That first Outing

Well, nothing kicks off a new year like an invite to a private lake.

Bert dropped me an e-mail and said he'd just be kicking around the house Saturday, if I wanted to swing by for a while. Terry and I didn't hesitate to take him up on the invite.

Spring has definitely sprung and we had sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-60's. It was a quiet, relaxing few hours on the water and I enjoyed myself immensely. Could it get any better? Oh, you bet... Pictured below is the 20-incher I landed on a blood red Chironomid. And what makes it sweet is that I outfished Terry today. The last time he and I were out, he smoked me Steelhead fishing on the Kalama. So it felt good to be top dog on the water today.

Now finally started, the thoughts are no longer for the upcoming season and the wish for things to begin. Instead, they are of fish just caught and trips about to commence. Let's go!

Spring Anyone?

Well, I've sat in silence for too long and it's time to acknowledge that winter has passed and Spring is ready to slip in the door - unless by some strange twist a cold Spring arrives like last year, I'll be out fishing within the next couple weeks. I can't wait...

I was able to pass the winter quite nicely with several fishing events to tide me over. I hit the Sportsman's Show in January, the Fly Fishing Film Tour in February, and a stage adaption of "The River Why" in March at the Seattle Center. Of them all, it was the Sportsman's Show at the fair grounds that has had the biggest impact. While there, I caught two different seminars on Musky Fishing. Of course, both sessions were for gear-heads but when you're scouting new territory, it's always good to see what the competition is doing. And in this case, there isn't much chatter in the state of Washington about the seven lakes that were planted years back with Tiger Musky. I came away with my eyes as big as saucers and determined to give it a try. What gear guys call the fish of "ten thousand casts" must be triple that for a novice fly guy but I'm no stranger to the skunk so I think I can handle it. We'll see...

I've picked up a 10-weight rod, some flies that go anywhere from 3 inches to 12 inches and I've scoped out the nearby water - Lake Tapps is five minutes from my house and Mayfair Lake is a mere two hour drive south. Both have given up Musky in the 45+ inch range. I'm repeating my well-worn mantra: "just one fish is all we ask..."