"Indiana Jones" goes fishing . . .

[AnnaWerner]

Didn't know where to put this story, but Carp are somewhat involved, so here it is:

 

I tried a spot on Monday that I had not fished in I-don't-know-how-long, and with good reason; it has always been extremely steep and overgrown and dangerous to get to. It can easily take an hour to move just 50 feet along this stretch of bank because one has to navigate gravel slides, crawl under bushes (or whack at them with a machete), avoid slippery spots where you could fall in the river, climb over deadfalls, scramble from one "safe" spot of ground to another, and avoid breaking bones, twisting knees, or falling in the river, in many places at about a 70-degree angle. I twisted an ankle once down there, and boy, was it a chore climbing up again on THAT! Getting around down there with a rod and backpack is EXTREMELY difficult, so you can see why I hardly ever go there anymore. Despite the danger, though, it's a beautiful place. It has become SO dangerous that bums and kids don't go down and trash the place, and garbage from topside can't get through the undergrowth to roll down to the water. There are loads of critters down there to see: squirrels, Muskrats, 'coons, Mink, turtles, Woodchucks, myriad bird species, and, of course, fish. It's shady and quiet; even though you can still hear people on on the River Trail up above and cars on the street just upstream and see the backyards on the other side of the river, you still feel like you're in a howling wilderness.

 

So, having given the description of the spot, I should talk about what I caught! I had taken only a light-action spinning rig, a quill float, redworms, and corn. At the first spot I tried, I got no hits for a few minutes, then the little 'gills hiding under the submerged concrete slabs started grabbing at the worm. Finally, I got a gopod hit, set the hook, and thought I had a bass on, except that it didn't fight like a bass, but came in side-on like a Bluegill. It turned out to be THE BIGGEST BLUEGILL I HAD EVER CAUGHT!!! He was coloured as if he were still on the bed, as long as my hand with the tail fin extending down past my wrist, and very wide and muscular. I didn't measure anything, as usual, but there is no doubt it was my PB Bluegill. I was fumbling with my camera bag for a photo, and the fish wriggled off of the barbless hook, bounced down the concrete slab, and hit the water with a splash, leaving me cursing with the camera half out of the bag. I'm still in shock.

 

 

I COULD HAVE caught a Carp there as well, for I saw two cruising just a couple of feet from shore. I flipped my redworm out just up-current from them, intending for it to drift in front of their faces, but the worm had no sooner hit the water than a stupid dink Bluegill zipped out from under a log and inhaled the worm. The commontion, of course, tipped off the Carp to my attempts at catching them (though they probably already had seen me crawling along the culvert toward them), but they didn't swirl away with a splash or anything; they simply began veering out into the fast current and sank slowly out of sight before I could unhook the pesky Bluegill. I never saw another Carp that day.

[Newt]

Sounds like a great trip. Big gills can certainly fight way beyond their size.

 

I think I'll move this up to the coarse section though. It will get more looks there.

[Leon Roskilly]

It has become SO dangerous that bums and kids don't go down and trash the place, and garbage from topside can't get through the undergrowth to roll down to the water. There are loads of critters down there to see: squirrels, Muskrats, 'coons, Mink, turtles, Woodchucks, myriad bird species, and, of course, fish. It's shady and quiet; even though you can still hear people on on the River Trail up above and cars on the street just upstream and see the backyards on the other side of the river, you still feel like you're in a howling wilderness.

 

I know some places like that (well apart from the muskrats and raccoons! - we have other stuff)

 

But as agility declines (I used to hop from rock to rock, then later carefully pick my way, now it's "o'er better not", and good sense takes over where once there was a sense of adventure, there are some places I know that I'll never fish alone again.

 

But the memories are still there, and who knows

 

Enjoy the day!

[poledark]

Sounds good Anna, i used to fish a small river that had cut quite a deep "gorge". We used a rope tied to a tree stump to lower ourselves down.............and pull ourselves up

 

You may note I said WE, wouldn't chance it on my own

 

Den

[Leon Roskilly]

i used to fish a small river that had cut quite a deep "gorge". We used a rope tied to a tree stump to lower ourselves down.............and pull ourselves up

 

 

Sorry Den,

 

Everytime I think about it, a picture of you lowering your fishing wagon into a gorge by rope and pulley comes into my head.

 

LOL

 

 

ps Tidying up the other day, I came across a length of knotted rope that I used to use!