....thought I'd fill Merle's head with some Clapton today 
Unfortunately fishing has taken a back seat the last several months since I've been helping get my dad through chemo...that said I was lucky enough to make it for an annual fishing trip with some retired friends from work. They've been going to the Okanogan the week prior to Memorial Day for about the last 30 years. I got invited about 15 ago but missed the last two due to Covid and a different medical thing with my dad....but this year was a 'go' and I was all giddy in the days prior to heading out.
Hwy 20 through the Cascades is such a pretty drive and this year's snow levels made it mo' betta..
Several hours later we were at our home for the next 5+ days. Here's the view from my front porch...
Some may know the place. It's no secret and it's nothing special. In fact, I took my wife there once and when viewing it through a non-fishing lens, its kind of run down and dumpy....but during fishing week it's pretty special and when hearing the loon's call early in the morning, it was like being with an old friend.
Fishing was slow this year in this and the two other lakes we frequent...but there were some beauties.
I think this guy was somewhere between 3-4 pounds and lived to maybe make another state record.
Below is the only brookie I got this year and even though it wasn't in it's spawning colors...it sure was pretty....I love the red fins.
Although the camera didn't capture the colors well, here's the prettiest one of the trip. This guy was in a section of the lake where the water is nearly black from all the peat. I hope he makes some more just as colorful.
These pigs were from a smaller lake where we haven't done well in the last several years. It's always been my favorite of the three lakes we frequent, but it hasn't fished well the last several years with rumors of winter kills due to a bad snow/ice combo. According to WDFW, it hasn't been stocked since 2017 but I had to give it a try anyhow....Fishing was really slow but when you got a strike it was crazy fun
I ended up taking 5 home to make the wife happy. I'm primarily a CnR fisher and I don't know about anyone else, but once I make the decision to keep some fish it's like Mr. Hyde comes out...or my hunter gatherer genes kick in! Sheese, it's not like we need the meat or I gotta impress or win my mate but when it's time to keep some fish, my eyes roll back in my head and Cro-Magnon steps out from the shadows. I want to keep the biggest and the brightest...and there's always gotta be one more or a bigger one out there. Kinda wild...anyone else experience this ?
And maybe it's because I rarely have fish hanging off the side of the boat, so I've never experienced this, but 3 different days I had different loons try to steal them...which was freaky as shit! I figure the beaks on those things could easily poke a hole in my Watermaster or calf! I could hear the Jaws theme music when seeing those black and white bodies darting around under my feet! Shit oh dear
The two year hiatus made it oh so sweet and I could hear Slow Hand on the guitar.....Hello Old Friend It sure was good to see you...once again
Mike d
Unfortunately fishing has taken a back seat the last several months since I've been helping get my dad through chemo...that said I was lucky enough to make it for an annual fishing trip with some retired friends from work. They've been going to the Okanogan the week prior to Memorial Day for about the last 30 years. I got invited about 15 ago but missed the last two due to Covid and a different medical thing with my dad....but this year was a 'go' and I was all giddy in the days prior to heading out.
Hwy 20 through the Cascades is such a pretty drive and this year's snow levels made it mo' betta..
Several hours later we were at our home for the next 5+ days. Here's the view from my front porch...
Some may know the place. It's no secret and it's nothing special. In fact, I took my wife there once and when viewing it through a non-fishing lens, its kind of run down and dumpy....but during fishing week it's pretty special and when hearing the loon's call early in the morning, it was like being with an old friend.
Fishing was slow this year in this and the two other lakes we frequent...but there were some beauties.
I think this guy was somewhere between 3-4 pounds and lived to maybe make another state record.
Below is the only brookie I got this year and even though it wasn't in it's spawning colors...it sure was pretty....I love the red fins.
Although the camera didn't capture the colors well, here's the prettiest one of the trip. This guy was in a section of the lake where the water is nearly black from all the peat. I hope he makes some more just as colorful.
These pigs were from a smaller lake where we haven't done well in the last several years. It's always been my favorite of the three lakes we frequent, but it hasn't fished well the last several years with rumors of winter kills due to a bad snow/ice combo. According to WDFW, it hasn't been stocked since 2017 but I had to give it a try anyhow....Fishing was really slow but when you got a strike it was crazy fun
I ended up taking 5 home to make the wife happy. I'm primarily a CnR fisher and I don't know about anyone else, but once I make the decision to keep some fish it's like Mr. Hyde comes out...or my hunter gatherer genes kick in! Sheese, it's not like we need the meat or I gotta impress or win my mate but when it's time to keep some fish, my eyes roll back in my head and Cro-Magnon steps out from the shadows. I want to keep the biggest and the brightest...and there's always gotta be one more or a bigger one out there.
Kinda wild...anyone else experience this ?And maybe it's because I rarely have fish hanging off the side of the boat, so I've never experienced this, but 3 different days I had different loons try to steal them...which was freaky as shit! I figure the beaks on those things could easily poke a hole in my Watermaster or calf! I could hear the Jaws theme music when seeing those black and white bodies darting around under my feet! Shit oh dear
The two year hiatus made it oh so sweet and I could hear Slow Hand on the guitar.....Hello Old Friend It sure was good to see you...once again
Mike d
