Now, although we are excellent casters, from time to time we do seem to get "caught" up in things other than fish. A floating log, a tree, a kayaker. Sometimes, whether you want to blame it on the wind or not, a good cast can turn ugly. As RiverBums we repeatedly find ourselves standing up to our chests in a strong current and casting as the water grabs us. And as important as fishing is to us, not drowning comes first, surprisingly. But we feel that if you aren't, as Dad's father and AC's grandfather would say, "Fishing for squirrels" then you're not risking anything. Caught in a tree? Excellent! Snagged on a boulder? Fantastic! Lipped a rafter? You're a Pro! Although it may seem like the "wade of shame" as a RiverBum is seen wading across river pulling down branches to break free a lure from a tree, it's actually a demonstration of determination. Yes, a showmanship of eager beaverness, a creative yet enterprising angler, an out-of-the-tackle-box cast, a zealous zinger. No matter the challenge, a RiverBum will cast in hopes of catching that fish, yes that one right there. No, that's a log, we mean that one over there!
So, it was a weekend at our all time prized river where trying hard never felt so good and sometimes that awry cast produced a smallie. It was a 79 degree and clear skies 2 day fishing expedition on the ********* river (Sorry, hafta kill ya) where we sweat hard for the smallies and waded new waters...
Day 1- Saturday
We would like to thank the academy for their nomination and the producers, Shwartzman and Weiss, we couldn't have paid for this without you... Ok, so the video may not be award winning, but the camera man has skills and you have to admit... that was fun to watch, wasn't it?
The reason we decided to film this particular spot was because we were sure a fish was going to bite...it's the Crazy-Ass Pool. On a mid July Saturday, we would normally catch anywhere between 10 and 12 smallies in this pool. But, with the cooler water and September blues fast approaching, we only caught 3. So, we were lucky the camera caught anything! But, Saturday still turned out to be a prosperous day of smallie snagging with about 30 fish caught all together...
Dad with a dark lunker caught hiding below a boulder!
AC reels in a smallie while wading! Mad skills!
Dad plugging a pool
AC fell in the water for this one!
Dad hooked on a smallie!
AC working the boulders!
(This is known as the Lewis & Clark pose! She has discovered smallies)
Look at the belly on this one...
(No, the fish not the RiverBum!)
Day 2- Sunday
After a good night's sleep in a holiday inn, we set off for another successful day in the river. With another beautiful day of 79 degrees and clear skies we waded in, in hopes of a great LAST day in the ************ river. We knew this would be our last chance of smallies with next weekend looking at 50 degree weather. So, we were in the water by 9 am and fished as late as we could...
The Biggest boulder we have ever seen on the ********* river!
AC's first smallie of the day!
Dad with his, "This fish isn't big enough for a photo" face!
Although we tried all sorts of lures on this particular day; assorted twistys and top water, we quickly realized that the smallies weren't having any top water. So we retired our torpedoes for the weekend and stuck to yellow twisty tails on eyed orange jigs. We kept the casts close to structure (boulder, along a dead tree, inside weeds) and let the lures sink down in the pools. Since the water was cooler, the smallies weren't hitting the lures as hard as usual, but a few slow jerks at the bottom of the pool and the trap was set...
AC with a giant smallie caught inbetween 2 boulders! TIGHT!
Where the hell are my pliers?
We didn't want to come to the realization that eventually we would have to leave this river and drive home before it was too dark. Alas, we made our last casts, took one last look at the river, and trekked out. But, as we came closer and closer to the parking lot we noticed hundreds of, dun DUn DUN, PEOPLE! And their bikes. They were partaking in a triathlon and we happened to be parked in the middle of their transition from bike to run...
So, after swiping a few shimano bikes, we dressed down, packed up and headed home. Both Bums tried not to look back at the river, but they couldn't help it. Dad drove to a more recluse area of the river and they got out to watch the rapids as the sun began to set. We heard bagpipes playing as we hopped back into the car and watched river diminish in our rear view mirror. So we say goodbye to the smallie fishing of the ********* river and hello to trout season! But, not until we try our northern baits in the FOX river this coming weekend. So, keep your blog eyes peeled for our tale of the Fox river coming soon to a screen near you...Until next time, we'll see ya on the other side of the river!
Cast Away,
AC & Dad
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