Hell, I barely even had a Plan A when I headed out.
I’ve taken advantage of the mildest winter in 78 years by doing virtually nothing outdoors for the past 3 months.
Haven’t felt like dealing with the colder air/colder water mechanics required in order to get out fishing the Fox River. Even though neither of those have been that bad.
Did get out to do a little hunting, very little.
Exploring new woods and waters has been non-existent. Gas prices have cut into the country road cruises I like to take.
I haven’t even bothered walking around the neighborhood much.
Textbooks would say I’m depressed.
No, I’ve been depressed, this is just overwhelming boredom. A quick perusal of a few posts I’ve written over the winter and in the past will show that a solution to this is to give me color. I tire quickly of wandering monotonous gray woods, water and fields.
Sunlight, when it occurs, is no real help. All you wind up with is bright blue skies behind all the gray.
Hardly an improvement.
I knew I wanted to be out on a creek on a recent balmy day, so I picked the most isolated spot I knew. Nobody goes there, never any footprints and on the last day of 2011 I caught a 14 inch smallie from the same creek. January wasn’t as kind the one day that month I bothered going out. The creek was devoid of any living creatures. This day was a repeat of that January day.
I thought for sure with the mild temperatures that there would be something moving around. There were bug hatches, no clue what kind, but there were a couple of different types. The water in the creek was barren.
Something had been moving around. The poor photo below shows that something was making a redd. It had moved the silt off to the side to expose gravel and rock. On a good sunny day, this spot sits directly in the sun. Today was not one of those days.
After an hour, I gave up. There was no point beating a dead creek. A few different lures were thrown, the bottom was dredged with imitations of what lives on the bottom, but still no takers.
Back at the car there was no point changing out of my waders. The parking lot is unpaved and with the warm weather and a touch of rain, it was now basically a crushed limestone paste that stuck to everything. The drive home was greeted by a touch of sun, I felt better. The drive also took me past another creek, so I stopped. What the hell, I was still in waders and it was barely three in the afternoon.
The first pool was devoid of life. The creek was crystal clear and the rock bottom could be seen in the three to four foot holes. A little further down was a long slow stretch of water, depths of almost six feet where the bottom couldn’t be seen. This is where a bump was felt and then the bump pulled back.
I’d like to say I was using one of the many recommended lures for cold water fishing. I hear jointed minnows in J-11 and J-13 sizes work well. Firetiger swim and crankbaits were supposed to be good. Tubes of all sizes and colors dragged along the bottom are a hot winter lure. But I stuck with what I’ve been able to make work for the last dozen years or so.
I should have taken a close up picture of the inside of the mouth on this 17 inch smallie instead of that stare they like to give you as you take their picture. I’ve always wondered if they see things when out of the water like we see things when we’re under water.
I thought it’s mouth was filled with blood, it was so bright red. I don’t like to keep fish out of water too long unless I’m going to take them home to be dinner. Since I didn’t have a stringer on me, this one was free to go, next time it won’t be so lucky. After I let it go I remembered seeing this bright red gullet in the past. It’s always been an indication the fish are eating crayfish. I was working under the assumption the crayfish weren’t around yet, the water being too cold.
A little while later, while wading through water a couple of feet deep, there was a crayfish sitting on the bottom. Apparently they like this unseasonably warm winter too. The camera wouldn’t focus through all that water to get a good shot.
With no snow on the ground, the dead things on the shores and in the woods stand out. Bits and pieces of deer scattered about, unidentifiable bones and clumps of feathers from things that didn’t fly off fast enough were everywhere.
A pond off to the side of the creek was fished on the way back to the car. I didn’t bother scaling down the lure and the ponds resident bluegills were pecking away at the tail. One did manage to hook itself in the top of the head, maybe next time I’ll focus on them.
Through the woods, along the creek, more things found. This time a small propane tank used for camping. Apparently, while sitting around whatever warmth was being generated, the person decided to strip out of the insulated pants they were wearing.
And then they walked away.
At least I hope they did.
Down stream are deeper pools filled with tangles of trees that drift down the creek at high water. They make virtually impenetrable obstacles, but good fish holding spots.
In a couple of months when I make my way down to those deeper pools to pick apart the tangles for a few fish, I really don’t want to find the owner of those pants.
( As I wrote this, I always had that ending in my head. I’ve noticed that when I start writing things down, I usually write the end down first, then go back and write my way back to it. I don’t trust my memory, usually, to keep the end in my head like I did with this one. I have a folder on my desk top that contains about 20 posts/stories that I never finished. I went and looked at them, I didn’t write down an ending).
Mike
23 Feb 2012Glad you got out! And endings are the hardest. It’s so easy to have a punchy opening, but I falter down the homestretch more often than not. Glad to know I’m not alone.
Ken G
23 Feb 2012At least I’ve figured out what the problem was Mike. Don’t know why I think backward like that. If I don’t have that ending though, I have no clue where things are going to go. Some would say I don’t anyway.
BrookfieldAngler
23 Feb 2012It’s really strange what you find in the middle of these places…pants and a propane tank…the possibilities are endless.
On a fishing note…I can’t believe that you caught fish without 10 different fishing rods and special lures. As the old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke; don’t fix it”
Ken G
23 Feb 2012You had to see where they were, I had to get on my hands and knees to get to them. Someone went out of their way to get to that spot. Hence the concern about finding them some other day.
I have a magic rod, poof, it’s a pitchin’ rod, poof, it’s a jiggin’ rod, abracadabra and it’s a wormin’ stick. All my lures work like Transformers.
I guess I should have clarified that on that other thread, eh?
Bob France
23 Feb 2012Nice story/fish!
My brother has my dads bamboo rod with reversible handle. It is a spinning rod and a fly rod all in one… Some people need a golf bag to carry all their different rods. I know one guy who has a blanket like holder for all the rods he brings out.
Ken G
24 Feb 2012That bamboo rod sounds interesting. I had a graphite version of that. Disappeared with the divorce, she probably sold it off.
Quill Gordon
24 Feb 2012Nice smallie. I think crayfish are a little more active in winter than a lot of people think, or at least they remain accessible to predators. I’d try one, fishing it real slow …
There must be a story to go along with those pants. I hope it ends well but, as you know, sometimes the best stories never end.
Ken G
24 Feb 2012I did try crayfish at the first creek. Should have stuck with it a bit more at the second.
It’s like finding car tires lying around. All these years of owning cars, I can’t recall ever losing track of a tire. You know I’ll be thinking about those pants when I start heading downstream in a month or so.
bob france
24 Feb 2012I would have checked the pockets for change! He probably pooped in them…
Ken G
24 Feb 2012The latter is why I left them where they lay.
walt franklin
24 Feb 2012Ken,
I know another nice smallmouth will inspire you to revisit the site of your find, but if you meet the guy without pants who’s wearing those pants, you may have another ending for another tale.
Ken G
24 Feb 2012I’ll definitely be back to this spot, one of my favorites. Not sure which would bother me more Walt. Finding the guy pantsless buried in a tumble of trees in a deep hole in the creek, or out wandering around pantsless in the woods. The later I’ve seen, it leaves you speechless.
BrookfieldAngler
24 Feb 2012Speechless? Be honest – you giggled a bit
Ken G
24 Feb 2012It was on Salt Creek. I was coming up out of the creek and saw…we’ll leave it at that. After the stunned silence, I laughed hysterically, which is what made the guy jump in his car, completely naked, and take off like a bat out of hell.
I never did go back there, ever, again.
Eric
27 Feb 2012Ken,
I have been out exploring a few of the creeks in the elgin area this winter and I have also found dead deer/remains. Do you know if it is a normal thing for deer to die off in the winter or is it that the coyotes are more aggressive this time of year?
Ken G
27 Feb 2012Eric, had this conversation with a couple of deer hunters over the winter. Nothing scientific about it, but it seems that the deer head for water when they know they’re sick or dying. I know I’ve found them near water the most, some in the creeks and one found in the Fox years ago. As far as I know the coyotes will pick off the young and the lame. There are definitely more coyotes around, so you never know.
Eric
27 Feb 2012Yes, I have herd the coyotes at night more so this year then in the past but it could be that I am just paying more attention now. Have you ever gotten close to them in the wild? Or is reccomended to take some kind of protection while out wondering around?
Ken G
27 Feb 2012A couple of years ago I was out squirrel hunting. Needed to take a much needed piss break. A coyote was not far away trotting by. It turned and headed right for me. My shotgun was out of reach and I had something else still in my hand. When it was 5 feet away I believe I yelled “hey, what are you doing?”
It stopped, looked at me, then trotted away.
They do their best to avoid people usually. I don’t give it much thought.
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