05/12 Mad River

I went down to the Mad River at the bridge nearest my house this evening with my fly rod and had pretty good time for a little while. The trip started very well when a smallmouth nailed my wooly bugger on the first cast right at the end of the swing. I also got a very fat rock bass on a white streamer. It was the kind of fishing I have gotten used to over the years on overlooked waters; a little time spent with a few fish caught and nobody bothering me although numerous people passed by on the bike path.

It reminds of the times when Jesus set himself apart from the crowds to renew his strength. Now I am not nearly in as much demand as our Lord. Indeed, there are times when it seems I would have to walk into the mall naked to attract any attention. However, the pressures and tensions that beset me always seem to melt away for that length of time that I am by the water. Maybe it's because fishing is something I know intimately.

I'm sure this is how Peter felt when he went "afishing" as it says in John 21:3. He was returning to something he knew. He couldn't make sense out of what had happened to Jesus, his Master and his friend so he went fishing. He returned to something he knew well so he could clear the cobwebs and try to make sense of it all. We all do this in different ways. We talk to old friends, play a guitar, take a long walk, work out at the gym, pray, write, or hit a bucket of golf balls. We need to take time to make sense of our lives, to recharge our strength.

Father, help us all to take the time we need with you and also the time we need to take to recharge ourselves; that we may run and not be weary. In Jesus' name, amen.

05/11 Argonne Lake

I stopped by Possum Creek Metropark after tutoring this evening to get a little exercise and try to refine my flycasting. I took only my flyrod to the lake. It was pretty cool out there and I noticed some bass in the shallows going on the beds. I decided to give it my best. After catching a few small bluegills, I changed flies and began a serious hunt for a gamefish.

Honestly I came up short of my goal because I was really after one of the pike a friend told me he has caught in that lake from time to time. Anyway, working a rocky shore with a beadhead olive woolly bugger, my line stopped dead and I set the hook. A couple of minutes later, I landed a nice little Largemouth Bass of around 13 inches with the help of a couple of nearby young anglers who could scurry down the rocks more ably than I can these days. One of them also returned our friend, Sir Bass, to the water for me. I had no more action on the way back to my car so the tally for the day was 3 bluegills, one LMB.

Spinning:
Crappie 1
Redear 1
LM Bass 1

Fly:
Bluegill 11
Rock Bass 1
SM Bass 1
LM Bass 1

The Tally

I intend to keep a fish tally this year. I think it will spur me to catch more and try different waters, plus, I want to encourage others to get out there. I am going to differentiate between spinning rod and fly rod because I want to drive myself to use my long rod more this year.

Spinning:
Crappie 1
Redear 1
LM Bass 1

Fly:
Bluegill 8
Rock Bass 1
SM Bass 1

More later! I had a great hour last night with my fly rod on the Mad River. I broke off one nice strike and missed the hookset on another. I must be rusty. Back to it after this rain with seven more flies I tied last night and a heavier leader!

My Most Reliable Lures and Flies

1. Rubber worm rigged Texas style with no weight - Many bass have fallen to this rig. The main draw is the agonizingly slow fall. You can swim it, twitch it like a jerkbait or go dead slow across the bottom.

2. #10 Black Gnat - Bluegills, Rock Bass, and Crappie all love this little standby. In the right situations it will work for trout and bass as well.

3. Daredevle Spoon - Great for Northern Pike, it also works well for White Bass, Crappie, Trout, Walleye and occasionally Smallmouths.

4. Mepps Black Fury - Smallmouth, streams and Black Furies defined my early teen years in Illinois. They can sometimes also take Trout, although in much smaller sizes. Bass prefer them dressed. Trout like them undressed. Naughty little Trout!

5. 1/8 oz chartreuse curly tail jig - Saugeye bait extraordinaire! It's also effective for Largemouth and Smallmouth in the same waters.

6. Mini Trap - My shallow water friend for Black Bass when the water is stained.

7. H&H spinnerbait - In deeper, clear water, this is one bait that can't be beat, especially in the Blue/Chartreuse skirt. Plus, they take up very little room in the tacklebox, their double hook is an almost Can't Miss proposition and they are pretty doggone cheap!

8. Muddler Minnow - A great all around streamer! It can be fished dry to imitate a hopper or moth, crawled across the bottom to imitate a sculpin or crawfish, or swim it to imitate a minnow.

9. Mepps Minnow Spin Size 0 - Superb for Trout, and Panfish.

10. 1/64 oz jig under a bobber - A killer for Crappies, Bluegills and occasionally Trout.

Observation

Having a secular instructor teach you about the Bible is like asking a cow to try to teach you how to make muffins.