An Afternoon Adventure
Ever plan to do something you truly enjoy?
Today I did.
I really enjoy fishing.
Want to know why? It is the water. Water clear, clean, beautiful and blue to float on.
Then there is the sky. On water the sky looks bigger because you can see more of it. Clouds are more impressive, today they moved the same direction as the waves.
Don’t forget the mystery.
My preference is to fish without electronics. You can be stunned or laugh at my confession…certainly you can laugh when I tell you, I have no idea where the fish are. Well, that is not exactly true. I know the fish are in the water beneath me. Experience minimizes the mystery, there are places on the lake where I have caught fish before. I also know the topography of the lake and use that knowledge. But the mystery of fishing is greater without electronics. I like fishing mystery.
A lake is a place for more than fish.
There are waves.
Today, the wind was from the northwest…17-22 mph in gusts. Fishing in a tiny 10-foot kayak can be a bit challenging. Yes, I wear a life jacket. No, I don’t take chances. My educated estimate for the water temperature today is around 50 degrees. That’s much too cold for an accident.
Things float in the water.
As I paddled to my first fishing spot, I saw a Grebe swimming where I planned to fish. Grebes dive to catch fish. I took that as a positive sign! It’s fall, there were leaves floating in the water. A single leaf suspended in clear water is beautiful. The leaves float until they absorb enough water to sink to the bottom. It takes a while to become heavy enough to sink. I saw leaves that I am sure blew into the water on the north end of the lake. The northwest wind was washing them south to where I was fishing.
There are distinctive sounds on a lake.
Today the waves made sound, a soft hissing came to my ears. A few larger waves plopped on the surface with a gentle slap. A sound I was not expecting came to my ears-the solitary unmistakable hoot of a loon. That sound brought to my mind a number of questions: when would the loon finally migrate…how does it survive long cold nights, day length now is only 10 hours. That loon spends 14 hours in darkness…
There are fish in the lake.
Sometimes I catch one.
Catching a fish is not the main event in fishing…all the other things are.
Today, I caught a fish.
It was a northern pike about 24 inches long.
That would mean it probably weighed nearly 4 pounds.
It was a beautiful healthy fish.
Was…I had the pleasure of releasing it and watching it swim away.
I really enjoy fishing.
There is a lot to enjoy.