Pike

Is it just me, or does fishing on a day when you would normally be at work, make the experience just that much sweeter?  I love long weekends.  One has time to get the work that needs to be done around the house completed, spend time with the family, and then escape to the lake for a day of fishing with your buddy guilt and hassle free.  And so it was this long weekend.  On Saturday I set up the trampoline that my wife purchased online, making not only the wife happy, but also sending my spawn into a fit of glee!

After a quiet Sunday spent with the family, I was set loose to once again hunt down pike along with one of my frequent fishing partners Calvin.  I had only one obstacle to overcome, and that was I needed a heavy duty fly rod (see previous post).  This was rectified rather easily though, thanks to my good friends at Fish Tales Fly Shop, and they procured me a Loomis 9wt to use as a loaner rod while they shipped my broken Sage off to Washington.

I like to fish with Cal, he and I are of the same mind when it comes to fishing.  Neither one of us likes to wander aimlessly around the lake, or spend forever casting in one spot hoping a fish will swim by.  We like to hunt fish.  There is an unspoken but hardfast 10 cast rule in the boat.  If no fish is spotted or caught in 10 casts by either of us, we move.  Finally, after several hours of moving from one good looking spot to another, with only a couple of fish to show for it...we found them.  In the far north of the lake, in one of the larger bays, the pike showed up.  Aggression, fearlessness, vicious takes, everything I love about fishing for pike manifested itself that afternoon and evening.  Double headers were common, so common that we couldn't seem to find the time to take many pictures, but we managed a few shots.

 The Barto Minnow strikes again!

I should mention that Calvin is not a fly fishermen...yet.  He still prefers to sling iron, which always brings about a friendly competition in the boat as to what will catch more fish.  Gear or flies?  I am sad to say, that currently, after one trip gear leads by a slim margin of 3 fish.  I will rectify that next time we fish together.  

CAN'T WAIT!!

Cal with another "minnow"