7-30-04 - Already on a late start....this was how fast I was going out of Rich's DRIVEWAY ;)

We're HERE! Break out the driftboat, the indicators and let's FISH!

I can't BELIEVE this turned out...I think it's Rich Fly Casting in the dark but honestly, I don't even recall TAKING this shot!

Trying to spot fish on the way back in. We did find a carp and a bowfin.

7-30-04 - Muskie (not) on (my) Fly!

Waters Fished: Silver Lake
Fish Caught: 0
Outing Date: 7-30-04
Weather: night!
Air Temp: upper 60's
Water Temp: cool
Water Level: normal?
Water Color: Visibility maybe 2-3 feet, 4+ in some spots
Fish Species: Bowfin, Carp, Muskie?
Pattern Fished: HUGE White & Chartreuse Clouser
Pattern Color: see above
Fishing Quality: typical fish of 10,000 casts quality.

What can I say? If the FATMAN calls, you answer that call! I hadn't heard back from Chromeseeker and Rich wasn't too sure about heading over to the harbor. So when Rich said "Hey, let's go chase muskie again!", well, who am I to argue!

Probably got to FAT's place around 7:30, had a stunning homecooked dinner...Italian Sausage, pasta, garlic bread, spinach salad, THANK YOU FREDA! Fat's youngest musta whacked her arm on something...so I sat with the boys readin' 'bout trains and armadillos while Rich made sure that everything was all right.

Finally on the road, maybe 10:30 PM now...WAY past sunset but apparently Muskie, unlike Northern Pike, will bite all night. I ain't gonna pass up some nighttime fly fishin!

For at least an hour we didn't launch the boat, instead having great conversations with a pair of guys we met. Honestly can't remember either of their names but both are guys I'd share the water with anytime. One had just moved up into the area from down south; the other? I was able to look it up; Curtis Olson, but you guys may know him from two websites he operates - www.WaterFowler.com and the Root River Homepage; Curtis us much more into the water fowl these days! Perhaps a blast & cast is in the Rambling Report's future?

Well we could've talked all night, but we did come to fish, so the boat went in the water at 11:59...OK, so I'm guessing considering when I looked at my phone, the clock said 12:02 AM...but the boat was in at that point. So considering that we arrived at Silver Lake no later than 11:00 PM Friday night, it still qualifies as a Friday night outing in my book (and more importantly in my running tally)!

The fishing? Oh yeah, I guess we did toss lines for about 2 hours before Rich had to get back home. NOT A THING! On the way back in Rich broke out the hard-core spotlight and started spotting fish...carp....bowfin (man I wanted to turn around and plop my Clouser RIGHT ON IT but Rich would have NONE OF IT!). At least down here, it's lookin' like we'll have to continue to pay our dues before a Musky graces the page of the Rambling Reports.

  MP