Into The Wild

Last night Miss Carol and I made plans on where we would fish today. We knew that Jeff from Tom Beane would be at Honey Hole in the north wilderness area so we made plans to join Jeff. Jeff helped Miss Carol out last year by giving her a couple of his articulated buggers he ties and showed her how to fish them. But this morning Carol remembered she had an errand to do that wouldn't wait and we got a really late start to the river leaving our prairie home about 9:15.

We decided to go a shorter route but we still wanted to go into the wild and escape the masses that were in the campground area yesterday.

The fog was heavy breathed early this morning but on the trail down the sun was trying hard to burn away the thickness. Since the eagle had been spotted yesterday we packed the binoculars and had the camera ready to go this time. But as it would turn out we didn't see any eagles but did enjoy seeing lots of other wildlife. Just four miles from our prairie home at the Mill Creek bridge a bobcat darted across the road and this kitty was hooking it. At the Reagan Y a coyote was crossing the road also and once we reached the fish hatchery at Reagan there was a ton of geese and ducks on the holding ponds there. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

We were almost to the river when I realized this was the first time this year (2010) that Miss Carol has gone a-fishing and she hadn't renewed her license so we turn around and head back to Scotty's to get that done.



The weather was shaping up nicely when we picked up the trail. There was still a little haze in the air but it wasn't bad at all - just seemed like trout weather to me.

We were surprised at the number of cars in the wilderness parking lot when we arrived. Think we counted eight transports when we got there and there were fifteen when we left so the wilderness area also was quite popular.



About a half mile on the trail I convinced Carol to take the scenic route with me which runs by the river's edge. At least here you get to walk next to the river and climb rocks instead of staring at gravel and sand packed road.

Today we would fish a stretch of water no more than an eighth of a mile in length. And, we would fish water we've never fished before thinking the bows wouldn't migrate to such forks and braids. Evidently they do travel to such spots because we found them today.



Carol fished a bugger with a soft hackle trailer and I started with a bugger with bugger trailer - yes, that's right. Let me point out the buggers were different colors.



Carol would hook up with four bows only bringing two to hand and questioning herself as to why. Barb-less hooks my dear, barb-less hooks.



I concentrated on pocket fishing and picked up one bow here and one bow there with the bugger tandem. For me it was refreshing to fish so many areas I've never fished capturing bows and making mental notes as I fished along.

There was one stretch of water that Charlie Wright and I talked about not so long ago as to whether it could be waded and fished. This stretch is no longer than a football field, if that, and today I fished it and this is where most of the bows were captured. Three or four bows per pocket then move downstream to the next different shade of water.



We both took trash bags and picked up debris on our way in and out. Picked up this crappy Keystone can on the way out which tells us someone doesn't know or care about the rules in this area and could care less about trashing the river at the same time.

Upon arriving back at the parking area we came upon this curious sight. Seems like this poor lass had taken the polar bear plunge and she was sitting wrapped in a sleeping bag with her wardrobe hanging on the tree limb clothes line she had created. She was quite cheerful and I guess she accepted her fate as part of a fishing life.



The weather was really nice when we left Blue and looks to be rather nice for the next several days so come a-fishing everyone.