Night before last, I shelled out just over
one hundred dollars for some new work boots.
The old boots I was wearing were beyond their
safe expiration date by many months and did
not need any more gorilla super glue, shoe goo,
or duck tape. What better way is there to break
in a good pair of boots than to go fishing?
I arrived at my "secret" lake around 5 AM
with all kinds of lures, yarn, beads, worms, and
salmon roe. Enough variety to throw at rainbows
that I would be secure in saying, "They weren't
biting", if nothing was hooked. The first lure
I tossed was hit before it got back to my grasp.
Quite a few little fish were on different hooks
through the next 30 minutes - then I started
throwing roe for "the big one". A few big hits
to my larger hook gave me hope of a lunker.
Needing to relieve my body of morning
coffee, I wedged my rod (line still out with roe)
behind my bucket and stepped behind a tree
20 feet away. Before my business could be
put away, my bucket flipped and rolled my
camera within 12" of the water as my Ugly Stick ($36)
and new Ross reel ($110) were being yanked into
the lake. I quickly jumped to the bank in
time to see my rod disappear off the shoreline.
I had only momentary thoughts of my new boots
before stepping into the murky water to blindly
feel for the rod 18" deep. EUREKA! The reel
was hung up on a rock! On the business end
of my gear happened to be a ten pound Coho
that was passing by and got hooked in the side
fin. I'm sure it wasn't the best morning this
buck ever had and I let him go with a warning.
Because the bite was on, wet feet did not deter me
from staying until 6:30 then going straight to work.
Many pan-sized 'bow I saw, and the biggest was
this 12" that got his picture with my wet boots.
My feet and pants were dry by noon and I have
never had a pair of boots break in so well! I
only hope that when it comes time to buy a
new pair, the fish are in because I will look
silly standing in the lake otherwise.
safe expiration date by many months and did
not need any more gorilla super glue, shoe goo,
or duck tape. What better way is there to break
in a good pair of boots than to go fishing?
I arrived at my "secret" lake around 5 AM
with all kinds of lures, yarn, beads, worms, and
salmon roe. Enough variety to throw at rainbows
that I would be secure in saying, "They weren't
biting", if nothing was hooked. The first lure
I tossed was hit before it got back to my grasp.
Quite a few little fish were on different hooks
through the next 30 minutes - then I started
throwing roe for "the big one". A few big hits
to my larger hook gave me hope of a lunker.
Needing to relieve my body of morning
coffee, I wedged my rod (line still out with roe)
behind my bucket and stepped behind a tree
20 feet away. Before my business could be
put away, my bucket flipped and rolled my
camera within 12" of the water as my Ugly Stick ($36)
and new Ross reel ($110) were being yanked into
the lake. I quickly jumped to the bank in
time to see my rod disappear off the shoreline.
I had only momentary thoughts of my new boots
before stepping into the murky water to blindly
feel for the rod 18" deep. EUREKA! The reel
was hung up on a rock! On the business end
of my gear happened to be a ten pound Coho
that was passing by and got hooked in the side
fin. I'm sure it wasn't the best morning this
buck ever had and I let him go with a warning.
Because the bite was on, wet feet did not deter me
from staying until 6:30 then going straight to work.
Many pan-sized 'bow I saw, and the biggest was
this 12" that got his picture with my wet boots.
My feet and pants were dry by noon and I have
never had a pair of boots break in so well! I
only hope that when it comes time to buy a
new pair, the fish are in because I will look
silly standing in the lake otherwise.
2 opinionated prattle:
A great way to break in the new day and new boots! Maybe I should break down and buy a new pair of boots, that might be the secret to a successful fishing trip. I am also considering shaving and splashing on a bottle of after shave lotion every morning from now on, I have had a tough season for catching the Silver Salmon of the female persuasion this season, like none! I have caught some very nice bucks, average weight larger than normal - but lady fish none. Also, my heart was broke this morning, had to take a "rain check" on a spectacular trip for three days to Hallo Bay. A very tough decision on my part, kind of kicking my own butt!
Sorry about your trip. I would settle for a couple of bucks to smoke, but LA Coho are few this year. I kept saying, "They're late", but they might be not at all. The first Coho in LA I gave away. The next two, smoked and sent to the Big Island only to be devoured in a day.
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