Monday, August 4, 2014

Fishing on White river/Lafayette Trace

On a beautiful late summer day, I headed out to Lafayette Trace Park to do a little fishing after a busy weekend marketing my handmade rustic willow furniture. It was in the mid 80's and a cold front was moving towards us. I fished just a small pool where I saw a monster jump a couple of days before. The water is lowering and clearing and I could see some really big ones flashing their sides in a territorial display as they moved past.

I did not catch any of the big ones but I did catch a couple of one pound smallmouth and about a two pound largemouth. They fought like Tigers. No bites at all between these catches. I noticed that there were the shed exoskeletons of caddis flies floating on the surface. This would seem to explain the lack of bites. A couple other fishermen were flyfishing and said they had no luck. A hatch of mayflies ruined the fishing at our trip to Shakamak this year. Hatches of mayflies, caddis flies and Dobson flies provide a monster meal for all the fish and stuff them to the gills. They will not be hungry for a good while. Timing of these hatches can vary and the wise angler does not try to fight Nature when they occur. It is a good time to explore the structure of the river and observe the natural events that are all around. It was very soothing being up to my waist in the river. Red leaves were floating down the river and the sycamores were shedding their bark with their distinctive crackling sound, plopping irregular sheets of bark into the river.

I witnessed a Cooper's Hawk chasing a sparrow just over my head. The big smallmouth continued to flash by. They looked huge. A guy showed me a cell phone photo with five eight pounders his friend caught just below the dam at Claire last fall. They were the healthiest fish I think I have ever seen.

August is here and signs of the progress of the season are all around. I have started to see a few butterflies after almost nothing in July.I saw nighthawks over Noblesville Friday and Saturday night. Geese have been flying over my house every morning. Rabbits are frolicking in my yard and the squirrels are racing up and down my pine tree.

Saturday at the Art Fair on the Square in Noblesville, the Nickel Plate Boys had a successful day. It was hard work, but everyone seemed to think our both looked good. We had a good time hanging out and we got a lot of press. The preview was a great success and it was great to see my buddy Dick Wolfsie accept my invitation and come.

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