Ice Fishing on the Fingerlakes

This is my companion, best friend and fishing buddy. We have been married almost four years now.
We fished for Perch on this cold February day.

It was mid July '09 and my friend Gary asked me if I'd like to fish a lake near his home. The day was a Sunday and we'd meet around 3:30 pm and drift fish soft shell crabs. Things looked really promising for us. We would have four poles drifting from his boat in about 20 feet of water. The first hour went by and we talked of what we had been doing at work and for fun. But no fish. I had expected to be loosing more bait, but the crabs were out lasting our casts. I remarked we might not be able to use up all the bait at this rate. Another hour pasted and we had to motor back into the deep water. The breeze was slight but moved our drift south parallel with the shore. We spoke of Spiritual life an what we might plan for the future. But no fish. I tried to lure some pike with a few different spoons. The casting lasted a short time and I went back to the crawdads. It was my job to figure out the correct fishing depth. Then finally a hit, and one pan fish was ours for supper. We motored back out to deep water and by now it was 6:00. Our conversation slowed as we were running out of topics, but our patients paid off. Another large blue gill and then another, but my count was still at zero. 

I rigged up a chartreuse spoon in front of my bait and tossed it ahead of our drift. I let it fall to the bottom, about 15 feet to the weeds below. Then as we drifted over it, I let more line out until the length of the drift about 30 feet or so. I wanted to be sure it was just above the weeds. Before long I could feel hits with every cast, but no fish. The next time I was sure I had a fish biting, I let more line out and then... "fish on". It was a nice size Perch. Again my tactic was right on and it revealed a 12 inch Large Mouth Bass. Then for a third time, before we ran out of drift, I landed a good size Rock Bass.

What fun! And a good fish dinner was had. Thanks to my friend.

Here is something of interest to me. Follow the link.

http://www.gvpennysaver.com/hometown/storydetail.aspx?storyid=749

It's a bit about helping veterans fly fish. Something that has been in my thoughts lately.

Another great weekend of fishing. This time I went alone to my place in Southern New York state. It's not much but I can enjoy the quiet solitude of the woods and some nice clean streams like the Ishua stream that I fished Saturday. I had to drive some hours to get to my destination. I found myself headed for Franklinville Where I stopped and simply fished from shore to some nice size browns. It was after a rain so the water was murky but the trout were rising to feed in the film. I tied on a caddis fly and after my first cast and a miss. I soon hooked up and landed a 14 inch brown which I released promptly. No photos again. Hope some day to put some photos on my blog. I wondered if I would even keep it up. Seems you need time set aside to blog. And Wednesdays are the only days I feel like blogging. I might even include a painting or two.



I painted on canvas Sunday as well as a chalk drawing of an underwater fish scene. There is only two hobbies I have stayed consistent with, hence my handle. Fishing and painting.

What a great weekend. Saturday I took my friend to Spring Creek and we got there at noon. I knew what would be the outcome of fishing mid day. So I gave the day up thinking no fish. This would be a practice day. Guiding my novice friend to schools of lazy trout resting on the bottom. I set her up with a #20 scud and gave her a few tips. The time passed as we both were contend with spooking them with every cast of the fly. She drifted a run and I was confident that if I left her to work the water, she might just enjoy it better.

I walked down stream to a school of browns stacked so thick You could not see the bottom in a 2 foot area underneath them. Setting right on to of the school was a 12 inch brook trout. The water was so clear that with one cast movement of my arm the school recessed. They all dispersed and found cover in shadowy weed infested lairs. Some moved up stream to where 50 yds away I had left my fly fishing companion. Some time passed when She called with a fish on. I managed to arrive at her side by the time she had landed it.

We were both surprised as we took Photos of a small brown. We fished for a few hours with no results but watched many fish swim by.
As it got more toward 3:30 I managed to hook up with a few fish and landed a fat brown before the day ended at 4:00.

The key to guiding late sleepers is to go after supper!

Yes, I did get out and fish last weekend. I went to the outlet of a near by lake and fished for a few hours I caught 5 large sunfish and they were delicious. 

Then Monday as I drove home from the City I managed to stop at a waterfall and cast for a few minutes. Until I landed a nice sized largemouth bass. Not a keeper. I wasn't on the mood to clean fish anyway. Today I was busy making a sign. I could have taken my boat to the lake, but this sign has been promised a month ago. 

I hope to paint a canvas this weekend. Maybe of a park.

Today was a good day. I took my boat to a pond near where I live and rowed across to where I thought I could enter another pond but this year some beavers had dammed up the entrance.

So I fished for several hours and caught a few pan fish. It was nice to get out in the fresh morning air. There were a lot of deer around the pond I saw some button bucks, a four point and six point velvet bucks, a pair of twin fawns and many doe eating on the edge of the pond road. The best thing about being out on the water by yourself is.... being out on the water by yourself.

There was a Great Blue Heron catching frogs on the waters edge. As I fished the cattails a wren was collecting insects in the mud. The lily blossoms had not opened until an hour had past. 

Today was a good day.