Deja Bum

No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.

                                                -Heraclitus

That, my friends, is the reason we keep going back to that river we shall not name. Sure, it’s the closest river to us that has impeccable amounts of fish and a beautiful environment. But, Despite that, the river, the fish, and experience are never the same. No matter how many times we visit or how many times we fish it, no river bum adventure, on any river, regardless of the frequency…is identical.

You could be standing on a boulder that you stood on yesterday, same time of day, same posture, same getup. But, the cast will be different, the outlook changes, and the odds...just that more possible.

That is why we choose to visit our river that shall go unnamed countless times throughout the summer. So, for the 5^th or 6^th time this year (sorry, already beginning to lose count) we decided to go back to the bountiful waters of northern Wisconsin to fish for…what else? Small mouth bass.

It was a dryer drive than last week through dairy land as we picked up breakfast at the local piggly wiggly and arrived in town around 7:56am, just in time for 8:00am mass. Which brings us to a new segment of the blog and something we have been wishing to do for a while…

Church Scenes

We have been in hundreds of Catholic churches around the nation and it has been one of our dreams to capture the beauty of each one. So, better late than never…

Sacred Heart Church, Green Bay, WI

 

After praying for big fish, we b-lined it to the river, suited up and waded in…

 

Reelin the Rapids

 

 

Hiding on a Log

 

First Top Water of the Day

 

You may be asking yourself, when do you make the “top water” call as we like to put it? Good question. Deciding on a lure takes one major skill when riverbumming it and that is reading the river. Top water is best in deeper and slower water. Due to a top water lure being very buoyant and light, it needs slow water to work most effectively. There, the spinners, chug, or flap, can create the noise it was made to create in the type of environment it is most comfortable in. But there is more than just the depth and pace of the river. On a hot day, fish are more likely to be curious and venture away from their hiding places down below. They hit the top of the water looking for bugs on muggy and humid days.

Also, when water clarity is low, top water lures are great because the sound of their accessories entices the fish to the top. The fish follows the noise and strikes when it sounds the loudest. Compared to a subsurface lure that makes minimal noise but attracts more with its movement, shape, color and or reflectors.

Of course, there is another time when you put on a chugger (type of top water lure) and that would be when they aren’t hittin anything else. Yep, sometimes when the fish aren’t biting, you just stick on a noisy chugger and they come reeling in with passion...

The Snapper with the dinosaur tale

Oh Mama that's big...

Perfect Bass Coverage... Boulders, sticks, and pools oh my!

Always a good sign, when a bum reaches for a net!

This poor guy's been beat up a few times...Survivor of the elements

Butterfly Smorgasbord

Check out the rod holder...So Irish

                                                She's at it again...

Rainbow Trout

Releasing a Rainbow...

Sanctuary...

So it was another glorious weekend on our favorite of waters. The hard work paid off with about 11 fish each as we spent the day relaxing and doing what we do best…Reeling in the bass.

Until next time...we'll see ya on the other side of the river!

Cast Away,

AC & Dad