A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work
It started that way. Yesterday was HOT! We had decided to go back to the secret lake and left after 4pm. We had phoned the couple to see if we could put our 4 horse motor on their rowboat. So we went out but the motor wouldn't start. It would almost go and the guys couldn't figure out what was going on. So we gave up and just used the oars. There was a slight breeze, not enough to cool you down but enough to push the boat all over the place. As soon as Mark would get his line, he'd had to row us back to the spot. I managed to catch a perch but when he put him on the stringer, he disappeared. Then I caught another one and as soon as it was on the stringer, the stringer came loose and we lost both string and fish. That was it, we went to shore and fished from there. Neither of us are real fans of shore fishing, that's why we bought a boat. Well, we lost the rest of our good hooks by snagging rocks and weeds and breaking our lines. Just standing there, sweat was dripping off of us. We weren't having any fun so we decided to row back to the dock. We went inside for a drink and to cool down. After awhile, we decided to pack up the boat and head home. After all, we didn't want to row or fish from shore anymore and the motor was still not working. So Mark took the motor off the rowboat and he saw it...there is a small switch on the motor than can switch off the fuel line. Well, we put that thing back on the row boat and started her up. Second pull and she was running. So we went back out. With the motor working and the temperature cooled down, we felt refreshed. On my second cast, I had a bite, a big bite. It was definitely not a perch. And it wouldn't come up. I'd get it close, and it would jump and dive down. I had just changed my line and so glad I had. I have never been so scared to lose a fish before. Please let the line hold, please let the knot hold, please please please. After about five minutes of fighting, bringing him up, letting him swim away, I finally brought him up to the surface. After five more jumps and dives down, he stayed at the surface long enough for Mark to grab him. I kept saying, just put him in the boat, put him in the boat. I was NOT losing this fish. He had wrapped himself around the line it was in his gills. I needn't been so worried about losing him. My shoulder had already been hurting, but now it is decidedly sore. I feel like a pitcher after a complete game. But back to my fish. He was 31 inches long and heavy. We took a picture on me holding him, blood flowing down his scales. I hope we got the bloodless side for the picture. My shirt got some blood on it and the boat was covered. In the middle of the fight, I thought about giving the rod to Mark so he could pull it up, but I'm really glad I didn't. Mark was so happy and we gave each other high fives. I was shaking so hard that I could hardly get the stringer out (we bought four stringers...we're optimists).
I didn't catch anything near that after that. Just a few perch here and there, nothing big enough to keep. Mark was pulling in the perch one after the other but all too small. We decided that it was enough, Mark's back started to hurt and it was getting harder to distract myself away from my shoulder. So Mark filleted the jack and we motored back to the dock. We had tea with the family and headed home.
It was such a beautiful evening. The wind had completely died off. When we were on the lake, it was like glass. And no one knows about this lake, we were the only people there. Apparently people come to ice fish but never in the summer. It was so quiet, you could hear everything, the fish jumping, the beaver cutting down a tree, an eagle fight with a seagull and the dog eating fish skins. Strange dog.
I am aware that the majority of my posts are about fishing. Now, I'd apologize about this, but the thing is, the majority of our time is spent fishing. So, I don't know what else to write about. I hope no one minds cuz it's really too bad for you.
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