Knowing I had to work this coming weekend and that P. would be out of town, we decided to take a day off work and fish midweek.
What a treat! Started at 10:30am and wrapped at 3:00pm. (Would like to have fished even longer but it was getting pretty hot and we had 5pm obligations.)

The lake was busy with a few other fishermen, and plenty of park tourists in their kayaks and peddle boats. But we managed to find spaces to ourselves.

K. had the slowest fish count the last few trips, but jumped to an early lead today with the first fish...a nice kokanee followed by a rainbow.
P. was stinking up the rear of the boat with no fish. We were glad for the slight breeze. LOL - but also because it was getting hot. We are not sun lovers and the air temp reached 75 and was downright getting too warm. K. was dipping a towel in the lake and wearing it on his head and shoulders. Thank goodness for the mostly overcast skies.

One of the fish we released was struggling and as we were backing up to rescue him, in came the resident eagle with another in tow. They dove for the rainbow and got him before we did. (We weren't dive-bombed this time thankfully. Going to have to get a video of this sometime though.)

I always get a noon to 1:00pm fish and today was no exception. I had just released a small trout after casting a different lure. Threw it a second time and "wham"....knew I had something big on. We were in only 7' of water which was very clear today and I could see immediately whatever I had was huge and staying down. And ironically I had just switched to my perch pole (lightweight), 6lb test, and downsized lure when it connected. I was exclaiming this was a big fish and was staying down. It was taking drag. It turned and I said, "I see it and it's big but don't know if it's a bass or trout yet." I tightened the drag a bit and played the fish who continued to stay down and make the drag sing. I said, "It's taking line and I don't want it to get into the weeds." At that moment I could see it was a great bass. I tightened the drag a bit more and was playing the fish just under the boat when I realized there was little more I could do but pray the net men were ready. P. got he net, handed it to K and I said, "You've got to net this fish!" And he did! In came the largest largemouth I've ever landed. (I've seen and lost a couple a bit bigger.)

What a wonderful fish - 18". Took a few pictures and returned it to catch another day. Didn't look pregnant and maybe a male. (I clearly boated some smaller spawning bass later in the day.)

We broke for a kielbasa and potato salad lunch/barbecue aboard the boat in the shade along the shoreline.

Finally the stink wore off and P. boated two bass. K. boated three trout. I boated 8 fish (2 trout and the rest largemouths.) We all had some sunfish follows.

Today we had to launch and take the boat to the road rockery and have P. and K. enter the boat there and drop them there too before trailing to leave. We just hate that Rosario Resort has been using their hydro-privileges the last two years and draws down the lake to the point where we can't launch come about July 4th. In just 10-12 days the water level was down 5 concrete ribs on the launch ramp. Our days are numbered. That's what makes today's big fish catch extra special.

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