Friday, July 30, 2010

The Cure to what Ails You

I needed to run a few errands today over lunch and, since I ALWAYS have a rod (or 3) in the trunk along with some tackle, figured I might as well try a few casts at the pond.

I hadn't been fishing for over a month. Usually, the pond slows down considerably over the summer as the water heats up and often turns the color of pea soup with the algae blooms. Catfish get fairly active, but bass are quite tough to find, especially without a boat. There are really only 1 or 2 spots to fish from shore.

But - I'd rather get skunked trying for a fish or 2 over lunch than do the usual eat-and-run lunch. So - off to the ponds.

My game plan before I got there was to tie on a Cubby and try to get a few 'gills. At least I can usually get a couple of them to bite. When I opened the tackle bag, an old (at least 20 years old) Rebel Teeny Pop-R caught my eye. I have not fished with one of these for eons, even though they used to be one of my favorite lures, especially when wading for smallmouth bass. So - I tied it on and tried to make a largemouth or 2 come to the top at noon.

The action of his particular lure was perfect. Nothing really replicates a perfectly tuned Pop-R. I have dozens of other popping lures but none sound quite like the old Pop-R's. I was having a ball simply casting and making the lure do different things - make it dive a little, slow pop it, run it across the water, ... Well, apparently a few little largemouth found it enticing, because I fished for 30 minutes and got 5 hits, landing 4 fish. 1 was tiny - 6". 2 were around a foot. The next was maybe 13-14" - a nice fish, especially on my 4-1/2' ultralite rod! And, my last one was a solid , chunky 16" bass, which surprised the hell out of me!

I feel rejuvenated, like I received a shot of adrenaline. Just being out there was great - saw a few really nice butterflies that I hadn't seen yet this year, and saw a buck in velvet. The fish were just icing on the cake.

Sorry - no pics - didn't plan on fishing so I didn't bring a camera.

Get out there and go fishing -it does a body (and soul) good.

12 comments:

Fish Whisperer said...

Glad to see you out there having a fish. I love the Rebel Pop-R's. I have a whole bumch in my collection.
Tight lines

Michael Agneta said...

Agreed. You described that "shot of adrenaline" perfectly, there's no better way to describe that rush you get when you feel a solid tug on the line. Glad your soul is in a better place.

murphyfish said...

Hey Wolfy,
There is nothing better at putting things into perspective like the thrill of a decent fish on light tackle with nature all around you. One again your post brings a smile to this grumpy boyo, keep em coming my friend I need more of the same to brighten my days.
Regards,
John

Casey said...

Weird...It's doing ME good knowing you were able to get out and reconnect. High summer fishing is kind of a downer in my opinion, except if you're a catfisherman, but now I'm feeling even more charged about hitting a creek this weekend.

Thank you!

Casey

Mark Kautz said...

Hey Joe. I certainly can't think of a better way to spend lunch time or any time for that matter.

Mark

Anonymous said...

Great to hear that you made it out to the water and caught some fish! Instant rejuvenation for the fisherman's soul!

Bill said...

I'm planning on testing your theory tomorrow Wolfy. Hopefully it goes well.

The Average Joe Fisherman said...

I love the shots of turtles. My daughter says there pretty cool too! =)

The Average Joe Fisherman
http://averagejoefisherman.blogspot.com/
http://hubbycoach.blogspot.com/

John said...

Wolfy, Seen you over on Kari's Blog and wanted to say hi! Very, Very nice blog. Totally enjoy your photography. Looking forward to many more. Cheers... John

The Average Joe Fisherman said...

Thanks Wolfy. Glad you checked out my webiste. Let me know what you think so far. Tight lines brother!

The Average Joe Fisherman
http://averagejoefisherman.blogspot.com/
http://hubbycoach.blogspot.com/

MNAngler said...

It can't get much better than 5 fish in 30 minutes. The summer bite has been just as tough as expected for me in July. But I'm starting to see things turn around.

I think I need to take your philosophy and keep a rod or two in my trunk and wet a line over my lunch hours.

Lizzy said...

I need a shot of this type of rejuvenation...and yep...I'm still around...I will shoot you an email next week :)

LIZZY