caddis it just seamed that I was a little two slow to set the hook each time. (I like to contribute it to the cold)
But this is where the story gets to be funny. On my way back across the lake I am leisurely kicking to keep warm, pulling a bugger, and listening to my tunes when out of the corner of my eye I see something breach the surface of the water less then a foot to my immediate right.
--Now to draw a picture (this is what flashed quickly into my head) you know in JAWS when they get the first barrel on the shark, it goes under for a while and then all of a sudden the barrel comes splashing back up to the surface.—
Keep in mind im in a float tube. And well after the quick realization that I was in a lake and this was just a bobber (all be it a LARGE bobber) I reach out and grab it with a firm grip all be it with frozen fingers. The fish on the other end starts going nuts. When I finally got him in, after pulling hand over fist, a 15 inch bow was sitting across my lap on the bib. He chalked up to being the biggest fish I didn’t catch but landed that day.
When I got to thinking about it, I wonder how long he had been swimming around with that bobber in tow, no one else was at the lake. And then to get even deeper into thought I wonder if he came to me to take the chance that I either free him or put him out of his misery. But that might have been the tequila thinking.
I let him back into the lake and kept the bobber.
I was the only person on the lake. Not surprising. I set out at about 5:30 with a flask full of tequila, my i-pod and a three weight in hand. I kicked much of the far end of the lake. The weather was overcast, no rain, but it was cold. The kicking and tequila helped to keep the body temp up but the digest got down right cold.
I did manage to get three fish in about an hour and half time. The biggest being 12 inches and the other planted bows around 10. Both small guys were taken on a green bugger but the larger fish was on elk hair caddis. I had a plethora of takes on the caddis it just seamed that I was a little two slow to set the hook each time. (I like to contribute it to the cold)
But this is where the story gets to be funny. On my way back across the lake I am leisurely kicking to keep warm, pulling a bugger, and listening to my tunes when out of the corner of my eye I see something breach the surface of the water less then a foot to my immediate right.
--Now to draw a picture (this is what flashed quickly into my head) you know in JAWS when they get the first barrel on the shark, it goes under for a while and then all of a sudden the barrel comes splashing back up to the surface.—
Keep in mind im in a float tube. And well after the quick realization that I was in a lake and this was just a bobber (all be it a LARGE bobber) I reach out and grab it with a firm grip all be it with frozen fingers. The fish on the other end starts going nuts. When I finally got him in, after pulling hand over fist, a 15 inch bow was sitting across my lap on the bib. He chalked up to being the biggest fish I didn’t catch but landed that day.
When I got to thinking about it, I wonder how long he had been swimming around with that bobber in tow, no one else was at the lake. And then to get even deeper into thought I wonder if he came to me to take the chance that I either free him or put him out of his misery. But that might have been the tequila thinking.
I let him back into the lake and kept the bobber.