May 14th, 2011

May 14th, 2011:

Backwoods “Pond”
Western Adirondacks
Brook Trout

Fully awoken at 3am in the morning, Jim and I set the day in motion by rounding up the gear we needed for a backwoods trip into the Adirondacks. We fumbled around in the dark trying not to wake the others sleeping nearby. It was a fairly smooth execution that even included 15min of catching worms with a flashlight.

Jim agreed to drive his car and to use his gas today. Saving the money was great, but dealing with his driving is not! The S.O.B has a terrible lead foot that leaves the passenger griping at anything secure in the vehicle. We were at the trailhead to our destination before the sun even started to show itself on the horizon.

Jim is one of my oldest, closest friends. Our conversation while making the three mile walk into our fishing spot often ran very deep. At times it almost seemed as if I was talking to another version of myself.

There was a light misty rain that accompanied our outing. It wasn’t a cold rain, and it helped to keep the pesky black flies from becoming overwhelming. The greenery was about half way developed; Leaving the scenery looking like a natural “buzz cut.” The long, shaggy, hippie hair will be here soon.

Our technique for catching the brook trout is simple. We simply cast out Lake Clear wabbler spoons that are trailed with a 12 to 24 inch long leader. At the end of the leader a simple hook and worm is attached. We cast them out into the deeper holes, and slowly work them back to shore. The trout are attracted to the flashy spoon and quickly locate the worm.

Jim had an immediate hook up on his first cast, but lost the fish soon after. It quickly became apparent that the fish were going to require a little bit of patience, and a fair amount of effort. The action wasn’t fast and furious, but it was consistent.

Fifteen minutes after Jim lost one on his first cast, I was buzzing with excitement. A beautifully marked, foot long brookie leaped from the water as I thrashed around on the shoreline spewing excitement like a five year old in the toy aisle. Slipping the first gorgeously marked fish into the net, and seeing it up close, was the epic moment of the morning. Those flaming blue halos are a masterpiece of nature. The intricate design and color seem to express the depths of life itself.

The two of us spent a couple hours meshing with the backwoods. Every so often we would dial in on a trout and our excitement would sing the lead vocals. We managed enough trout for a delicious lunch and had a great time in the process.

On the way back to our vehicle we found fresh bear tracks in the mud. It looked as though we may have scared it off just before we got there. Every time we have ventured into this part of the Adirondacks we have seen sign of bear in one form or another, including a very close encounter in the flesh. Plans have been made for a return bear hunting trip in the fall.