| Losing a Catch After Its Caught! | |
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by Fritz Nordengren
Producer - Co Founder
New Media for Non Profits
www.nmnp.org
Over the next hour and a half, I watch the bobber go under 20 - 30 more times, and most all are keeper size and into the bag they go. The wind, still from the south, has blown me off the pile a couple of times. I hope that someone remembers I want a real anchor for Christmas as I get blown off a third time. I reel in my line and fire up the trolling motor to swing back around. It's lost most of it's juice, so I figure a few more fish and I'll head back.
As I come around, I look to be sure the keep bag won't get caught on anything...then I see it. That is, I DON'T see it. It's gone.
My mind fills with panic. The wind blows the boat in circles and the motor won't keep up. I look all around the area and don't see the keep net floating. Did it sink? Did the fish "band together" like in a Disney movie and say "gee, if we all swim together, we can get free?"
The brush pile is 30 feet from shore on 3 sides. The net full of 20+ fish can't be far. So I tie on a largest muskie spoon I have in my box. It's weight, and the massive treble hook should be able to snag the bag. Heck, when it is in the boat, any hook within a few feet of the net seems to snag by itself, how hard can it be to find it now in 3 - 5 feet of water?
For nearly an hour I cast and feel my way across the bottom of the cove. Because of the beavers, I have lots of snags, and bring up dozens of sticks and twigs.
I snag twice and end up losing two spoons. I beach the boat and cast from shore. Then, I remember a story Donnie told in chat about finding lures he lost on the bottom of the lake. He waded and picked them up with his feet.
I looked at the water. I felt the warm 65 degree air. I wore two shirts today to keep warm. SO I took off my life jacket and one shirt. Took off my wading boots and socks. Emptied my pockets, and waded in to search for the lost fish.
WHOAH! The water is so cold it knocks the wind out of me. I walk through he water to waist depth. I've abandoned the idea of swimming. After covering as much of the waist deep water as I could, I gave up.
On shore, I put my life jacket, and boots and dry shirt on, got back in the boat. I oar over to the brush pile and begin to cast again. The crappie action is faster now than before. Even after I walked around in the water and cast a killer spoon about 100 times, the fished aren't spooked.
Next page > Part 3 - Weather Changes Almost Ruins Day > Page 1, 2, 3
