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| Cow Paddy Pond |
| by Uncle Wes |
 As the years go by, I often find myself thinking of past fishing adventures. My brother and I used to spend a lot of time scouting out new trout lakes. Usually armed with a map and our favorite reference book, Fishing in Oregon. We were always amazed at how many different trout lakes were around, especially ones that were so close to our house.
There was one particular spring that comes to mind, it was about 12 years ago and the trout season had been open for about 2 weeks. We had fished all of the creeks and small ponds and lakes in the area. We were getting bored and needed a change of scenery. One problem though, our personal funding was a little low. We could afford a small trip, preferably within a 60 mile radius. So we broke out our fishing bible Fishing in Oregon;, as we poured through it we found the lake. Yes it met all our criteria, it was one we had never fished before, it was a trout lake, and it was close to home. Perfect.
That evening we pulled out the map and located the lake. Simple enough. We new right where we were going. Fact was, we were pretty familiar with the area. We thought that it was amazing that it was so close and we hadn't even heard of it. Especially considering it was supposed to be such a successful early season fisherie. Well our next problem was to figure out when we could go, our schedules being so busy. My brother had a brilliant idea. We could phone in our unemployment claim real early Saturday morning and hit the lake first light. So it was set. Saturday morning it would be.
So that evening we put together our fishing gear, tied our hooks, packed our lunches, went down filled the car up and got our bait. We were starting to get a little excited in anticipation of a trout dinner for Sunday night. We always caught fish, even when no one else was. We considered it a done deal. We discussed it and decided I should just sleep on his couch so we could call in our claims first thing and be on the road. We sure didn't want to be late calling that in, after all that was our fishing fund.
About 4:30 am, my brother was kicking the side of the couch telling me it was my turn to call in. As I rubbed the sleep out of my eye's I made the call. We grabbed a couple of pieces of toast and we were out the door. We loaded up in his rig, which by the way was a perfect fishing rig. A 1972 Datsun B-210 Honey Bee. A nice puke green, so as not to draw attention to ourselves. Only been wrecked once, a bungy cord to hold the trunk closed and extra big floor mats to cover the holes that had rusted through. So we start our trip out of town.
As we head out onto the highway, the sun starts to come up,its beautiful, big fluffy clouds and colors that are just spectacular. You know the kind, oranges, pinks, and yellows. It was breath taking. After about a half hour we come to the turn-off, were getting antsy now. Only about twenty more minutes to go. Now we are traveling through a nice farming community and it was so green you just couldn't believe it. All kinds of cows, and horses . It was perfect. We finally approach our turn off which takes us down a gravel road. After a few minutes we look over the embankment and there it is. Our trout haven, our mecca, why you can practically cast in a bare hook and catch fish . Our new secret lake. We're ready!
Although the water looked a little muddy, we new we were at the right spot. Fisherman before us left their calling cards. Empty bait containers and so on. So we pull on down there, get our gear out of the car and make our first cast of the day. Now were both fishing bottom with worms, seemed like a good starting strategy. Well we think we have hit the big time. Not another soul in site. What could be better? A whole lake to ourselves. After a couple of hours we hadn't even had a bite. So we switch out and started with a little bobber action. We know this will surely work. Of course by now we've noticed a few rigs have gone past us headed towards the river, probably Salmon fisherman. Well another couple of hours goes by and still nothing. So we decide that maybe we should toss a couple of spoons and work the lake.
Well the whole day is about shot and not even a nibble. How could this be? Our fishing bible had never led us astray. We quite obviously were doing something wrong, but what? We had tried everything in our tackle box, and still nothing. After another hour or so goes by, it starts sinking in that were going to get skunked. How disappointing. T.V. dinners, again. About that time one of the local farmers pulls up in his truck and asked us how were doing. So we proceed to tell him our tale of whoa. Well after about 10 minutes of our story he just breaks out laughing. He says, Boys this is the run off from my dairy farm up on the hill, the lake your looking for is another half mile down the road. Much to our dismay, he was right. As we get packed up to go, a couple more cars pull up with some fisherman and start pulling out their gear, they ask how we did? But I just told them it was slow. As my brother and I climbed into the car we gave each other this devilish grin and headed home. |
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Article |
Topics |
Date |
| 1. |
TKO ing Big Springs |
Salmon |
Jun 2013 |
| 2. |
Spring Fishery Updates 2013 |
Fishing Area Outlook |
Mar 2013 |
| 3. |
Fly Epoxy Chum Fry |
Flys |
Feb 2013 |
| 4. |
Best Fishing Story of 2012 |
|
Feb 2013 |
| 5. |
Salmon fishing outlook for 2013 |
Fishing Area Outlook, Salmon |
Jan 2013 |
| 6. |
Fly Tadpoles |
Flys |
Jan 2013 |
| 7. |
Fishing Outlook for 2013 |
Fishing Area Outlook, Salmon, Sturgeon |
Dec 2012 |
| 8. |
Fly Steelhead Muddler |
Flys, Steelhead |
Dec 2012 |
| 9. |
Fly Bacon n eggers |
Flyfishing, Salmon |
Dec 2012 |
| 10. |
Keeping a journal |
Technique |
Dec 2012 |
| 11. |
Fly Egg-sukin leech |
Flyfishing, Flys |
Oct 2012 |
| 12. |
Fly Steelhead Madness |
Flyfishing, Flys |
Oct 2012 |
| 13. |
White Lake |
Fishing Area Outlook |
Aug 2012 |
| 14. |
Fly Orangesicle |
Flyfishing, Flys |
Jul 2012 |
| 15. |
Fly Blue Morrison baitfish |
Flyfishing, Flys |
Jul 2012 |
| 16. |
Fly fishing the Estuary (Amundson Thompson Chaser Fly Rod Review) |
Flyfishing, Tackle |
Jul 2012 |
| 17. |
Sockeye Strategies |
Salmon |
Jul 2012 |
| 18. |
Ultimate Squid TUBE |
Flys |
Jun 2012 |
| 19. |
Roche Lake |
Flyfishing |
Jun 2012 |
| 20. |
Fly Coho Blue-zer |
Flys, Salmon |
Jun 2012 |
| 21. |
Flies Webflyzers |
Flys |
Jun 2012 |
| 22. |
Vancouver Island's Esperanza Inlet |
Halibut, Salmon, Vancouver Island |
May 2012 |
| 23. |
Fly Purple Peril |
Flys |
May 2012 |
| 24. |
Trolling for trout |
Trolling, Trout |
Apr 2012 |
| 25. |
Fly Blue Note |
Flyfishing, Flys |
Mar 2012 |
| 26. |
Fly Kalumlow |
Flyfishing, Flys |
Mar 2012 |
| 27. |
Fly Skeena Scar |
Flyfishing, Flys |
Mar 2012 |
| 28. |
Fly Polar Express |
Flyfishing, Flys |
Mar 2012 |
| 29. |
Sturgeon fishing in Vancouver British Columbia |
Sturgeon |
Mar 2012 |
| 30. |
Strategies for Catching Sturgeon |
Sturgeon |
Mar 2012 |
| 31. |
Fly Copper Gammarus |
Flys |
Mar 2012 |
| 32. |
Fly Alley Alevin |
Flys |
Mar 2012 |
| 33. |
Fly Hilton Boss |
Flys |
Mar 2012 |
| 34. |
A Guided Steelhead Trip on the River |
Steelhead |
Feb 2012 |
| 35. |
Fly Polar UV shrimp |
Flys |
Feb 2012 |
| 36. |
Egg-sukin Beaver Leech |
Flys |
Feb 2012 |
| 37. |
Fly Chardolas Bait |
Flys |
Feb 2012 |
| 38. |
Don't be afraid to try anything |
Steelhead |
Feb 2012 |
| 39. |
Best Fishing Story of 2011 Ryan Spannier |
|
Feb 2012 |
| 40. |
Best Fishing Story of 2011 by Bob Waldhaus |
Steelhead |
Feb 2012 |
| 41. |
Best Fishing Story of 2011 David Sandquist |
Kids, Salmon |
Feb 2012 |
| 42. |
Fly Reeds Spey |
Flyfishing |
Feb 2012 |
| 43. |
Jet Boat Maintenance |
Boats |
Dec 2011 |
| 44. |
Smoked Salmon Recipe BBQ and Honey |
Recipes, Salmon |
Dec 2011 |
| 45. |
Poached Italian Cod |
Recipes |
Dec 2011 |
| 46. |
Fly Blue Charmer |
Flys |
Nov 2011 |
| 47. |
Fly Muddy Waters |
Flys |
Nov 2011 |
| 48. |
Fly - The Excursion Leech |
Flyfishing |
Nov 2011 |
| 49. |
Herb and Garlic Crusted Halibut with oven roasted ratatouille |
Halibut, Recipes |
Oct 2011 |
| 50. |
The Banner Season |
Fishing Area Outlook |
Jun 2011 |
| 51. |
voteforsalmon |
Conservaton, Salmon |
Apr 2011 |
| 52. |
Votesalmon |
Conservaton, Salmon |
Apr 2011 |
| 53. |
Rivers Inlet Hatchery Program |
Conservaton, Salmon |
Apr 2011 |
| 54. |
Mayday for Wild Salmon |
Conservaton, Salmon |
Mar 2011 |
| 55. |
Contest 2011 Fishing Story David Sandquist |
Flyfishing, Steelhead |
Feb 2011 |
| 56. |
Contest 2011 Fishing Story Honourary mention Ron Gibson |
|
Feb 2011 |
| 57. |
Contest 2011 Fishing Story Bog Waldhaus |
Steelhead |
Feb 2011 |
| 58. |
Contest 2011 Fishing Story Brian Wong |
Salmon |
Feb 2011 |
| 59. |
Does Fish Cooking Techniques Matter |
Recipes |
Jan 2011 |
| 60. |
Mediterranean Fish Fillets |
Recipes |
Jan 2011 |
| 61. |
Virus Killing Fraser Sockeye |
Conservaton, Fish, Salmon |
Jan 2011 |
| 62. |
Halibut Fishery |
Conservaton, Hallibut |
Dec 2010 |
| 63. |
Salmon Virus watch |
Conservaton, Salmon |
Nov 2010 |
| 64. |
Disease Information |
Conservaton |
May 2010 |
| 65. |
Sea lice kept secret |
Conservaton |
May 2010 |
| 66. |
Catch the Dream |
Halibut, Salmon, Trolling |
May 2010 |
| 67. |
Oak Bay Marine Group Newsletter |
Salmon |
Mar 2010 |
| 68. |
Quesnel Lake |
Trout |
Jan 2010 |
| 69. |
Art of Curing and Smoking Fish |
Smoking |
Jan 2010 |
| 70. |
Bradley's Famous Hot Smoked Salmon |
Smoking |
Jan 2010 |
| 71. |
Salmon fishery action suit |
Salmon |
Nov 2009 |
| 72. |
Save B.C. Salmon |
Conservaton, Salmon |
Nov 2009 |
| 73. |
Winner of the Giver on the River Free Charter |
Fish |
Sep 2009 |
| 74. |
Oven bbq salmon |
Recipes, Salmon |
Aug 2009 |
| 75. |
Poached Italian Cod |
Recipes |
Aug 2009 |
| 76. |
Salmon Creole |
Recipes, Salmon |
Aug 2009 |
| 77. |
Australia Fishing |
Salmon |
Aug 2009 |
| 78. |
Horseradish and Dill Butter Salmon Steaks |
Recipes, Salmon |
Jul 2009 |
| 79. |
Navigating a boat purchase |
Boats |
Jul 2009 |
| 80. |
Salmon with a Homemade Grain Mustard Crust |
Recipes, Salmon |
Jul 2009 |
| 81. |
Halibut with Fennel Broth |
Halibut, Recipes |
Jul 2009 |
| 82. |
Cedar Plank Salmon |
Recipes, Salmon |
Jun 2009 |
| 83. |
Islander Winner 2009 |
Tackle |
Jun 2009 |
| 84. |
Just Get In the Water |
Technique |
Jun 2009 |
| 85. |
Saltwater Night Fishing for Salmon |
Salmon, Technique |
Jun 2009 |
| 86. |
Steelhead & Salmon Warfare |
Salmon, Steelhead |
Jun 2009 |
| 87. |
Deep Running Giant Salmon |
Salmon |
May 2009 |
| 88. |
Salmon Scampi |
Recipes |
Apr 2009 |
| 89. |
Dandelion Stuffed Chaunigan Trout |
Recipes, Trout |
Apr 2009 |
| 90. |
Living Rivers - Georgia Basin and Vancouver Island |
Conservaton |
Apr 2009 |
| 91. |
Salmon steak recipe |
Recipes, Salmon |
Mar 2009 |
| 92. |
Chaunigan Trout Recipe |
Recipes, Trout |
Mar 2009 |
| 93. |
Best catch of 2008 |
Flyfishing, Kids, Salmon, Steelhead, Trout |
Feb 2009 |
| 94. |
The Great Chilko Bear Adventure |
Bears |
Feb 2009 |
| 95. |
Seasonal Outlook for 2010 |
Salmon, Seasons, Steelhead, Sturgeon, Trout |
Jan 2009 |
| 96. |
A Fishing Trip with REEL OBSESSIONS Vancouver Island. |
Salmon, Trolling |
Jan 2009 |
| 97. |
Carp fishing from a different angle |
Carp |
Sep 2008 |
| 98. |
Fish British Columbia With a Timeshare |
Accommodation |
Apr 2008 |
| 99. |
Hurt by aquaculture industry |
Salmon |
Nov 2007 |
| 100. |
BC wild salmon endangered by failure to contain sea lice from salmon farms |
Conservaton |
Sep 2007 |
| 101. |
Go Fish |
|
Aug 2007 |
| 102. |
Studies show harmful impact of BC coast salmon farms on wild Pacific salmon |
Salmon |
Aug 2007 |
| 103. |
Lynn's Fishing Adventure |
Sturgeon, Trout |
Jul 2007 |
| 104. |
Chilliwack River Action Committee |
Conservaton |
Apr 2007 |
| 105. |
Indian Candy Recipe |
Recipes, Salmon, Smoking |
Mar 2007 |
| 106. |
Fishing Articles and archived fishing posts |
|
Mar 2007 |
| 107. |
Curing Eggs |
Salmon |
Mar 2007 |
| 108. |
Fishing for Chum Salmon |
Salmon |
Mar 2007 |
| 109. |
Salmon Eating - After They Change Colour |
Salmon |
Mar 2007 |
| 110. |
A guides Perspective - The Fraser River |
Salmon, Seasons, Sturgeon, Trout |
Aug 2005 |
| 111. |
Smoked Salmon Recipe |
Recipes, Salmon, Smoking |
Dec 2004 |
| 112. |
Fishing in Harrison Hot Springs |
|
Aug 2004 |
| 113. |
Jet vs. Outboard |
Boats |
Aug 2004 |
| 114. |
Helpful Hints, Tips and Tricks |
Tackle |
Mar 2004 |
| 115. |
Uncle Wes - Farewell Old Friend |
|
Dec 2003 |
| 116. |
Cow Paddy Pond |
Trout |
Oct 2003 |
| 117. |
12 Seasons of Fishing the Kitimat |
Flyfishing, Salmon, Seasons, Trout |
Apr 2003 |
| 118. |
Sara, Guardian of the Lake |
|
Jul 2002 |
| 119. |
Portrait of a Mountain Man |
|
May 2002 |
| 120. |
Carving the Salmon Pie |
Salmon |
May 2001 |
| 121. |
Spoon Fishing Lakes From The Bank |
Tackle, Trout |
Mar 2001 |
| 122. |
Vedder River Fishing “Fall options” |
Salmon, Seasons |
Mar 2001 |
| 123. |
Slippery Spotted Owls |
Salmon |
Jul 1998 |
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