Reality Check

NumenOn the Water

Date:  5-13-15

Body of Water:  C Lake

Boat:  Numenon

With:  Alone

Target:  Muskies

Time:  3:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Conditions: Post-front; clear, mild easterly winds; water murky and 62-63 F

I was planning on a short, after-work evening trip to C Lake for another shot at a muskie.  When I reviewed my Lunar Tables for the day, the only event within my available window was a 3:50 PM moonset.  I’m still not sure what I think about the importance of these events, but I have had a few encounters with muskies eerily close to scheduled lunar events.  I’m open to their importance, at least with muskies.  With a quick adjustment of my work schedule, I was able to be on the water and in position by 3:35 PM or so.

Nothing happened in 4 to 8 feet of water or so on bucktails in association with moonset; and nothing  continued to happen for the next 3.5 hours.  As far as I can tell, I never moved a fish, although I did instinctively swing to set the hook once when my lure hit something.  This might have been a fish, but it might have been a rock or weed or snag, too.  Hooksets are free, but there was no real indication that I actually connected with a fish.  So I’ll stand by 0-for-0 for the trip.

Water temperatures had fallen to 62-63 F after the wet weekend and subsequent cold front.  I fished hard in the time I had and tried a variety of bucktails, jerkbaits and Big Rubber (small Medusa) in 10 feet of water and less.  The locals were getting busy with their boats (ski boats, jet skis, etc.) and I’m going to have to carefully pick and choose my times for this lake through the summer.  It fishes too small to accommodate much traffic.  It’s good that there are other local options.

I left a bit early, well before sunset.  My trolling juice was seriously depleted after a couple of trips up front, and it was doubly nice not to have any problems at the single lane ramp, and to be home well before dark.

What do I have to say about this?

Back to Reality; my mini-run of pretty darned good fishing was stopped by this skunk.  But, in the 9 hours of casting since my last muskie, I’ve made about 1,000 casts.  So I could be due for another!