4-21-2013 Sun

4-21-2013 Sun. 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Weather:
(1853) SE15 G25, 53 ˚
H2O:
9.18 rising, 82kcfs, 40 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 7, Black Deer’s and Lower Channel behind house
Caught:
Nothing
Partners:
None
Comments:

It was my birthday and I had seen Autumn off at the bus stop, so I gave myself a little peace and tranquility with an evening fishing trip. I was targeting bass for the first time this season and I was staying close to home. I figured I would be lucky to catch a fish and just as I figured I was not lucky.
The water temperature was very cold for bass fishing; right around forty degrees. I thought the upper channel would be much warmer than the lower channel, but that was not the case. Usually the still, calm waters of the upper channel are warmer, but the Black River just upstream of here is flooded and thus Black Deer’s is not dead water. In fact there is a pretty decent flow of water coming through and it is cold water.
I never caught a fish nor did I have a bite tonight. That was okay though; it did give me a chance to try some new rod and reel combinations and test my small fishing boat. I did have a slight problem launching the boat though. I use a rope that is about twenty feet that I tie to the boat and then I hook the other end to my trailer. When I back the boat into the water by myself it is simply a matter of the boat floating off, then I get out, grab the rope and pull it into the dock or shore. Tonight that did not work out so well. I got out, grabbed the rope and it broke about four inches away from the knot on the boat. There I was watching the boat float downstream and myself feeling pretty hopeless. There were no other boats around so I had to think of an idea that MacGyver might come up with. I contemplated jumping in, boat the water was cold and the air was cold and knew I would not be fishing anymore that evening if I did. I came up with a plan to lasso the pedestal seat in the boat. That idea failed, but in the process I did manage to get the rope wedged between the battery box and the deck. It held just enough for me to pull the boat to the dock.

Observations:

The weather is still cold and crumby and almost everyone is complaining about it. I have seen very little plant life starting to emerge from the earth. The bay at the boat landing is the hot spot lately for fishermen. Every night there is between six and ten anglers catching bluegills just about as fast as they can cast out.