Cry Me A River

(Please fight the urge to scroll down and see the DOUBLE WHAMMY as you read the text below. Ok, fine,  you may scroll! But come back cause we really want you to read this…)

See that face? No, not that one. The one up there. That there is no ordinary face. Oh no. That face says, “Yes, I have caught a fish. Yes, I caught this fish right after my dad cast to the same spot and got nada. No, You cannot have my autograph.” It is never a good sign to find AC smirking in the river. This only means that she is too embarrassed to smile because she feels badly for kicking Dad’s bum in the river.

Yep, that picture up there was the last fish AC caught this weekend. Per tradition, they hit the other side of the river wading back to the car after a long day. Up until that point, AC had pretty much commanded, overruled, dominated (ok, that’s enough) the day. It was her compassion that got the better of her as she slowed to “fix her hair” when in reality she was allowing her underdog patriarch (So getting in trouble for that one) to take the lead and cast to this one spot that mirrored the gates of fish heaven itself.So, he flung the cast and retrieved what the little boy shot at. He walked on to pursue better water. But, AC had a feeling, call it women’s intuition or just a hunch that something big and slimy was hiding nearby. One cast, that’s all it took, to place that lure in the precise spot. Not a second passed between the contact of the lure and the water, that a bass bit and she was reeling him in to the sounds of Dad’s flabbergasted swears and mutters of surprise. 

So, you may be asking, why name this week’s post: “Cry me a river?” Why? Cause we can, that’s why…But, to the creative point, this week’s theme is about starting off on a bad foot. Sometimes, when the day starts out poorly, we imagine the rest of it going just as bad. Want some advice? DO NOT DO THAT! Simple. Projection of negativity is a downer. Cause you might just find $20 in your jeans pocket, or feel good after holding the door open for somebody or realize that you don’t live in the slums of some 3^rd world country and life is good.

Whether flying high in April or shot down in May, we try to keep a positive outlook on our fishing expeditions as often as possible. But, there is the occasional flooded river, storm, lightening, tornadoes, and crowds that can put a damper on a trip. However, the act of not catching fish in beautiful weather, clear rivers, and happy days is just plain FRUSTRATING!

SATURDAY

Well, that’s exactly what happened to AC on Saturday as the RiverBums embarked on another adventure to the ********* river (You know what we would have to do to ya).  Yes, clear skies, 80 degree weather and fish to boot. What could go wrong? Try 2 feet. 2 feet of flooding from Northern rains could go wrong. And that’s exactly what happened. 

Flooded and Chocolatey

So, with only an hour under our wader belts of desperately trying to cross the river, we hung our heads and walked back to the car. It was disappointing indeed, but not the end. So we drove in the direction of this local fair in when all of a sudden a national landmark jumped out at us. Well, of course Dad turns the car around and we head into a gravel driveway that came to a sudden stop between a large pond and a landmark sign. It read all about a great man by the name of Homme, who was a local hero, ran an orphanage, created a dam and managed many small businesses, blah blah blah blah. Well, he died a while back, but the pond and dam that he created was still there. With that being said, we paid our respects to Homme, unloaded the rods and hit the pond from the shore...

Smallie off the Pond Shore

With that being caught, we noticed the banks of the pond were semi-wadable. So we suited up and walked the perimeter.

First Time Wading a Pond

Boy, do we feel like some "Dam Takeout" or what?!?

Crossing Homme's Dam...without permission :)

Dad caught a few more in the pond until we couldn’t wade it any longer and we walked back. The Embarrass River was the result of Homme’s dam and so we decided to fish it a bit for trout…

Embarrass River-Best for Trout

Embarrass-Cold Creek

On the Edge of Riverbumming

So after a day of 3 different bodies of water, 3 fish for Dad, and 0 for AC, we headed towards the hotel around 7pm. When we arrived in Weston, we suddenly realized we were starved after only 12 hours on liquids.  We decided to try this great restaurant called Basil that had been featured on the Food Network Channel…

  

Shout out to AC's local friends Johnny and Ben from OshKosh who recommended!

SUNDAY

So, we headed to New London where the Little Wolf River awaited our arrival. We had fished the Little Wolf about 6 years back, and caught nothing but northern. So, for the hour drive we had our hearts set on catching northern. When we arrived at the river, this is what we saw…

Rafters

The good news was they were heading down river and we were heading up. 

But, it was the emerging fly fisherman who passed us on the way out as we were heading in, that seemed to worry us the most. "Only caught  a few incredibly tiny small mouth. Not much left on this river." Smallies huh? Maybe we weren't in the hall for northern... Despite the warning, Dad and I just said our friendly hellos and waded in anyways. Ya see, we know these waters and of course, we know small mouth. Fly fishing is fun and all.  And we fly fish almost all fall and early Spring. But, when it's hot, middle of Summer and the smallies are hitting, the lunkers want nothing more than a casting rod topped with a cherry of a lunker or twisty at the end. 

Seemed the fisherman was right about one thing. There wouldn't be much left, after the Riverbums fished it. Because within an hour, Dad caught 3 huge smallies...

One Fish...

Two Fish...

Three Fish...

AC was disgruntled, tripped about 4 times, and had some issues with her line.  It seemed all was going down hill for her. She struck out the day before and her smiling face began to fade as her hopes in catching anything were wilting away. Would it be the demise of AC? Would her sulking get the best of her?

We think not…

The Heaviest Smallie She has Ever Held

(Took 5 minutes to get the hook out of it's jaw)

Had to Get a Closer Look

After a short dry spell, AC was back in the game and leading the race. Turns out a little encouragement from Dad, new lure, and a smile on your face can get you places…

Another One...

And Another...

(With the Backwards Hollywood Pose, of course)

And Another...

Ok, it's getting ridiculous...

Seriously, it's just gross now...

But, Dad didn't stay out of the game for long. No, he made sure to get a few punches in there...

His first River Walleye! Jump'n Wally

Her 10th one caught on top water! 

(White belly with green speckled top and 2 trebles)

AC's first Northern of the Year...

(Trying to turn around and bite her)

Dad casting the Eddys near a short Rapids

Dad hooked on another smallie...

So, for the moment you have all been waiting for…

As the day started winding down, we began casting towards the shore under the shade. On a particularly hot day like this, the lunkers were hiding in the cool spots. So AC sent a long cast to the other side of the river. In an instant something hit her line. But, this retrieval was…different. That was an understatement; the retrieval was odd as she was being pulled in 2 different directions. Confused, AC let out some line, hoping to tire the individual fish out. But, it was stronger than she thought and with more line, she almost fell forward as it pulled all over the place. Suddenly, she reeled in quickly, only to discover that she was seeing double. Convinced she had been in the sun to long, she pinched her eyes as she reeled even harder.

A sudden “Hey” came from behind her as she noticed her dad had one on the line at the same time. “A double” he said. AC turned back to see that it indeed was a double, or shall we say, a triple. Cause, while Dad was fighting a bass, AC was fighting 2. TWO! Feast your eyes on RiverBum History:

The Double Whammy...

2 for the Price of One Lure!

She Couldn't Stop Laughing...

(At this point, 2 canoers stopped to take photos too, AC was obliging and turned to pose)

2 Fish in the Net are Better than One

It turned out, that one bass had gone after it and been hooked, then another saw what he was missing and grabbed on too. Only to be hooked by the opposite treble hook. It was a greedy sight to behold.

All that moping and sulking AC had done was just a waste of bum time. Ya see, it’s better to accept failure, laugh at it, learn from it and try harder next time. Realizing that the only way you can fail is if you try in the first place. And you never know, your day may start out pretty bad..but in the end, there is always that possibility, no matter how rare it is or hard to obtain… there is always that possibility that your day may turn out TWICE as good. 

Saying Goodbye to the river

10 hours, 35 bass (AC's Doing mostly) and 2 miles waded

Until next time, we’ll see ya on the other side of the river…

Cast Away,

AC & Dad

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

My Dad, the RiverBum: A Father's Day Story

A well educated and experienced professional once told me that it was impossible for a daughter to be friends with her Dad. It was un-heard of, not normal, and inappropriate. I was 16 at the time and having been raised by a single father my whole life, was suddenly confused. But instead of believing this person or arguing my point, I just smiled, like I do with everyone and chose my words wisely. “Of course you haven’t heard of it, because your father is nothing like mine.”

A father like mine. The same man who from day one after being born, 5 lbs.  and upside down, sat by my crib with a bottle of milk every night as a baby. Sang Kingston Trio and Nate King Cole songs while rocking me to sleep. Comforted me when something bad happened and made me hot chocolate. Taught me to play, dance, cook, change a tire, kick a soccer ball, comb my hair, drive a car, and cast one hell of a rod. He was there when I chose my prom dress and I know he will be there when I choose my wedding gown.

My dad told me something the day I graduated from college and I will never forget it. “You were first my daughter and second my friend. The first by choice, the latter by chance.” As a parent, you never know what kid you're gonna get. Sure, I was throwing parties and getting in trouble with boys, but it wasn’t until that first day on a river that my whole life changed and changed for the better…

Dad and I journeyed to a river in Michigan just a few weeks after my 15th birthday. It was my first time fishing a river, no waders, just shorts and boy did I complain. “Leeches”, “Oh my god, something touched my leg.” “I’m hot”, “I can’t pee like this” “When do we go shopping?” “I don’t want to touch the fish.” “It’s biting me, it’s biting me.”

But, it was Dad who just listened to me. He didn’t yell or fight me on anything. He simply said, "there are no leeches but, stay here, if you can’t go on.” Yes, the guilt trip tactic. A coy father he was. Oh no, I wasn’t going to give in so easily. Oh no, I would show him. I would fish that river until I caught a fish, so help me God. So, I followed him, past every rapid, over every boulder. Now and then, he would hold my hand and help me out. Slowly, but surely, the complaining ceased and I began to get the hang of the flow, the movement, the casting. I had fished before, off boats and docks, but nothing like this. Casting while walking, being pushed by pounds of water, dodging the occasional ninja bugs and focusing on not drowning at the same time. He would coach me, show me what was wrong with my cast, guide me on lures, everything he knew…he taught me.

It was the 11^th hour and the sun was setting. I hadn’t caught a fish yet and Dad was thinking of turning back, when suddenly he told me to cast to this one spot by a boulder. I was tired and cranky but listened and cast as far as I could go. It turned out to be a great cast, but as I reeled more and more my hope diminished as no fish bit. But in an instant, my line tugged and I had something. Dad talked me through reeling the fish in and not to reel to fast or hard. Slowly, tire him out, then reel in.

The feeling of catching your first fish standing in chest deep water is one that is hard to explain. Not quite like holding your baby for the first time, but just above winning a free trip to Disneyland. You feel alive and free. Nothing but getting that fish into your hands is on your mind. And my dad, the man who all those years leading up to 16, was dorky or “just dad”, became COOL! I remember looking at him, the look on his face. The way he lit up when I caught that fish, you could tell it made him so happy.

From that moment on, I knew I wanted to go fishing with my Dad all the time. I would blow off parties and finish homework on Friday nights just so I could fish all weekend with him. But, it wasn’t just the fishing, it was the lessons, the facts, the experience, the wisdom that I gained. Not to mention the sense of humor. Sure, hanging out with fellow 16 year olds was fun and I did plenty of that. But, I had something they didn’t…an old friend. Someone who had made all of those mistakes that 16 year olds make and lived to tell about it. While other girls were out there getting their nails did, sitting around watching TV or smoking pot in the back of the high school on a Saturday at noon, I was knee deep in rivers across the country, traveling, meeting new people, living in cool places. And one great benefit, the boys! Yes, the boys. A pretty girl, eh ok. A pretty girl who can fish, PRICELESS! Turns out Dad’s plan of keeping the boys away backfired a bit, cause once they saw me in a river with a rod in my hand, they never went away.

So, is it possible for a daughter to be best friends with her Dad? Sure, if your dad is as great as mine. So, to the man of the hour, day, and years…Thanks for being my guide through every challenge, opportunity and river. I know whether in person or spirit you will be there to guide me forever. Happy Father’s Day Buddy!

And to celebrate, despite the rainy weather, we head to our favorite of waters in Northern Wisconsin. At first we had to wait out the storm...

Waiting for the Storm to Pass...

and waiting...

But, eventually the rain slowed a bit and we found time to wade in...

Nothing like Fishing in the Pouring Rain...I feel an Adele song coming on

AC landed this lunker while dodging lightening

Dad with his rainy bass

AC and her beauty drying out... yep, can't hide the blonde anymore...

Emergency Bracelet (By day: a trendy accesory. By emergency: pulls out to become handy dandy cord used for all sorts of nifty outdoor saving techniques)

Dad getting in a few last casts before the next rain system

Dad with his new NET! Happy Father's Day

Yep, after investing thousands into AC's career and education, she learns of Dad's ploy to receive the ultimate father's day gift: A white water Mackenzie mahogany and Fishknat net with a lightweight rubber meshing ideal for any fish. In the words of Dad himself... "Best Gift Ever!!!"

A clear drive home...

After all the rain and increase in water level, we did pretty well for a fathers day trip with about 7 small mouth bass all together. We kept the windows down as we dried off on our drive home after a successful day in the water.

Oh and by the way Dad, you lied, there are leeches in the water…   :)

Until next time, we will see you on the other side of the river

Cast Away,

AC 

A Muddy Memorial

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