One of the reasons reasons was the main course:
We also had a pretty good fishing tournament. Unfortunately Amy Coleman, last year's winner, was unable to attend. But that opened up the water to the rest of the anglers, who spent the morning dunking all kinds of bait, both live and artificial, to the trouts lurking in the west branch of Fishing Creek.
Temps were in the upper 70s, with partly cloudy skies and high humidity. Water conditions were normal for July; low and clear, although Bob "The Trout Whisperer" Volkmar, who arrived earlier to ply the creek (and wound up with a nice 14 inch Brown, although regrettably caught before the official start of the tournament), reported that the water was cold.
Success for the anglers hoping to have their names immortalized on the official tournament plaque proved mixed. The "b-dults," as Elliot "Bearclaw" Felker calls them, could not put a fish in the net. But, the stream was rewarding to the five-and-under-crowd, who each managed to hook and land a decent trout.
I had stocked the stream on Friday with a dozen and a half Brown Trout, all around 10-11 inches. But Elliot and his cousin Lily Whitfield wound up netting holdovers, perhaps even wild fish; a 10 inch Brookie for Bearclaw, and a nice 12 inch Brownie for Lily.
Picking a winner proved difficult, as both fish met the criteria for victory. After convening for several hours, the Rules Committee decided to name Bearclaw and Lily as co-winners of the 2019 tournament.
Of course, what made the extravaganza a success were the family and good friends who ventured up to the "high lonesome" to hang out, fish, ride the ATV, play some shuffleboard, quaff a few beverages, and of course enjoy some roast pig. Looking forward to seeing everyone at next year's soiree!
Tight Lines,
Mikey D Fishing
No comments:
Post a Comment