RiverBums: The adventures of a daughter-daddy duo

RiverBums: The Adventures of a Daughter-Daddy Fishing Duo

SlideShow

Friday, May 31, 2013

Fishellaneous


Preference is inevitable. Chocolate or Vanilla? Cubs or Sox? Star Trek or Star Wars? Beatles or Stones? Ketchup or mustard? Fly or Cast?  Bass or Trout? You can’t love both. You can LIKE both. But, one will always sit a bit higher than the other on the podium. How exactly do we best explain this? Duh, with ice cream of course.

Are you familiar with the “DQ doctrine?” Let us start from the beginning. You’ve been outside in the summer’s heat where the pavement is bursting and the brick is bubbling under the sun’s watch. Standing in the river for 12 hours, working it like the dedicated angler you are. A few sips of water here and there but we all know the best anglers only fish in the stuff. If you’re really thirsty, then you ain’t fishin hard enough.

The sun is casting its shadow against the bank and you realize it’s time to head out of paradise. As you begin the trek back, your partner stops to look at you and you do the same. Without a word, without a nod, you have both decided… to go to Dairy Queen. The mother of all that is creamiest. The protector of the cold saturated fat. The redneck cousin of Ben and Jerry. The runner up for all heartbreak spanning from your high school sweet heart to your third divorce. You’ve been without food, without water and without cold for the whole day. The only thing that can put out the fire is a milkshake. A Dairy Queen Milkshake. But you don’t just order any flavor. Oh no. You order your heart’s desire. You order your habit of choice. Right when you think you’ll try something new, you cave, and go with your safe, reliable, ever so delicious, and glutton quenching [Fill in the blank].  

Like we said, preference is inevitable.  So, due to over flooding, we head to a smaller stream called the North Branch River in North Branch Wisconsin. Access was tight, but we found a parking spot close to a bridge and stuck close the water line as we waded in. You can only imagine our surprise when we expected and preferred to catch smallies, where instead we caught that and just about everything else. 

Yes my friends. While AC caught about 4 decent sized small mouth, Dad caught 5 small mouth, 2 steelies, 1 trout, 1 northern, and a bottom feeder. A cornucopia of fishellaneous catching and reeling. From one cast to the next, we were’nt sure what was going to bite.

With temperatures in the near high 40s and the sun beating down we spent a good 12 hours in the river and hiked back along the highway a good mile to return to our car. What did we use? What didn’t we use. From the steelies hitting Dad’s black and yellow glitter meps to the bass hitting AC’s white softbelly with yellow crawdad leg patterns. From the northern hitting Dad’s chartreuse spoon to the well, another bass hitting AC’s red bellied softbelly with fast action swim tail on a white, red eyed jig head...


Pre River- Bundled Up
With 2 sweatpants, one under armor with a t-shirt and wind breaker soft shell, AC was prepared to brave the chilly 40 degree weather.

Post River- "like Dad, so not in the mood right now"
Dad Hooked on Something
Netted Trout on Mep 

A Beautiful Brook Trout
A Graceful Release


AC's Country Home

This northern is lucky to be alive. Notice the gash it has from escaping predators
Poor Northern...


Bridge Bum...AC caught her smallie just off the corner here

The Riverbums about to walk under a golf course bridge..

Now that's a tree house!

Wading Out After a Great Day

So, as much as we prefer smallmouth bass, a great pint of guinness, and one hell of a Dropkick Murphy's concert. Sometimes, switching it up can be fun too. A trout, a glass of fine chianti, and Eric Clapton unplugged live. What can we say? We will always have our favorites, like Dad's vanilla and AC's cherry ice cream. So, the next time the person at the DQ desk asks, "what can I get you?" Try something new, take a chance. It may be cold out there, but a top water might just work! Sure, it's not what you usually prefer....but tastebuds change my friends, oh do they change!

Cast Away,

AC & Dad

Friday, May 3, 2013

A Trout Above The Rest

It turns out we missed blogging about a very special riverbum escapade from last year. You know you fish a lot when a whole trip goes un-noticed. We figured since our rivers are just recovering from watergeddon, now would be a good time to reminisce about it.

Of course, how could we forget such a trip? For this one was a significant one. September 8th. Unusually warm for this time of season. Our last successful day in our favorite river of Wisconsin, ********* -******* ( You should know better by now, we'd have to kill ya) And one very special fish.

No, it didn't have an extra chromosome or the ability to make out how many toothpicks were in a pile on the floor. We mean special like those rare occurrences when you sense an eagle is near and look above as you stand knee deep in a river somewhere as it glides steadily at a regal pace sure to make any average hawk or crow envious.

Special like those fairytale moments in time, as you rush for your train in the depths of the city, listening to your iPod and you suddenly spot him, a sharp-dressed man with the clean cut face rushing towards the same train, with the same iPod and you both slow to allow the other on with blushed cheeks and shy voices and you stand for a moment on that train trying to catch your breaths and suddenly realize you are listening to the same song with one smooth glance as the doors shut on the scene.

Special like the hard working, ambitious, and dexterous entrepreneur who chooses to stay involved in every project because he loves his business that much and although he won't admit it, every time he picks up a tool, labor fills him with that feeling of ecstatic resolution that he succeeded in his American Dream and pride gravitates through his every crevice as he and his team pursue and pursue well.

Special like that couple of 20 years that like to argue about fixing the garden during breakfast but secretly enjoy the sounds of eachother's voices because they only have so much more time to listen to them. She likes gardening, he prefers watching the game, she goes out to the movies with her girlies every Monday night and he joins his guys for bowling every Tuesday. But, each night they come home like the typical 20 plus year couple that has endured the best and worst of times, get ready for bed and turn off the lights. You wouldn't know from the outside though, that as they fall asleep he reaches for her hand and she does the same, for every night they fall asleep hand in hand, as if customary for those victims of everlasting true love.

So what makes this fish, this seemingly mediocre trout, the one Dad happened to net on a whim hope of his last summer smallie, so special? It pursued a dream not dreamt by most trout. It enacted a fad that would soon stand the test of past time, nay present and therefore future. This trout swallowed whole a top water torpedo. Don't believe us huh? Well, you can bet we have the proof to back up our story with ever so breathtaking imagery. After all, we are fishermen, and all fishermen are liars, but we do it with poise and poses...


AC with her first smallie of the day




And now for something completely unique...Drum roll please...



Dad with his Top Water Trout 
A Trout Above the Rest



A Trout with a hefty appetite


Last photo of the summer in our favorite river

Whether stuck in a love that can withstand anything good or bad, a chance encounter with romance, a moment in time with nature's treasures, or the dream of a lifetime...making it special is really up to you. That trout knew the lure was too big for him, but he was different than all the others his size. He took a chance, something set him apart, something special just made him a little better than the rest!

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

Cast Away,

AC & Dad