Saw a bird of some description, not sure what he was doing, looking for prey, protecting a nest, etc. Not sure what kind of bird he was either, but maybe a cormorant.
Fished with a big spinnerbait ( 3/8 oz crawdad color with brass blade) for a while and didn't do much good. Switched to a small 1/4 oz chartreuse and white one and caught more 6" bass than I could be troubled to count, around 5-7.
Although fun, not really entirely satisfactory because I wanted to keep fish.
The photographic record ends here because I was irritated. Which is a shame, because I ended up catching some fish. I kept a fairly small maybe 6" bluegill, which established the dangerous precedent of keeping fish. About 15 minutes later, having switched back to the big spinnerbait, fishing along the peninsular bank, hooked a fish that felt substantial. Turned out to be a 16" catfish, which bent up and slimed the hell out of the spinnerbait. Kept him. Ran into K.W. on the water and talked with him for a few minutes. He was trolling with curly tails and a 6" worm and he reported that he had caught several bass, none of which were large. I caught one more 6" bluegill and decided to take out, around 8:45.
My tale having been told, there is a quandary I face: Am I better off fishing my small local lakes, specifically Mountain Run, which is familiar, reasonably productive, such that I might expect to catch fish to keep, requires very little commitment in terms of driving distance and time, and is small enough that I can fish a good portion of the reservoir in an outing?
Or, am I better off setting off on a grand adventure to a far off land that is 45 minutes by car ride, like Spotsylvania County, or 2 hours away, like Totier Creek lake, and fishing for the same species of fish in the same setting as I have available 7 minutes away from my home, with the tenuous promise of spectacular fishing that I would not have experienced otherwise.
There are compelling rationale for the choosing the local lake, most of which I outlined two paragraphs above.
The rationale for choosing more... exotic(word choice?, Spotsylvania et. al probably only considered exotic by Idahoans who spend their days staring at potatos and lentils), destinations are less certain.
Some exotic locales, like the Potomac and its tributaries, offer a larger variety of fish to catch. I'd still like to catch some snakeheads, and the more I hear, the more appealing catching stripers at Lake Anna or in the Rappahannock gets. Lake Orange reportedly has walleye.
Some others might have fewer or less obnoxious people around as a result of having fewer ignorant rednecks than Culpeper.
Others still might reward each cast with a 5 lb largemouth, accept marshmallows as legal tender, and appoint me as King for the day, with all the rights and privileges due that office, which I assume includes a Harem and control of a time machine to skip the interminable months of June, July, and August.
But if I can be satisfied with the local lake, wouldn't I be a fool to risk disappointment? If I like country ham on biscuits, why would I ever try sausage gravy?
But then, what might I be missing out on? To paraphase Emerson: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by complacent and unimaginative fisherman."
Also, this blog might get tired and same-ey if I only ever go to the local lake, so for you, loyal readers (all 2 of you) I'll try to go further afield, since with this communication medium I have the collective curiosity to deal with.
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