Pardon a brief interruption to the riveting Breakaway narrative, but, as much fun as it is to travel to new and exciting fisheries, there’s nothing like a good bucketmouth, or two, from your own back yard.
The current return of blistering heat and the accompanying high-pressure cell made any significant fishing success unlikely, but reasonable water levels, cooler evenings, and an early start gave me a glimmer of a chance. I’d have to find them early, though.
The woods are late-season ragged. Gone are the crisp greens of spring and the lush fullness of mid-summer. Things are looking parched and rough along my path to the Haw, unvisited for more than a month. A couple of new blowdowns obscure the trail even more than usual and the spiders had webbed things up pretty good.
I was on the water by 7:30 and had two good fish in the first thirty minutes, both on a big white popper, before the sun started finding the water over the riverbank tree cover. And two it remained until I was ready to step out, a couple hours later, when a third took my popper as I approached my egress. It was a fine parting surprise.
Fishing far and wide is fun, but sometimes there’s no place like home.
Good stuff, we'll have to hit it together some time and get some video footage of casting and fish slamming the poppers.
ReplyDeleteme too! me too!
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful pics and a well written article! Used to fish a lot with my Dad and your story brings back even the early morning smell of the outdoors!!!!
ReplyDeleteI almost feel like I'm there! Thanks for sharing.
Susan
Hey Sep, I was looking at that first bass and thought it looked pretty cool. I checked the nc regs and I believe it is a spotted bass. The record is 6lbs. Might have that fish some where around your haunts.
ReplyDeleteNice! I didn't get a chance to get out while it was cool (for 5 whole days), and now I regret it for sure!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone!! And it's a nice thought, Kev, but this puppy was definitely an LMB.
ReplyDeleteMike