NumenOn the Water
Date: March 25, 2015
Body of Water: Flat River, Lowell
Boat: None, shore fishing
With: Alone
Target: Spring Suckers
Time: 3:30 - 5 PM
Conditions: Water was low, cold and clear; weather was gray, about 40 F and very windy (>>20 mph)
Water temps were likely below 40 F; air temps never exceeded 40 F; and I was most likely too early for these fish. But I was available, and the prospect of this trip excited me; and so I went to a favored early spring spot to start the Open Water fishing season.
I was pleased to arrive to a river in good, fishable condition and unoccupied. It didn't take long to get an earthworm anchored lightly to the pool's bottom with a couple of split shot. There seems to be a shifting "Sweet Spot" in this hole, and I thought I found it on my second cast; the rod tip twitched lightly and there was a residual, very slight pressure after the twitch. I wound down on the day's first fish, and soon a nice golden red horse sucker was at my feet. Success!
 |
| First line of 2015 is in! |
Water temps were likely below 40 F; air temps never exceeded 40 F; and I was most likely too early for these fish. But I was available, and the prospect of this trip excited me; and so I went to a favored early spring spot to start the Open Water fishing season.
I was pleased to arrive to a river in good, fishable condition and unoccupied. It didn't take long to get an earthworm anchored lightly to the pool's bottom with a couple of split shot. There seems to be a shifting "Sweet Spot" in this hole, and I thought I found it on my second cast; the rod tip twitched lightly and there was a residual, very slight pressure after the twitch. I wound down on the day's first fish, and soon a nice golden red horse sucker was at my feet. Success!
 |
| The first one came quickly, on just the second cast. It was looking like a great outing! |
He was looking like a loner scout, though, because nothing happened for the next hour or so. I probably was too early for the run. A second, bigger fish came along just as I started to accept this reality, and of course this kept me at it for a bit longer. I missed a third strike, but I do believe I didn't leave too many fish in the hole. The first one had accepted my worm too eagerly for me to think they were there, but fussy.
 |
| StormR SuckR |
What do I have to say about this?
I've promised an "Open Diary" of my modest fishing exploits; and I'm not sure that either aspect will get more purely distilled than this. I chose to open my open water season with a sucker chase. It involved mud, ice fishing clothing and I caught two non-glorious fish***, and I seem to have come home ill. And yet the idea of this trip motivated me, and I don't need to have caught any more fish. Two were enough; they confirmed what I'd suspected. Perhaps I'll take advantage of the height of the run (still to come) and pile on some numbers in a future trip. Perhaps I'll just reflect on these two, as well as the muskrat and stoneflies I encountered today.
I've spent a good chunk of time in the last month organizing my tackle. I think it says something that my sucker selection was already pretty much ready to go; and that it was the first tackle set to be fully prepared for this year.
***To most. I think they're beautiful. These pulled drag, and they get big enough to test your tackle. What else could one ask for?
No comments:
Post a Comment