Well, I have to apologize, that's the longest I've ever gone in my years as lead writer at Mile 14 without a submission. I'd tell ya the dog ate my homework or that I had a baby and have been busy but....well, some of that is true. MP is in her 3rd week of knee replacement rehab. It's kind of a teamwork deal so it has been busy. This surgery has been like a miracle. We thought her first knee went really well but this one is incredible, she's off the cane now and real soon we'll be hiking and talking and holding hands just like always. It's good....And then Ernie drove over to fish and visit for a while and I learned a lot about time management and this new retired life of mine....I can still put em to sleep..
And fishing, well we've done a little for sure. Now this ain't the biggest Wally in the ocean but It's my first ever and without Ern showing me how to rig the bouncer to let the bait trail and to find them on the machine ( without just crowding next to the best boat on the Lake ) I'd say it's an achievement and the start to great things and dining. It looks to me like we're going to have to get busy. As good as the white meat looks on those Wally's we're gonna need 42 of them per meal.
I was in need of leadership and Keith gave me some good advice....he said it's like salmon fishing, if you can use bait do it because it's always better with bait. Although their brains are miniature it's not hard to tell real live squirming worms and leeches from plastic. So me and Ern go for a hike after a nights rain and the crawlers are every where, and free. Fish on, all kinds. And I learned you need to keep them healthy and fresh, ol slimey likes his wigglers wiggling .
Of course those are Big mouth Bass, I like that better than ' largemouth Bass ' . We also caught us a bunch of little panfish called Pumpkin seeds. People say they're excellent table fare and the volume equation is about 87 per meal....no worries.
That trout that Ern is holding was caught on the groceries as well. Mmmmm I began to notice as the week went on that after spending an entire social security check on crankbaits and plugs we ain't caught a fish on them lately...OK, it's the simplest of explanations - with all fishing you only catch them on what you're fishing with and where you're at. Great wisdom huh ?
And even Tom Beneventi can catch em when you got the right fresh wiggler in the right place. I didn't mean to infer that he's not a great fisherman, but you decide. How many fishermen do you know who's favorite lure is a Daredevil ( I didn't even know they still built them ) and when he casts the Daredevil it looks a bit like Bruce Jenner throwing the Shot Putt.
I hate to use up the ' we didn't catch any fish...but...) photo's but we are getting some incredible nature. Yup, the Deer will climb a mountain to drink and the Eagles here are to far from the dump to commute so they fish pretty darn good.
It's been rainy and on those days me and Ern just kinda ' get around' . I wanted to go to Toston on the Missouri where my Dad used to take me trout fishing. We would go to a place where there was a big round spring with crystal clear water and a bank lined with watercress. It was about 100 feet around and the outfall ran under the railroad tracks and then just a short distance into the river. We would see large trout that had found their way into the spring and were impossible to catch as the water was so clear that you just couldn't trick them. Well after a absence of 50 years it was difficult to find and was farther down the rutted road than I thought but we finally found it...the area is just gorgeous and the geology kind of unique.
So I tell Ern " yahoo we found it ".....there's sign...And the sign tells you about the 1995 ' Big Springs Spawning Channel Project " .....gawd...no big clear watered hole. Just a channel exactly one back hoe bucket wide that runs parallel to the river for fifty feet or so with a kind of oily looking swamp water effect. Ahhhhh, to improve on mother nature, genius. Oh and you can kind of tell by the sign and the over all use or lack of at the area that the project is just a stunning success, or not. There ain't a sign in Montana safe , the shot gun hole is the best on this particular sign.
Oooooop's , I told myself I'd quit being so critical of fisheries managers, I gotta relax that deal....but it's just sooo easy. Sorry Montana F.W.P. , ( fish wildlife and parks )
On the business side of Mile 14 : I'm flattered that so many people are entertained by my ramblings. I'm really sorry the blog languished a bit bit I WILL get 2 post's a month done . Ern is leaving in a couple days and me and MPeasy are going on a maiden voyage of our new Cab over camper. It should be blog worthy as we're either going to love camping or she'll go crazy in the close quarters with me and stab me with a butter knife while sleeping....guess we'll see.
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