I have always loved early morning lake fishing. I remember well dragging my dad out of the camper at daylight to pick up the rowboat we had rented the night before.The gear would clank in the bottom of the metal boat as I clumsily climbed in -- night crawlers in hand. But the fog on the lake would muffle the sound and as I settled in to the bow of the boat, the only thing we'd hear would be the oars hitting the water as my dad rowed.
As I think about it now, it seems like his rowing (measured, methodical, marked most distinctly by his steady pace) mirrored the way he has lived his life.
My spring break is coming up and I desperately want to do some fishing. Since much of California trout water is closed until the end of April, and the major flooding in January has resulted in high muddy water in Northern California, I've decided to do some lake fishing outside San Diego. Lake Morena is located in John Lyons Park -- about an hour southeast of San Diego.
I used to fish Maine lakes for bass as a kid, with bait and spinning lures. But I've done very little of it since I switched to a fly rod four years ago.
So recently, while planning this trip, I pulled the books and magazine articles on bass fishing from my shelf to see what I could learn. (Actually, I did so because I'd rather daydream about an upcoming fishing trip than grade the pile of school papers in front of me.)
The first thing I realized is I need a new fly rod. Any excuse will do; some women buy too many clothes, others buy too many shoes. I have tilled my closets with books and fishing gear.
Actually, I have a six-weight rod that will do for this trip, but it does seem as though a seven would be better for throwing the heavier flies.
The combined wisdom of the various publications I read seems to be that fly fishing for bass requires heavier rods; shorter, stronger leaders; and bigger flies.
I'll be taking olive-and-black woolly buggers (because I can tie them), some douser minnows, a handful of poppers, some muddler minnows, and a mouse or two.
I may buy a sinking tip line, but I think I can make do with some split shot and my floating line.
What I'm most looking forward to is making good use of my float tube. I've tried it out on a small lake (only a pond by Maine standards) near my home, but I have not used it on a real lake.
I used to think of float tubes as the perfect example of excessive stuff. The first few times I carried it anywhere I felt like a person going to the beach with a picnic basket, a blanket, an umbrella, a radio.... You know the type. When you see them you wonder if they wouldn't just be happier at home.
But now it seems just the opposite. I don't have to rent a big clunky boat. I don't have to be back at a certain time; I can go out for half an hour if I want (something not practical when you have to go to the trouble of renting a boat). I can slip into my waders in seconds and be ready to go -- completely self-sufficient.
I'm hoping for foggy mornings in which I can silently kick my way to an otherwise inaccessible cove and contentedly fish as I watch the sun burn off the early morning haze.
Special Thanks to the folks at AA Pro Shop for sponsoring Julie's article on GORP!
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