I like to be on the lake as the sun is coming up. Friday morning the sound of rain made me roll back over. By the time I got down to the lake at 5:30 the rain had stopped - for a while anyway. I spent more time up the Cowlitz arm on Friday morning. Saw 2 muskies in very shallow water. The smaller one moved off before I got a shot. The other was a monster. Almost ran it over as I was working the bank. I quickly backed away. Instead of spooking, it swam past and behind me. I put a desperation cast in the direction it was heading. I soon saw the fish coming my way, but my fly was behind it! The stupid thing was just checking me out! I got my fly in front and it quickly took interest. At this point I could have poked it with my rod tip. I figure 8ed slow then fast and all different ways as it watched. At one point I thought I had it interested but then it bolted. That was a 4 footer for sure.
The next fish was laid up just below the surface. It was raining pretty hard so I couldn't tell which end was which. I guessed wrong, but as I started to move the fly it did a u-turn and checked it out. It spooked pretty hard. Figured game over. Put another cast in the direction it headed and soon had it next to the canoe. My best efforts failed to impress it and it just cruised away.
Next fish just cruised by and never took interest. At this point I was getting pretty frustrated. I changed water type and got a strange grab that I thought was a stick after the strip set. I lifted my rod and saw a flash and it came unbuttoned - ugh.
Soon after that I got a solid hookup! Didn't feel huge, but a solid fish for sure. This by far my PB pike minnow - 3.96 pounds. They are actually pretty cool looking fish but I was disappointed to say the least. That fly is 7 or 8 inches long.
It had been raining on and off and soon it was very on. I gave it until about 2:00 then headed in for lunch. I was raining hard so I set an alarm for 5:30 and took a nap. I woke up at 6:30 - the rain on the roof was louder than the alarm on my phone
. Fished from 7 to past 9 with no activity. I don't normally nap so getting to bed was rough. Got up at 5:30 to a text that clarkman would be at the landing at 6:30.
We talked for a bit then I went to check the mud hump that the beast was on yesterday. Saw one fish cruise by but got no love. Randy started in the other direction. Long story short, he had more action than I did in the first 4+ hours. I had yet to interest a fish. Just before noon I made my way to and area I had fished twice on Friday and had provided a brief hookup for Randy that morning. The wind had picked up a little so I was anchored in a spot that allowed me to hit some good looking water. About 5 casts in a good fish took a shot at my fly about 15 feet away from the boat but missed. I continued to work it boat side and it actually missed my fly 2 or 3 more times. I was about to lose it. Finally, it kind of half heartedly grabbed my fly. It just sat their a foot under the side of my canoe with my fly half in its mouth. I was hoping it would let go and fully inhale. Finally (OK maybe I only waited 2 or 3 seconds), I decided to set the hook but came up empty. Clarkman was fairly close so I turned and started to tell my sob story. Fortunately, I left my fly in the water while I was talking. Seems a figure 8 is over rated. All you really need to do is let the fly dangle 4 feet below your rod tip right next to the boat! I didn't see the eat, but I saw the flash out of the corner of my eye. I looked down and set the hook - game on!
Randy asked it I thought my net was big enough and I was skeptical so he started my way to help. I got it boat side before he got there and was able to get it in the net. Randy got some quick photographic evidence. If you can tell from the stupid look on my face, I was quite excited by my change in fortune.
I got out my phone and got a couple shots. The first was mid flop and shows how under gunned I was in the net category.
I finally got ahold of its tail and got the best shot I could get.
With that nose this thing definitely got made fun of as a kid. You can see in that first shot it had a funky tail too. Those deformities didn't seem to hinder its growth tho. It was a heavy bodied fish of about 40 inches. Guessing it was around 20 pounds, but I never weighed it. I was going to weigh it once I got it unhooked, but as I tried to grab its face and get my fly back it flopped out of the net.
It didn't take long before we had it in clarkman's very deep bagged net. Not sure why this shot was so blurry, but you can see how massive its head is.
He got it by the face and got my fly back and sent it on its way - figured it had been through enough and I didn't need a grip and grin.
Guessing clarkman is sick of hearing me thank him, but thanks one more time!
Not long after that we heard some thunder and called it. At this point I felt worked. I told him I wasn't leaving until I caught a fish and was able to keep my word - even left a day before I had planned. I don't often sleep past 7:00. This morning it was almost 9:00!
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