With Fall officially here and cooler temps making fish more aggressive, time to get back into the rhythm of weekly fishing. I enjoy fishing a variety of the Snohomish Co. lowland lakes, even if I know I can catch fish at one lake, I fully enjoy the challenge of trying different waters to see if I can figure them out. Scoring with a fish or two is a bonus. With that in mind, I headed out for Blackman's Lake, arriving at Hill Park at 6:45 AM, on the pier and fishing shortly after 7:00. Temp at the outset was a chilly 41 degrees... skies crystal clear... not a cloud. I knew I was at a disadvantage even before I headed out, with a Fall full moon giving plenty of light for the fish to feed all night long. Water temp was 59.0 degrees at the surface, with the highest temp of 63.7 at 10' depth, and 61.3 degrees at the bottom at 20' depth. A real crap shoot to figure which depth to fish at. A few fish showing at the surface, but not very many. I started out with fl. orange Power Eggs on one rig (3' leader) and pink PE on the other (4' leader). I noticed right away, that the lake water was very cloudy, cutting visibility significantly. Nothing for the first hour... trimmed my 4' leader to 2' and continued to fish the pink PE. About 8:30, my rod tip doubled over and the rod butt jumped off the pier surface... good fish on! After a spirited fight, with a couple of aerial displays, finally brought a beautiful Rainbow of 14 1/2" to the net. I continued to vary my leader length and try different PE colors and combinations without any success. About 9:30 I added a chunk of worm to my fl. orange leader... a half hour later I watched as my line drew taunt, but no perceptible rod tip movement. I continued to watch and the line moved to the right, then the rod tip bowed. I began to reel in, and immediately felt the heavy resistance and head shakes of a large fish, not fighting like a trout, but making several dogged runs. Not able to identify what I was fighting until I was finally able to bring to the net a monster, nearly 16" Brown Bullhead (a.k.a. Catfish). I was blown away, the biggest Bullhead I have ever seen, and I have caught them off and on, for over 60 years. By 10:00 the sun had climbed well over the lake and all fishing activity was done. I tried fishing worms, salmon eggs and every PE color in my arsenal, without a bite. I continued to fish until about 2:30, just enjoying the scenery, smoking my pipe and enjoying the warmth of the Fall sunshine. Once the sun rose over the lake, a strong breeze began to blow over the lake, coming out of the northwest and seemingly to continue to add to the murkiness of the water.

When I arrived at the lake, there was already one other fisherman on the pier, and it was apparent that he was fishing for Largemouth Bass. After an hour or so, he was joined by a friend. What was disconcerting to me was that they were fishing off the pier, using live Perch and Red-Eared Sunfish as bait. Statewide Freshwater Rules clearly state that "it is unlawful to possess or use live aquatic animals as bait..." (page 14 of regs.). When I reminded one of them of the law, he responded that "everyone does it... no harm no foul". Indeed, over the next couple hours, two other "fishermen" showed up on the pier and proceeded to fish the same way. No one caught a fish, and by noon they had all left the pier... I guess laws only pertain if you get caught!

I was amazed at the huge number of smaller Canada Geese (I believe that they are called "Dusky" maybe just "Lesser") that were using the lake as a resting area. At first light, literally hundreds and hundreds left the lake for nearby fields, only to return in the late morning hours to rest after feeding. Probably fueling up for a long migratory flight south. Enjoyed watching a large number of Western Grebes feeding as well, no doubt also preparing for their impending migration south. Love being on these waters, taking in all of God's great creation and the cycles of life! PTL!

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