NumenOn the Water
Date: 3-13-16
Date: 3-13-16
Body of Water: Lake Michigan, Pt. Sheldon
Boat: Numenon
With: Alone
Target: Brown Trout
Time: 8 AM - Noon
Conditions: Overcast and rain showers; east wind about 15 mph; 45-48 degrees; water temperatures of 37 - 41 degrees F, but generally about 38 F
After a warm stretch and a couple of sunny days, it was time for Numenon's 2016 debut. Of course a wet front was sliding through, so although I had the boat rigged with 8 rods and the mast and tethered boards ready to go, nobody chose to accompany me. I launched, alone, into a steady drizzle that lasted all day.
I was mildly pleased to find 37-38 degree water along the north shoreline as this is at the lower end of the range where I can reasonably expect to encounter a brown, and as I set the second rod, I noticed my inside board slide back. (I was now using in-line boards since I was alone.) It didn't feel like much; but it was the first fish of the Open Water season, and it was the targeted species! But at maybe 12 inches, it was possibly the smallest brown trout I've ever caught on Lake Michigan. I let it go to grow, and given this fast start, expected some more action.
This fish had eaten an F9 Original Rapala in Brown Trout pattern. The bait was trolled at about 2.2 mph and was in about 8 feet of water on the outside edge of the first or second sand bar when it was hit.
But four hours and 8 or 9 miles later, All spent in about 7 to 16 feet of water, I'd not had another bump. There would be no trophies or gift fish by which to remember this trip. I'll have to remember it as a quiet, problem-free start to a new season. That's enough!
After a warm stretch and a couple of sunny days, it was time for Numenon's 2016 debut. Of course a wet front was sliding through, so although I had the boat rigged with 8 rods and the mast and tethered boards ready to go, nobody chose to accompany me. I launched, alone, into a steady drizzle that lasted all day.
I was mildly pleased to find 37-38 degree water along the north shoreline as this is at the lower end of the range where I can reasonably expect to encounter a brown, and as I set the second rod, I noticed my inside board slide back. (I was now using in-line boards since I was alone.) It didn't feel like much; but it was the first fish of the Open Water season, and it was the targeted species! But at maybe 12 inches, it was possibly the smallest brown trout I've ever caught on Lake Michigan. I let it go to grow, and given this fast start, expected some more action.
This fish had eaten an F9 Original Rapala in Brown Trout pattern. The bait was trolled at about 2.2 mph and was in about 8 feet of water on the outside edge of the first or second sand bar when it was hit.
But four hours and 8 or 9 miles later, All spent in about 7 to 16 feet of water, I'd not had another bump. There would be no trophies or gift fish by which to remember this trip. I'll have to remember it as a quiet, problem-free start to a new season. That's enough!
What do I have to say about this?
A quiet, problem-free start to the season is enough! Good gear makes bad weather more tolerable, and I was only slightly damp around the edges when I went home for lunch. I knew odds for memorable success were stacked against me with cold water and easterly winds. Plus, the season is very young, and I may even have the chance to chase Browns again this season! The last few have all been one-and-done for Browns, for me, and yet I love fishing for them so much.
A quiet, problem-free start to the season is enough! Good gear makes bad weather more tolerable, and I was only slightly damp around the edges when I went home for lunch. I knew odds for memorable success were stacked against me with cold water and easterly winds. Plus, the season is very young, and I may even have the chance to chase Browns again this season! The last few have all been one-and-done for Browns, for me, and yet I love fishing for them so much.
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