Every fisherman will tell you that they have a special trick that works for them. We got up early this morning and met Johnson Lane resident David Small just north of Broken Dam to do a little fishing. David says his trick is a 4-pound test line with a Panther Martin lure that has a gold flasher. He worked with my daughter Jenee and showed her how to cast out and then immediately start reeling the lure back in. If you cast upstream, you reel in kind of fast. If you cast downstream you let the river provide the action and you reel in slower. What a wonderful fishing trip this was. My daughter caught and released three fish. I lost count after David caught and released 15. All the fish they caught were much too little for dinner.
We were fishing with several other fishermen today. They were all fly-fishing. I love that movie "A River Runs Through It." Have you seen it? They have lots of loose line and they cast and zig-zag over their head like they are waving their arm. The little fly they attach to the end of the line is supposed to mimic the way the fly or bug would meander across the top of the water. Fly-fishing looked appealing, but it seemed they snagged their line lots because of the willow branches that hug the river's edge.
Now since we go lake camping a lot, David gave us some advice for that. He said the fish swim across from left to right and right to left from the shore line. So he advised us to use a night crawler or salmon eggs or power bait on a little hook Go fishing early in the morning or in the evening and just cast it out and wait for them to be hungry enough for dinner. The rivers are stocked pretty regularly now, so happy fishing and good luck.
School's back in session. This is a particularly difficult time for me as my daughter is now in first grade. She's only been back for one week, but she's in first grade and you know what that means? No, not more shopping time. It means she leaves home at 8:30 a.m. and doesn't return home until 3:50 p.m. That's seven hours in a quiet house, wow. I may have to go back to work. Let me tell you what I did the first day ... I cleaned and disinfected the dog room. I oiled the dining room table and chairs. I cleaned the laundry room and vacuumed the house. By 1:30 I realized I hadn't eaten breakfast yet. Wow, that was a productive day.
Watch out for the kids at the bus stops. There may be some that are new to standing and waiting for the bus and they may not sit still while waiting.
n Lisa Welch is a Johnson Lane resident and can be reached at 267-9350.
