Before we start today’s blog, we would like to address a
very urgent and serious matter…
Congratulations to T.P. Tyler Pearson from Minneapolis, MN and
the best Mac-economics partner ever J for winning the Caption Contest from last week! T.P. gets a free RiverBums sticker!
His caption for the Goose photo of AC last week…
Seeing this photo gives me
Goosebums…
There is more to fishing than just catching fish. Shocking,
we know. There are those perfect casts that make you wonder how there couldn’t
have been a bass hiding in that small increment of space that you perfectly
placed a lure. Not-a-cloud-in-the-sky weather that allows you to view the
different shades of blue and bask in the smooth unending beams of sun. The
pristine forest glowing with avery, turquoise, and moss greens that pattern the
shores.
And then of course, there is that river. Clear, cool, and
collected. Where the boulders bulge up like tiny mountains on the ground and
you are the giant, wading through them, a serene power that guides you through
the water. And that water, pushing against your might as each force of
rapids manipulates the seams of your waders and rippled water continues on in every
different direction. Agitated at the interference of flow, searching for a way
to correct itself. A river is timely, organized and precise. The way it
maneuvers around obstacles, never letting a snag ruin the flux. It is sure of
itself. Not only in its flowage, but in it’s beauty. The way the sun makes the
surface shimmer in a way that would send a man diving head first for looking at
it too long. Like life, the river can give and take at the same time. The way
each boulder has taken years to move into the ideal place where it will settle
for a while and then move on when the water has decided it’s time. One dry
summer could spell disaster for hundreds of life forms. Where one wet summer
could mean a prosperous and fulfilling season. It all depends on what the river
wants.
It is that luminous essence of the river that allows us to
wade so well, ideal visibility of the lure for the fish, and overall, a more
beautiful experience. Which brings us to the theme of our blog this week. Mud.
Or as a RiverBum would define, Chocolate River.
Chocolate River : [Ch-ow-co-lat
"
e Ri-V
·
er]
1. Willy
Wonka’s Watering Hole
2. A
chocolate factory that really exists in Colorado
*3. A
term used to define a river that has allotted excess rain water and is
extremely muddy which produces difficult visibility for both man and fish.
Yes, my friends, this memorial weekend every river from here
to northern Minnesota was flooded and muddy. Excess rains accumulated in
Minnesota and distributed water over all of Wisconsin and into Michigan for
over 5 days straight. Despite the signs, we decided to have a cast at it
anyways.
So, with three days off, we decided to head to Minnesota and
try the Snake River. However, work took over
and we didn’t leave until Saturday afternoon. Dad drove the first shift from
4-7pm and AC took the night shift. It was a smooth drive with little traffic
and on and off rain. We knew the rain would cease for Sunday, but our water
gauges on the iphone were indicating high levels and little chance for fast
clearing.
But, we trekked on and arrived at the Best Western around 10:15pm. Before heading in
for a well deserved sleep, AC decided to be social (as always) and wave to the ZZ Top posers standing by their Harleys.
They were not as friendly as AC expected and instead of continuing the
conversation, she pointed out the green bike and said, “That’s my favorite”
before heading in. Typical AC, always making friends in the wrong places!
Somehow that simple lesson of never talk to strangers, never quite seeped into her mind.
The next morning we had our hopes set on fishing some
uncharted Minnesota river. But, our faith was shattered when we learned more
rain had come and the river was unwadable. Not to mention, who wants to fish
when the fish can’t see your lure. So we headed towards the Namekagon River in Hayward. We have
fished this before, last summer and caught a couple smallies and a northern
with a huge parasite (See blog from September 9th) . But, it
was another strike out, as bridges had been closed due to flooding. So, with 2
strikes, we decided to play it safe and headed to the one river we knew we
could always rely on, the ******** river (come on, we need to keep some secrets).
Along the way, we stopped for lunch and heard about the Chippewa
River in Durand. When
we got to the river, we noticed it was a much larger flowage and less flooding
occurred. So we grabbed our rods and decided to try it out near a picnic area
without suiting up. It was a good thing we stopped because AC had a home run on
her first cast as she reeled in a black Chippewa beauty of a smallie off the
dock…
Off the Docks on her first cast!
A 50 mile long river, the Chippewa is part of the drift less area of Wisconsin which makes it immaculate fishing territory. Back in the day, the Chippewa was used as a floatway for lumbering and paper making. The river is substantially stocked with walleye, smallies, pike, and musky.
It was an afternoon adhoc fishing expedition that lasted
only a few hours. The wading was difficult as we had to stick close to the
shores due to the depth of the river. Wide enough for a charter boat and very
woody (full of sticks and trees).
Chippewa River
So after no luck and tough wading, we headed out and packed up. Research would have to be done on wadable spots and possible rental boats for another time on the Chippewa. It would be another few hours to the ****** river and unfortunately no time to fish it until Monday morning. So it was a night spent hitting the town where we bought fresh fruit at the local Walmart for dinner. Yes we just use “fresh fruit” and “Walmart” in the same sentence. Surprisingly there was an over abundance of fresh fruit, but a shortage of Capri jeans and flip flops. Go figure! When we got back to the hotel AC hit up the pool while Dad tried out the clean remote. That's right, hotels now carry remotes that are sanitized! Now if only they could work on those bedspreads...
Clean Remote
The next morning, we were out early and within an hour
arrived at the river at 9 am on the dot. We suited up and headed to the banks
as we were welcomed by a dark chocolate river. This was the muddiest we had
ever seen it. Even in the shallowest of areas, we couldn’t see bottom. But, did
that stop us? Oh hells on reels no! And just for all you doubters out there,
here’s proof…
Hiding below a log
Reeling in the bass
Wading to China...
Top Water
Caught along an eddy
She always finds a way...
A new friend...AC named him Griffin
Branch Bumming
Between a rock and a deep spot!
Caught along a deep trough- lunker of the weekend goes to AC again...
Flying Fish
Chocolate river? No problem! Total fish for the weekend: 1 in the Chippewa and 10 in the ******** river. Despite having to work hard to entice the bass to the top, we did pretty good. The weather stayed clear, the river was generous and we had a blast on our first memorial trip to Wisconsin.
Until next time, we'll see ya on the other side of the river...
Cast Away,
AC & Dad
