There is something about walleye fishing that strikes the perfect balance of relaxation and intense fish hunting. Trolling around the lake or river with a bottom walker, worm harness, and a list of a few predefined locations on the map is something I could do all day every day, rain or shine. It’s a bonus that walleye is one of the better tasting fish in the lake and makes for amazing table fare.
Work/Life balance?
Over the past few years, June has been a transition month for me as I wash the salmon blood off the boat and get ready for a more family focused atmosphere with relaxing lake fishing, camping, family get together time on the water, etc… The 2013 spring salmon season was a bust for all with a low run return and my hitting the river only twice. Add to that the busiest work schedule in my career and moving to a new home, time on the water during the summer months and our annual trip up to Moses Lake, WA to visit family and friends couldn't arrive fast enough.
After a little work/life balance from my boat office, my day and a half of walleye hunting for 2013 was on. The first day brought great weather but just a handful of eyes, nothing of size and nothing worth wrapping up in a tortilla for fish tacos. The second half of the day was spent swimming and playing from the beach with the family at the south end of the lake.
Gavin and cousin Sierra
The second day of dragging worm harnesses around brought a lot more excitement with cold, raining weather that felt more like March, not mid-June. Along with the weather, a variety of fish species were on the bite as we brought trout, walleye, and some very healthy perch to the boat. The mix of walleye and perch paired with a new instant mash potato based batter made for a great family fish fry later that evening.
For some reason when one buys an aluminum fishing boat, the boat trailer doesn't come with a spare tire. Maybe it's just the price range I buy boats in but it's something I've wondered about with both boats I've owned. In both boat purchases, buying a spare tire was a top priority and occurred prior to any local destination, let alone before the long hauls across state lines I frequently do. Given the variability in trailer rim hole patters, on long trips hauling the boat, I've been haunted by the thought "I wonder if my spare fits".... each time with a good intention of testing it out as soon as I return home. Odd topic to write about, I know, but check out the defect blowout of this tire.
Not just a flat tire!
With boat in tow heading east on I-84 Father's Day afternoon in 95 degree heat, I had the pleasure of changing a trailer tire for the first time. This was a solo job as I was in route up to Central/Eastern Washington to catch-up with my family who'd left several hours earlier in the day. At an impressive rate of 25 minutes, I had the spare changed in and was back on my way with confirmation that my trailer spare tire does actually fit... Cool!!
As part of the wrap-up to Gavin's preschool year, the class headed to a trout farm to learn how to fish. Naturally, I was assigned parental duties on this field trip and was excited at that thought of making it all look easy. It's a trout farm, with a small pond... how hard could catching a few fish right away really be in this setting? Conditions were perfect!
I've debated the idea of telling a fish story here about Gavin and his buddies showing all the girls how to bait a hook and catch fish... not so. In fact Gavin, the most experienced fisherman in his class, got skunked and of all the boys in his class, only one fish was tagged and cleaned for the ice chest ride home. (even though Gavin was the only one of the boys willing to hold the fish)
It turns out, boys and girls are very different. 4 and half year old boys when hanging out together have the attention span of... well 4 year olds. Add to that staring at a fishing line and the ability to sit still goes from marginal to impossible. Now 4 and half year old girls on the other hand are extremely observant, paying attention to everything they're being taught and waiting patiently. So while all the boys were playing sword fights with sticks they broke from the trees and running circles around the pond, the girls were quickly and quietly catching their limit of trout. The day was truly an amazing experience for everyone, fish or no fish. Parenting and being in the outdoors, what a blessing.
After only a day trip earlier this month, I'm hooked on another type of fishing; Trophy German Brown Trout.
8lb Brown Trout (released after photo)
Over coffee in February, my friend BWild and I planned a spring fishing trip to a lake that both of us had wanted to check out but neither had ever dropped a line in. When the May Saturday rolled around, at 2am (yes, 2am) we hit the road with boat in tow for the 2.5 hour drive to target trophy size browns.
My 1st Brown and it was 5lbs
All fish were released
Following a crisp and clear morning of fishing, both our expectations were shattered as we caught 10 of the generally hard to get German Browns. After talking to two other boats (people BWild knew), each only catching 1 fish, we were pretty excited about our success. The three largest fish were 5lbs, 7lbs, and 8lbs.
After a long, non-fishing, yet mild winter, the lines are finally wet in 2013. Long gone are the pre-kid days of being able to fish for every specie imaginable 12 months out of the year. Nope... now fishing days are selective and often planned well in advance (for the most part). As a result, mid-march has become the "normal" starting line for my fishing and outdoor adventures each year.
Although I do miss an occasional winter steelhead and freezing my finger tips off chasing them, I've gladly traded the freedom to do what I please for being "dad" to 3 adventurous and amazing kids that I get to share the outdoors with. I often love being by myself in the outdoors and have no problem chasing salmon for 8 hours solo, but as I grow older I find myself taking more joy in sharing and introducing the outdoors to others.
As written here before, I've begun to learn that springer salmon fishing in March is a bit early, and based on personal experience it's easy to burn out (along with a lot of fuel and bait) before the fish even arrive. However, March is prime trout stocking for a large number of Oregon lakes, including kid only (17 and under) Canby Pond. With a grin from ear to ear, I am proud that the first fish of the year for this household wasn't a spring salmon, but a 12" rainbow trout my son Gavin landed.
With Canby pond scheduled to be stocked the week of March 11th, my buddy Brian and I had a strategic plan to take our oldest boys to the pond in the afternoon on Friday the 15th. Going in the afternoon on that Friday would ensure ODFW had dumped plenty of concrete raised pellet eaters for our boys to hook into. It was a good day for fishing and a great time outdoors with good people...
Like clockwork the next day (Saturday), both of my my boys were up at 6am ready to get the day started as as I drank coffee trying to remember what it was like to sleep in. Gavin had fishing on his mind and wanted to go again and to show his little brother Garrett how it's done. With the bait already in the bait box and the rods still in the truck, the boys hopped in and we were wetting lines at the pond by 7am, ready to do it all again.
After a long winter without any fishing whatsoever and not as much as one leader tied, finally here in March, I am starting preparations for fishing in 2013. The projection for Columbia River spring salmon is lower than 2012's actual but the projection for the fall salmon run looks to be quite large. Add to that a healthy Oregon lake trout stocking schedule and my boys getting to an age where they can target trout with me, 2013 has the potential for a very entertaining and memorable variety with great friends and family.
A good friend of mine has already landed several trophy size trout in 2013 (read about it and see pix here) so I am chomping at the bit to get going. The first couple of weeks in March will be dedicated to boat prep and leader tying for springers, but given the fall run projection, I've already started outlining preparations for Buoy 10 fish camp.
Antelope boat snacks
I have an appetite to go fishing but also an appetite for the various boat snacks that are consumed while fishing. This year I am well prepared with more than 25lbs of smoked salmon and a fresh stock of antelope. My father in-law Dave tagged another Wyoming antelope last fall and we had it processed at Gartner's in Portland. The pepper sticks and summer sausages are amazing and I am very impressed with the quality of Gartner's wild game processing and those that set sail on my boat this year will be too.
Well, I haven't posted anything new in a long while due to a lack of content from not hitting the water in over 3 months. We welcomed our new baby girl Grace into the world in early November and now all of the sudden it's the end of January. Looking at the calendar coupled with my noticing the depleting stock of salmon in the freezers tells me it's time to get going. As always, a new year brings the planning of new adventures and I am having fun documenting and looking into ideas for the year.
Although no fishing this winter, I have been taking care of business getting ready to hit it hard again in 2013. Just after Thanksgiving, I did my annual bait pickup in Scappoose, OR and now have 35 dozen green label herring crammed into the freezer waiting for spring. Additionally, just last week my boat was at Northwest Marine Solutions for a 3 year checkup/service on both motors. It's hard to believe I've had my Hewescraft for 3 seasons now, going on 4 this year but she's all tuned up and ready. They also fixed a faulty bilge pump which makes me a lot more comfortable going into the rainy springer season. The 2013 springer season details will get set in early February so shortly after, I'll be outlining my game plan.
