Oysters and Bluegill

I suppose one should
 properly marry these two
 with some delicate wine
 and cream sauce.

As per the rain gods
the woods are wet
fire dangers forgotten
fungal hunt on

 "bow head"

 hen pumpkinseed

 bag o' treats

WTF

So I go to one of my old favorite haunts, from which in years past, were pulled 20" rainbows, survivors of the rigors of put and take.  How they made it past all the killers out there is beyond me - anyway I used to waylay these 20 inchers (no shit) as they were cruising the shoreline of this little lake.  It was a bugger of a spot to fly fish from, bull rushes and cattails and thick emergent AVPs ringing the shoreline - bassy water really, but as I say it was a put and take spot.

So I go to this old favorite haunt because it's on the way home from another long day and I just have to have a little fix of something real. Maybe make a few casts, see a couple of ducks, feel the breeze, swat a mosquito, see a trout rise.  Relax a bit. 

But, where once there were bull rushes and cattails and a path, there now resides a concrete boat launch complete with a dock, class V gravel, and signage telling me that this is a managed trout lake, and how I should behave so that I don't introduce exotic, invasive, nuisance, aquatic, toxic biota - lest I fuck the place up, etc.  OK, I can read.

There are a lot of small fish rising, so I rig up real quick and step lively to the handy public dock. First cast and a rise and a miss.  Next cast the same. Then a tight line and a 5" golden shiner.   By the billions  !!!

Oh yeah, the signs work great.

Lepomis Lust

Morris Dance one day late

Tonight the fish arrived for real.  The day was warm and one of the only calm days in a month, so I slipped the kayak in and headed for "the spot". Not a fish to be had.  Dink bass cruising all the likely early sunfish lies. Paddle to next spot, same deal.  Check water temp - 50 - yowser - that should work. Paddle perimeter and scan gin clear chara beds for signs of action - no dice. Head back to home farm and chores.  I'll be back at 8 pm.

 
"Bow Head Whale"
I like the way those words sound. I utter them aloud as the keeled hump of a lepomis cleaves the glass surface behind my nymph.

Then steering a thrumming, looping, struggle to hand
Another stunning variation of May color on a sunfish theme.
A smile commences.

Toss the fly at the point of the bullrushes
Nervous water that
tiny tiny tiny leader movement
another beauty

In the morning I am heading back to wolf country
brook trout with ramps and fiddleheads would be nice...............life does not suck right now