Flashback: October 11, 2018

A look back at a trip to Yellowwood last fall that never got posted. I reverse my loop and start by the spillway. I find some interesting lures under a popular bank fishing spot. A man and his young son will pass me later in kayaks with spinning rigs. They're new to the lake and are wondering where all the bass are. I give the lures to them hoping they might help them out. I stay close to the dam until moonrise but the fishing is slow. The evening, though, is as smooth and delicious as a good brown ale.

Cantaloupe Moon

Waxing gibbous three days from full super moon.

What a Beauty

It's bright and sunny at Yellowwood. For a change.

I will fish the dam at dark, so I start at the south end kicking past the spillway and the new "No Swimming" sign where people still swim.

I drift a fly behind me along the sunlit dam. All is quiet. I hope it wakes up with the coming of darkness.

I've brought something to fortify me along the way. The label inspires me.

There are still a few late bloomers among the shoreline weeds. They inspire me, too. I like to think I'm a late bloomer.

I kick down the west side then fish my way back toward the dam.

I pick up a few bluegill as I go.

Horse flies have been buzzing me on these late summer trips. They often hit the rod for some reason and then fly on. This one knocked himself silly and did a tailspin into the lake. Survival of the fittest.

The moon joins me.

I have on a stimulator tied to imitate the big white mayflies. I used bleached deer hair, and it was old. I get an enthusiastic take from a teen bass, and I think I might be in for some fun. But he near swallowed the fly whole and by the time I can extract it with the hemostats it's ruined. The bass leaves a trail of bleached deer hair as it swims away. Back to the drawing board.

I go to a backup battle tested muddler and catch some bluegill and a crappie along the dam. No bass.

But it's a beautiful summer night and the moon sheds its silver light on the righteous and unrighteous alike. I try a moon photo and forget to turn off the flash and it reveals the mist rising all over the lake.

There. That's better. What a beauty.

Looking Up

It was raining when I got to Yellowwood even though the forecast said it wouldn't.

After a brief wait it quit...

...just long enough to get out on the water. Then some more rain blew in.

I was making the loop again and by the time I was ready to cross over the rain had quit for good.

I was trying a variety of flies, a luxury I can indulge in again with my new eyes. I wasn't having any luck, though.

Then the waxing moon came out from behind the clouds. The moon has been a faithful companion on many of my fishing trips.

It was shining brighter by the time I got to the dam.

The big white mays were hatching again. Last year at this time a whole passel of smallish bass were all over them. I had on a stimulator and last year that would have pulled up a few bass. This year it pulled up a passel of bluegill.

I enjoyed that. But I couldn't help wishing the bass had been doing what I had been doing: looking up.

Fishing By the Light of the Moon.

And Venus.