Sitting here looking out the window, I don’t know how many thousands of feet in the air contemplating the past week of fishing. It’s funny to be using what may be considered the height of modern, efficient transportation when just yesterday I was at the other end of the spectrum. The only option this early in the season was a canoe and paddle if we wanted to chase down some fish and I didn’t fly across the country not to use the fly rods. The canoe provided a comfortable and refreshing perspective and let us approach areas in stealth mode.
Canoes and fly rods go together like crayfish imitations and smallmouth bass.
Rolling a lucky break in the southern Ontario weather we had surprises most every day when the forecasted clouds and rain held off in favour of sunshine and mostly blue skies. Under the slower pace of the paddle I could really become closer to the lake, the crystal clear water giving away the secrets of the pre-spawn smallmouth bass. Taking advantage of the calm mornings we would venture out after coffee once the sun had warmed things up. Making a bee-line to the nearest rock shoal it was a spectacle of smallmouth bass moving into the shallows. Assuming they were coming up into the cool spring waters to chase down a meal of crayfish in their pre-spawn migration. It was a matter of matching the hatch, with the exception of a day or two when they wanted the brightest, gaudy colours in the box.
The youngest nephew getting in on the early season smallie action.
Drift down with the light breeze casting and paddling back up, trolling a fly behind was the ticket too many an airborne fight. More fun than a barrel of monkeys and it kept smiles plastered to our faces. On the final day of the early catch and release season we saw the smallmouth had fanned out their redds, a sure sign that spawning was imminent. With this we paddled in the other direction focusing on northern pike and spending some time catching sunfish off the dock.
See you on the water or the mountain.
-Matthew Mallory
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