Thursday, December 15, 2011

Uncharted Water


As the rest of the group headed up stream in search of better water. I opted to stay and fish the first stretch of water we laid eyes on. The stretch was far from prime, its only appeal was the lack of another human being as far as the eye could see. Finding solitude on a Great Lake trib is rare and I intended to take full advantage. I devised a game plan on the bank of what looked like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate River. I faced a wide slow moving run so turbid its depth was a mystery. It was an interesting scenario to say the least.

I chose a weightless Senyo’s That 70’s Sculpin fitted with a custom monster cone (shown above without a cone), fished on a short tippet behind a sink tip. I considered the strike zone to be just off the bottom. To insure my fly got there no matter the depth, I rigged up with a 5/5 MOW heavy tip T-14/Floating.



I fished the run in a typical step down fashion but unable to swing in the super slow current. I decided on fan-casting and some seductive stripping, making three casts before advancing (45˚ up stream, 90˚, down stream 45˚) Midway down the run an unexpected take caught me off guard. My fly was hit hard just as the sink tip entered the guides. Actually scaring me a bit I set the hook in fear. Needless to say I set way too hard and snapped my tippet, or so I thought. I stood in silence and watched the ripples dissipate from where the fish broke the surface. I re-rigged with the heaviest tippet I had and began where I left off. Images of huge brown trout flooded my head and the smile on the face of the next angler to catch it. I hoped it would be fly fisherman because the real prize is dangling from the fish’s mouth and need not go to waste.

My daydreaming was interrupted as my fly received another crushing blow. I was connected. The fish jumped and its coloration had me excited for an Atlantic salmon. Gliding the fish to hand my heart sank as my Atlantic slowly turned into a northern pike. Soon after the release I put two and two together and all images of a sculpin toting monster brown went up in smoke.


Large sensory pores easily locate a water pushing monster

Creating a Monster:Any flat sturdy plastic will do. Cut to shape. Apply color..or not

Coat with UV Knot Sense

No comments: