The wife and I were in need of a little getaway, so we made a couple arrangements, threw some stuff together, and headed east for a couple nights at a little lake we hadn’t revisited in about 20 years.
My part of the deal was a few hours on the water and initially I had this big pile of gear on the garage floor. At the last minute I decided I didn’t need a 4/5 wt and big ole Kodiak for less than 4 hours on a 14 acre lake so I switched gears and went with the 3 wts and Backpacker Pro.
Evidently I got distracted somewhere in my packing process

because as we were enjoying the scenery on the east side of the pass, it suddenly hit me that I’d left my rods at home.
I had everything else…I just failed to grab the rods.


There weren’t any cheap fly rods in the village all purpose store and my wife scoffed at my idea of using the broom we had in the trailer so I picked up a little ice fishing rod for $9.

I found I could campground cast about 10 or 15 feet and figured I was in bizness so when the boss gave the go ahead, I hit the lake
.
I quickly learned a leader and wet fly changed the whole dynamic and casting was no longer gonna work…so trolling it would be….oh well it was still gonna be a treat.

The lake was pretty and I had it to myself….except for these guys

Then It began to dawn on me that this was gonna be a Gong Show cuz I couldn’t control anything with my little $9 noodle and I almost would have been better off to forget the rod and hand line everything.
Still, I was fishin’…so it’s all gonna be good
I missed a bunch and somehow finally got one to the net!

wooo hoo I was on the board.
.
A couple more little guys and some horrendous line tangles was all she wrote but at least I got on the water.
Day two was a bonus. After an old couple hike and hilltop nap
I got a couple more hours on the water while the wife finished her book.

I kinda got it dialed in enough to net a few more of these guys
an after losing what felt like a sturgeon (but was probably just a 14 incher) I called it good.
Capr Diem…just what the doctor ordered.
My part of the deal was a few hours on the water and initially I had this big pile of gear on the garage floor. At the last minute I decided I didn’t need a 4/5 wt and big ole Kodiak for less than 4 hours on a 14 acre lake so I switched gears and went with the 3 wts and Backpacker Pro.
Evidently I got distracted somewhere in my packing process

because as we were enjoying the scenery on the east side of the pass, it suddenly hit me that I’d left my rods at home.
I had everything else…I just failed to grab the rods.
There weren’t any cheap fly rods in the village all purpose store and my wife scoffed at my idea of using the broom we had in the trailer so I picked up a little ice fishing rod for $9.

I found I could campground cast about 10 or 15 feet and figured I was in bizness so when the boss gave the go ahead, I hit the lake
I quickly learned a leader and wet fly changed the whole dynamic and casting was no longer gonna work…so trolling it would be….oh well it was still gonna be a treat.

The lake was pretty and I had it to myself….except for these guys

Then It began to dawn on me that this was gonna be a Gong Show cuz I couldn’t control anything with my little $9 noodle and I almost would have been better off to forget the rod and hand line everything.
Still, I was fishin’…so it’s all gonna be good
I missed a bunch and somehow finally got one to the net!

wooo hoo I was on the board.
A couple more little guys and some horrendous line tangles was all she wrote but at least I got on the water.
Day two was a bonus. After an old couple hike and hilltop nap

I got a couple more hours on the water while the wife finished her book.
I kinda got it dialed in enough to net a few more of these guys

an after losing what felt like a sturgeon (but was probably just a 14 incher) I called it good.
Capr Diem…just what the doctor ordered.