Gone Fishing, Again
Today was my day off, so of course I spent the whole thing in the river fishing and listening to audiobooks while the Captain hunted for frogs on the riverbank and gnawed through his goddamn extendoleash.
For bait, I used a pack of cut up $1 FunDogs that I'd let sit in the air for several days to toughen up the skins and dry them out a bit. Seems like it worked pretty well, since:
I got a smallmouth bass that was about 7 or 8 inches pretty quick. I worked out the hook and let it go because I didn't know the recommended keep size, which is good because I later found out it's catch and release season for the whole species just now.
Then I moved under the big tree (where the black bottom mud farted like crazy under my feet and stank of petrol), and that's when I got a fuckin' pike. It was easily 14 inches long and PISSED OFF AT ME. Tried to bite a couple times and got loose to thrash around on the bank while I was unhooking it. I decided this one had to go in my belly, so I leashed it on the stringer that's always lying on the bank and let it chill as per usual.
But of course, that was the only big one I caught (two more walleyes, not quite big enough) and I was there about 3 more hours. It got dark, it got cold, my dog started whining because he was bored, and I fell hard in the mud and landed on my bad wrist (OUCH). While I was staggering around, he ate all my hot dog pieces and I decided to call it a night. Sore, teeth chattering and covered in mud, I weighed the deliciousness of the pike on the stringer against the pain in my wrist and the fatigue, and after some debate, I let the little fucker go. Maybe I'll eat him next weekend, if he's still dumb enough to take the bait. I look forward to a rematch since he fought like a wildcat.
All of these fish were caught with hooks and rubber lure minnows I'd found tangled in the river debris over the past few months of swimming and exploring and salvaged. Recycling the easy way! The pike was caught on like the second cast using a snarl of tackle I'd dredged up not ten minutes before.
I really enjoyed today. I won't enjoy the soreness tomorrow, but that's okay.
For bait, I used a pack of cut up $1 FunDogs that I'd let sit in the air for several days to toughen up the skins and dry them out a bit. Seems like it worked pretty well, since:
I got a smallmouth bass that was about 7 or 8 inches pretty quick. I worked out the hook and let it go because I didn't know the recommended keep size, which is good because I later found out it's catch and release season for the whole species just now.
Then I moved under the big tree (where the black bottom mud farted like crazy under my feet and stank of petrol), and that's when I got a fuckin' pike. It was easily 14 inches long and PISSED OFF AT ME. Tried to bite a couple times and got loose to thrash around on the bank while I was unhooking it. I decided this one had to go in my belly, so I leashed it on the stringer that's always lying on the bank and let it chill as per usual.
But of course, that was the only big one I caught (two more walleyes, not quite big enough) and I was there about 3 more hours. It got dark, it got cold, my dog started whining because he was bored, and I fell hard in the mud and landed on my bad wrist (OUCH). While I was staggering around, he ate all my hot dog pieces and I decided to call it a night. Sore, teeth chattering and covered in mud, I weighed the deliciousness of the pike on the stringer against the pain in my wrist and the fatigue, and after some debate, I let the little fucker go. Maybe I'll eat him next weekend, if he's still dumb enough to take the bait. I look forward to a rematch since he fought like a wildcat.
All of these fish were caught with hooks and rubber lure minnows I'd found tangled in the river debris over the past few months of swimming and exploring and salvaged. Recycling the easy way! The pike was caught on like the second cast using a snarl of tackle I'd dredged up not ten minutes before.
I really enjoyed today. I won't enjoy the soreness tomorrow, but that's okay.