Dates: April 24, 2010
Location: New Curd spot
Air temp: ?
Water temp: ?
Hatches: ?
Fish landed: a few brookies
Present members of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, for this outing were:
QD
Xan
It was time to do our part. Quickie and I went out to help clean up the Curd river. We were assigned a short stretch downstream from the Club, where we picked the area clean of cigarette butts, cans, and the random car axle. After a lovely lunch of chicken and dumpling soup, it was time to fish.
We decided to find some new water, away from the other cleaning hordes. We found a spot between the Gallery and Methtell, and wandered around in a light rain. As usual, I caught some dinky, but beautifully colored brook trout, and one of a somewhat respectable size. Every decent trout I had on popped off. The action was about the same for QD, who also landed a decent brookie. The highlight of this area was our close encounter with some milk cows. Here, you see the tail end of a cow urinating. And that, my friends, is where curds come from.
Dates: March 29, 2009
Location: Club
Air temp: 40s
Water temp: ?
Hatches: ?
Fish landed: 1
Present members of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, for this outing were:
XanThe Lawyer
It was a bright and sunny day, with a light wind and a shit load of fishermen. When we got to the Club, we didn't see many cars, but the river was hopping. We fished here and there, walking long stretches upstream to get away from the many anglers. Eventually, we made it past the boulder field, where many a mouse excursion has gone down. Water levels were very, very low. It seemed as like late summer, without all the vegetation. This might be a short trout season if conditions don't improve. I might have to resort to slumming for bass, or buying some new gear to fish for musky. That or get a lobotomy and fish for suckers.
On a more positive note, the Lawyer, a staunch mouth-breather, got skunked. As I caught one fish, I was victorious, with two consecutive wins versus the mouth-breathers in as many trips (see the March 21st post). Much like the mighty John Henry, I have shown that the inhuman technology of the lowbrow is no match for the fly rod (even if the mouth-breathers had no idea such a contest was being held).
Dates: March 7, 2009
Location: Lawn
Air temp: 30s
Water temp: 36
Hatches: ?
Fish landed: zippo
Present members of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, for this outing were:
TAFKAY
Xan
Booter
Quickdraw
Gutterball
We set out in a two car caravan on Saturday, the first day of inland trout season. This past winter was more reasonable than the last, so the ice was mostly gone or on the banks and islands, rather on top of the water.
Unfortunately, the water levels had yet to subside from the recent thaw. The river was running like B-Chubnut's stool after his recent colon blow, fast and brown. We fished from the lawn to the second, larger pool upstream. Nobody caught shit.
While the fishing sucked, the sun came out and made it a nice day to be in the woods and on the water. We devised a new game, where not only do we send ice chunks down the stream, we then throw rocks at them. I realize that it sounds simple when written out, but trust me, this is some good stuff. Between that and throwing snowballs, rocks and logs into people's casting lanes and at each other, we had a full day.
But, no day would be complete without a trip to the EPB&G. A good day of throwing rocks creates a hunger that only spicy curds can satisfy.
Date: June 14, 2008
Location: EPB&G Spot
Air temp: 70s
Water temp: ?
Hatches: ?
Fish landed: 4 brownsPresent members of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, for this outing were:
Quickdraw
Xan
TP
Well, the water was still brown. Storms over the week had brought the Curd river to over twice its normal levels, with discharges over 1,100 cfs (normal is 100 cfs). The river rapidly recovered by Saturday, with gauge readings almost exactly the same as last Sunday.Quickdraw, Timbo and I arrived at the EPB&G spot to find a horde of fishermen upstream of the parking lot. It appeared they were part of some sort of class. We approached them, displayed our credentials, and announced that when they were ready, they too could join the F.A.G. UMC. Actually, we didn't, but we should have.Seeing a few other fishermen at the pool by the lot, we headed downstream. It was another slow day. I had a few fish pop off, and false hooked a few more. TP and QD landed a few here and there as we continued to march downstream. They headed further downstream than I did, as I made a futile effort to catch fish. After a while, I had lost almost every decent nymph I had. By the time they came back up, they had reported some decent fish landed. QD had a "state record" fish on, but it had popped off mid fight.We decided to fish some runs as we made our way back to the car. I decided to try the nice, deep run that is upstream from the lot. With my fly box decimated, I was now left to dead drifting an orange bugger. I fished the lower portions of the run for a short while, then decided to hit the head, where it was easier to wade. After a long, frustrating day, I landed a decent fish on the tail end of a drift. I continued to cast upstream, where the riffle poured into the run, and hooked up a sweet slab. It was chunky enough where I had trouble handling it, and wasn't able to measure it up against my rod before he was able to wiggle free (when the fuck is my new net going to get shipped?). After a couple more trout, it was time to go. I was able to end my day on a good note, with one "tri-county record" brown landed.
Date: June 8, 2008
Location: Bridge & Great Lawn
Air temp: 70s
Water temp: ?
Hatches: ?
Fish landed: 3 brownsPresent members of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, for this outing were:
Xan
BooterScoot
Scooter, Booter and myself headed to the Bridge to play in the brown water. Recent rains had slightly raised the water level, while discharge was about twice the norm. The water was very murky, but fortunately, the river wasn't blown out and the fish were feeding.
We parked by the bridge itself, and started to make our way up the stream. I was able to land a decent trout just in front of the bridge to start the day. Reassured that the day wouldn't be a complete bust due to the water color, I continued to nymph the run, much to my future dismay. The prior day I had spoken at length with a fellow fly fisherman. The topic of suckers came up, and I happily declared that I had yet to catch one this year. Naturally, I hooked one the very next day. My second fish quickly splashed the surface when I set, giving me the false hope that it was troutish. It kept low for the remainder of the fight, though after seeing it flash a few times through the murk, I started to get a bad feeling. As I brought it to the surface after it tired out, I let out a shriek of disgust. I had on a large, disgusting sucker with my stone fly impaled through its inflamed sphincter of a mouth. Still awaiting my new net to be shipped, I was faced with the prospect of handling the putrid bag of mush with my bare hands. However, I got lucky, and the large fly I had been using was easily accessible, and I was able to pop it off without having to handle the shit eater. After the unpleasantness, I moved upstream to find fish of repute.
Fishing was slow all day, with few rises due to the brown. We worked the immediate area and then headed to the Great Lawn. We stuck close to the immediate lawn area, and each of us pulled a few fish here and there.
Scooter pulls in a nice brown.
Date: May 18, 2008
Location: Great Lawn
Air temp: 60s
Water temp: ?
Hatches: ?
Fish landed: 6 (4 browns, 2 brooks)Present members of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, for this outing were:
Scotty Mac
Xan
Another early morning, another day at the Curd. We arrived to a bridge without any cars parked by it. Once set up, we began covering the watery expanse along the Great Lawn itself. Cast after cast, after cast, after cast... after cast. Nary even a hit, for either of us, as we slowly moved our way upstream.
Finally, along the bank, protected by overhanging branches, I was able to land four fish. We kept on, fishing our way to the large pool, and even further up past the second major pool. I was only able to land a couple more, that was it.
We ended the day by the first, smaller pool from the lawn. The fish were rising with regularity, but not interested in our dries. Worse, they were taunting us by occasionally rising just behind them. After a good deal of futility, we called it a day.
Date: May 17, 2008
Location: Eagle
Air temp: 60s
Water temp: ?
Hatches: ?
Fish landed: 4 brownsPresent members of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, for this outing were:
Xan
TP
TP and I set out early on Saturday hoping to beat the crowds. After encountering a refugee camp at the EP Spot, we arrived at Eagle to find no cars. Things started well, as I was able to land a few just upstream from the bridge. We then traveled a ways downstream, to the first big pool in the area between Eagle and the Club. It was slow going for the both of us, with a few fish picked up here and there. The water was low and clear, and in a few hours they were swarming with other fishermen. After a meager haul, we went and got some spicy curds.
Date: April 13, 2008
Location: The Great Lawn
Air temp: low 40s
Water temp: ?
Hatches: BWOs
Fish landed: 5 (browns)Present members of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, for this outing were:
Xan
Timbo
Quickdraw
We, of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, formally change the name of the "above the bridge" spot to: "The Great Lawn."
And so it is done and recorded.
Anyways, we went to the Great Lawn to test our luck after recent rains. Saturday's expedition was canceled due to high water levels and strong winds. By Sunday, both had receded enough to allow for some fishing.
We finally (this season) came across another car in the lot. Two gents were fishing the actual great lawn area, so we decided to hike upstream to water we had yet to visit this year, fishing the usual spots along the way.
The day was windy, with healthy flow rates and brown water making the faster runs tough to fish. As we made our way up, we started to pick off trout here and there. A few nice browns were landed, and many, many flies were lost by all.
Late in the day, Timbo found a run far upstream and laid waste to the trout armies. In a single stretch, he quickly got into double digits.
We hiked a bit further up, but eventually heeded the siren call of the (spicy) curd. After we departed the spot, I came to know why we perform the Scotty Mac Memorial Walk Around when we are packing up. We of course had neglected to do the Scotty Mac Memorial Walk Around, and my reel fell off my back bumper at a "T" in the road. This delayed our EPB&G visit, but I was able to recover my reel, and a newfound appreciation of the Scotty Mac Memorial Walk Around.
Even if Scotty Mac is a douche who never fishes.
Date: April 6, 2008
Location: EPB&G spot
Air temp: mid 40s
Water temp: ?
Hatches: lots of something
Fish landed: 7 (1 brook, 7 browns)Present members of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, for this outing were:
Xan
Non Members:
Mark
The early season continues to kick ass. Not realizing the Curd had been blown out just a day prior, we arrived at Eagle Pass to find Timbo's car. We also found 5 other cars, so we decided to seek out calmer waters. We got to the EP Spot to find the lot empty.
I started fishing the slow water by the access point without much luck. As I moved up, the rain started, and so did the fish. I landed a couple browns pushing 17", and a 16" by the head of the riffle.
Fishing a nice, deep run just upstream, I was able to land a couple more, before calling it a day. When I met up with Mark, he told me of his banner day, roughly 17 fish landed.
Reports from Timbo and his friend also indicated a spectacular haul. All hail the early season and the Curd river.
Date: March 29, 2008
Location: Bridge & The Great Lawn
Air temp: mid 40s
Water temp: 46
Hatches: midges
Fish landed: 11Present members of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, for this outing were:
Timbo
Quickdraw
Xan
The mid 40s weather had persisted since I last visited the Curd River. Timbo wanted to try the area he and I had explored last year, which is conveniently located near Quickdraw's favorite spot. We first arrived at the Bridge, and seeing as there were no cars there, we decided to take advantage of the fresh water.
QD had been riding the skunk so far this year, and if any spot would kill the skunk, it was this one. Holy shit-balls... the skunk was killed. As I was still setting up by the car, QD was landing his first fish of the year in his money run. Timbo went down to join him as I headed upriver. I landed a plump brown on my first cast, and soon brought two similar trout to hand.
Timbo made his way up to my locale, having only caught snags. During one snag, QD had pulled a Booter and caught a 16" pig. Timbo would have his due, however, as he started landing fish just upstream from me.
When QD joined us, he had landed 8 fish, 5 of which were plump, two of which were pigs. After we had fished out the two prime stretches near the road, we got in the car and headed not far upstream.
The day continued much as it had, despite the cold, cutting wind. We fucked around and got a triple double. Quickdraw was on FIRE, setting what is probably a new personal record at 17 landed trout. Timbo netted close to that, while I was also able to get over double digits.
When we dream of the start of fishing season, we dream not only of being able to fish again, but of days like this. The best bets for primo conditions are at the beginning and end of the season, and this day hath now been written in the Fly Angler's Guild lore.
A day like this needed a fitting end, and we obliged with spicy curds and burgers at the EPB&G.
Date: September 15, 2007
Location: Famous Original Ray's
Air temp: 70s
Water temp: ???
Hatches: ?
Fish landed: nada
Present members of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, for this outing were:
Fruit Booter
QuickdrawScotty Mac
TP
Xan
Tokyo Drift
B-Chubnut
When Saturday morning rolled around, I was useful for about 30 minutes. Just long enough to get some coffees, pick up Scotty Mac, and get us to the rendezvous spot (Booter's house #2). Once there, I promptly made cozy with a sleeping mat, trying to fight off the bad feelings that had come from the prior night of binge drinking on an empty stomach. Too much tequila, not enough nachos. The story of my life.
We jammed five people into Booter's Old Blue, and made our way to a gas station before leaving the cities. I dispatched the contents of my stomach, mostly apple juice and coffee (and perhaps some beer), into their lovely toilet, then slept for most of the ride to the river (waking occasionally to eat a Chicken McNugget or drink some water).
When we arrived at Famous Original Ray's, we met up with QD and TP. This was a special occasion, as we had an original F.A.G. visiting us in B-Chubnut. We were also graced with the presence of Tokyo Drift, a lousy nickname, but a fine fellow. Today, we would be seven strong, and as one could surmise, even without knowing it was a clear, sunny day with low water levels, the fishing sucked ass.
The water levels were quite low. For the first time in memory, the floor of the big pool was visible. Despite the conditions, B-chubnut was able to land a fish:
Booter claims to have caught "a bunch," but this was not witnessed by anyone. He did, however, manage to make some new friends of the beef and curd persuasion.
We finished the day at the EPB&G, with some burgers, curds and pull tabs.
Date: August 25, 2007
Location: EP Spot
Air temp: 70s
Water temp: ???
Hatches: ?
Fish landed: 4 (3 brown, 1 brook)
Present members of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, for this outing were:
XanFruit Booter
Fruit Booter needs some counseling. His behavior these days is unacceptable to the F.A.G. standard. For Exhibit A, I present to you that has he not fished since Montana. Exhibit B, his thoughts are focused upon the impending grouse season. Exhibit C, his first priority once we got to the river was to pick plums for a pie (okay, he did fish a bit first, but only because I had forgotten my head lamp in the car).
At least he isn't a worm-dunker, but not much would surprise me at this point. He will give you line after line of excuses, such as hot weather, trips and real life responsibilities, but these are the words of a man in denial.
After light sources were in order, we headed downstream to the two smaller pools past the Mega Pool. Right around dusk, the fish were going ape for a hatch of some small, white bugs. While I didn't want to tie on a fly I wouldn't be able to see, I was able to get a couple of smaller fellows on a hopper, and then the powerful hopper-dropper.
Night fell and a bright moon rose. After very little action at the furthest downstream pool, we moved up to the next one. We started to get hits, but nothing was landed. Once the fish were set down there, we went to the Mega Pool.
I have never fished the Mega Pool before. I think I may have seen one rise there in the five times I've passed by it during the day. We started on the side opposite from the path with few hits. I made my way to the other side, and hooked a 17"er in the snout. Booter, who was on the other side then landed one. Just as he was releasing his fish, I got a clean hook on a thick 14" brown. This marked the first time I have ever gotten a clean hook set with a mouse pattern.
We called it not long after and got some fresh curds at a gas station before driving home. Sadly, deliberations will now begin amongst the Guild members on whether or not Booter needs an intervention. Oh, and Scotty Mac, if you're reading this, you are now on indefinite suspension for your lack of fishing.
Update: I forgot to mention, FB caught a bat. Now if someone can hook a muskrat, we'll have the trifecta.
Date: August 18, 2007
Location: EP Spot
Air temp: 70s
Water temp: ???
Hatches: ?
Fish landed: 4 (2 small brookies and 2 brown)
Present members of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, for this outing were:
Xan
QD
I apologize to my regular reader, I've been amiss in my blogging duties. Well, I have indeed been fishing, trying to enjoy the last of the season before my suicide watch begins anew.
Last week, Quickie and I went to the EP Spot on the Curd River. After a prolonged hot spell, we finally got an extended period of storms (which is still going on as of this writing). The prospect of lightening keeps the average anglers at home and the mouth-breathing worm dunkers huddled in their meth dens. The Savage Angler, a true F.A.G., is not deterred by such trivialities.
We had the river pretty much to ourselves, though the overcast skies and rainfall did not produce as we hoped. The water levels were reasonable, but still a bit shallow. The fish were spooky, though I was still able to nymph out a few fish here and there.
For the second time this season, QD's keen eye spotted wild fruit along the stream path. This time, we came across plum trees. They were quite small, about the size of a $.25 gum ball, but somewhat sweet.
Of course, meager plums would not satisfy the hunger after a long day of fishing, so we went to Shady Grove for some curds and fine grub.
Date: June 30, 2007
Location: Famous Original Ray'sAir temp: 80s
Water temp: ???
Hatches: tricos
Fish landed: 2 (brown)
Present members of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, for this outing were:
Fruit Boot
Scotty Mac
TP
The Artist Formally Known as Yeti (TAFKAY)
Jazz Hands!
Xan
We were fortunate to have a founding member of F.A.G. return for a visit to the hallowed waters of Curdville. Jazz Hands arrived from the beaches of California pumped for some stream trout and curds.
After many stops to acquire food, gas and a friggin' license for Jazzy (which was ultimately purchased over mobile phone), we arrived at Famous Original Ray's where we met up with TP.
Fishing was initially productive, with a trico hatch underway. The fish weren't going nuts, but they were feeding above and below. After a few fish were landed around the big pool, we adjourned to the gallery for some sight fishing.
It was slow, and the weather was hot, but the shade and herbs provided relief. The fish of the day was landed by Booter when he stole Jazz's spot and landed a 15"er.
We fished our way back to the car and then headed to the EPB&G for (three baskets of) curds. After stuffing ourselves and getting screwed over by the pull tab machine, we headed back to the Cities for keg stands. That's how we roll, sucka.
Date: May 27, 2007
Location: Kinda new spot on the Curd
Air temp: low 70s
Water temp: ??? (I really need to buy some new batteries)
Hatches: not much
Fish landed: zip
Present members of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, for this outing were:
Xan
Non members:
Mark
Mark and I headed out to the Curd, to a spot near the EPB&G. I had been there once before, though had never fished it.
There were a few cars along the way to the parking area, and a number of them at said area. Normally I would drive off to another spot, but due to my curiosity and Mark's success here in the winter, we decided to forge ahead.
Befitting the number of cars, the river was packed with fisherman. After a short hike down the river, we found a pool that Mark decided to try out. I went further downstream, finding numerous runs already spoken for.
I finally found a decent looking run, and proceeded to nymph away. After a mess of snags and no fish, I headed down to a small riffle. The trout stuck a few times, but my reflexes were slow, and the fortunes did not smile on a slow hook set.
In the midst of my poor concentration, I happened to glimpse through the brush, at what appeared to be an attractive young lady, jogging on the path along the river. As she got closer to where I was standing, I glanced again and noticed she was bobbing up and down and kinda tall. She rode up on a large horse to where the path met the river. She saw me and gestured, asking if it was cool if she crossed downstream from me. I nodded, and in that time, a number of other horse-people had gathered behind her.
They proceeded to cross slowly as the horses found their balance amongst the rocks in the stream. One by one by one by one by one by one by one by one they crossed. I looked down the path and saw an unbroken line of horses. As the 8th Cavalry strode through, a few of the horse-people asked me how the fishing was. Others apologized for disrupting the spot. And, in a display of true Wisconsin hospitality and decorum, a cougar offered me a beer from the saddle bag on her steed. It was a "girlie" beer, as she referred to the 8oz mini can of Bud Light (or Miller Light, the historical accuracy of this moment has been lost to time), but it was gratefully accepted.
I began to enjoy my beer as the hordes continued to move past. After the last horse had crossed, I walked slightly downstream to the next run. As I fished and drank at the same time, I noticed the horse-people had given me yet another gift. The run I was fishing was far enough downstream to where the fish were not spooked, but also the recipient of all the mud and silt they had kicked up. On a bright day with clear water, I finally had some tint to obscure me from the fish.
Of course, when I have a beer in one hand and my fly rod in the other, and a lack of concentration to boot, the fish that did hit only got a gentle tug, as I clumsily tried to set the hook.
Continuing my goose egg, I headed not far down to fish a deeper run. Mark met up with me and we kept our skunking alive. While I was aimlessly waving my rod in the wind, an interesting thing happened. When fishing, I tend to focus on a chunk of a river, and block out everything else. I heard a loud splash just upstream from my current chunk, where a fish had been rising earlier. I looked up to see a crane standing in that spot along the bank, with a decent trout in its mouth. The trout struggled, with the crane giving a few twists of its neck, and then, it gulped down the fish, sliding it down its gullet.
Well, at least someone was catching fish. Mark and I headed out and got some spicy curds to call it a day.
Date: May 20, 2007
Location: Club
Air temp: 50s
Water temp: ??? (I really need to buy some new batteries)
Hatches: not much
Fish landed: 1 brown
Present members of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, for this outing were:
Scotty Mac
Fruiter
Xan
We took a trip to the Club on a chilly Sunday morning. The water was fairly clear, though we hoped the cool conditions would still produce a solid fishing day. This would not be the case.
Before I could fish, however, the problem of my detached sole on my right wading boot had to be solved. The answer would be duct tape, and with the help of my cohorts, I was taped up like a football player. They were also nice enough to 'roid me up like a football player, getting me in the proper rage needed to fish for trout.
When we fish the Club, the point of convergence tends to be the large, slow pool behind the Club itself. Since Scotty Mac has yet to dabble in the dark arts of streamer fishing (or much nymphing for that matter), Booter and I fished the pig pool while he fished a dry not far upstream.
Having fished a streamer with no results on my way to the pool, I tied on a huge indicator dry instead. I was able to land a 12" brown when I was finally able to get my casts close to the far bank. Booter, slightly upstream from me, was tempting fish with a huge streamer, until the physics of doing so on a 3wt caught up with him and snapped a small portion of his middle ferrule. He was able to reattach the rod sections, with his rod being only slightly shorter than before.
We decided to move upstream to a couple deeper, more active (in terms of water flow) pools. Not much luck was had at either, with physics finally finishing off FB's rod. While he went searching for morels, SM and I continued to catch no trout.
We finished the day with a trip to the EPB&G for curds and a BBQ chicken buffet.
Date: March 23rd, 2007
Location: Club
Air temp: mid 60s
Water temp: 47ish
Hatches: a few little black flying things
Fish landed: 3 (brown)
Quickdraw and I went out to the club at the Curd River on a sunny Friday afternoon. We decided to fish the area far downstream from the club, and found a few decent runs and pools.
I was able to land a couple 13"s and an 11" on nymphs, while Quick did well (5-6) on a dry. Fish were rising with some frequency.
The real highlight came afterwards. Deciding to change it up a bit, we skipped the regular pilgrimage to the EPB&G (blasphemy!) and tried a new place out, Shady Grove.
Wow, talk about high rollin'. We were treated to a nice little restaurant with fine food and curds! I supped on lobster tail with a nice Pinot Noir, while QD had the fettuccine. The curds were beer battered, and were fluffy on the outside, squeaky on the inside. Delish. If we can only convince them to make a spicy version and get some pull tabs, the EPB&G's days may be numbered. You read it here first.
Date: March 10th, 2007
Location: Bridge & Club
Air temp: mid 40s
Water temp: ??
Hatches: a few little black flying things
Fish landed: 7 or 8 (brown)Present members of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, for this outing were:
Xan
Quickdraw
Tim
More sun, less snow, (King Of) beer(s) (great call by Tim), and gin clear water greeted us at the Bridge. It was another slow day, but I was able to pull out a nice 14"er. Tim landed the first Brookie of the season. Quickdraw once again had good results with the Bugger.
Another great call by Tim was to wedge our (fly) rods underneath the windshield wipers of the Saturn as we drove to the Club, after exhausting the Bridge spots. Even at speeds of 50mph, the (fly) rods didn't budge.
After landing some tiny trout and flipping some others with a streamer, we headed for the EPB&G to cap off the expedition with some curds.
We received a cellular communiqué from the knuckle-dragging mouth-breathers (KDMB) that they landed a bevy of trout in a separate trip elsewhere on the stream. Sadly, their ilk, with their "power" worms and ape-like shuffle, may never realize that while they "caught" a lot of trout, none of them counted.
Date: March 3rd, 2007
Location: The Original Spot
Air temp: mid 20s (I think)
Water temp: ??
Hatches: nope
Fish landed*: 1 (brown)
Like Christmas morning or the day you get your nitrous tank refilled, Wisconsin inland trout opener is a magical time. The first day of the fishing season is usually memorable, even if the events that unfold are not. It is dreamt of for 5 months. It is especially longed for when the last of those months turns out to be unfuckingbelievably cold. The promise of a new year of fishing and spicy cheese curds embiggens the occasion, if you will, with a spirituality and jalapeño zestiness that no other fishing trip of the year can match.
There are other small but nifty perks to the day. The trails are the clearest they will be all season. The fish, who haven't seen a fly or lure in months, are as dumb as they'll be all season. However, if there is a foot of snow on the ground, the water is clear and the sun is shining, both of those perks disappear right quick.
Present members of the Fly Anglers Guild :|: Upper Midwest Chapter, for this outing were:
Fruit Booter
Scooter Mac
Xanner
It was an absolutely gorgeous day to open 2007. Blue skies, snow everywhere, and only one car at the parking lot. Despite the mid 20 temps, the sun shine made the day quite bearable, though the fishing was slow. Here are some comparison shots:
Summer of 2006
Opener 2007
2006
2007
Fruit Booter and myself both got on the board this fine day. Here is a look at Fruit Booter in action:
The snow made for a good workout, and ice shelves along the banks gave Fruity and Scooter a new game to play: "Let's see if we can break off chunks and send them floating down the river." Retards.
In other news, it was revealed that Fruit Booter was using a flash back nymph. It was discovered by the keen eye of Scooter, while he was performing the Scooter Mac Memorial Walkaround (even though he is back, it is still a "Memorial" as he is dead to Fruiter). He claims he was just "curious," but seasoned Fly Angler Guilders know that those who malign something the most are only trapped in a closet of their own shame. The sub plots of the new season are already materializing.
As the day drew to a close, we headed to the EPB&G for the first spicy curds, pitcher of Miller Lite and burgers of the year. Their deep fryer is still in fine form. I broke even (total investment of $3) on pull tabs, and that, my friends, is the start of the season.* Fish landed denotes only fish that I (Xan) caught. Don't let the others tell you how many they caught. They are degenerate liars, the whole lot of them.
