Friday morning and we slept in. Right, who sleeps in when your camping? Rolled out of the sack at 0530 and got the coffee started. We got one of those Coleman Drip Coffeemakers just after we quit camping ten yeas ago and have never used it. You fill it with water, put coffee in the filter, and put it on the camp stove. Home made coffee, camping.
The wife made pancakes and eggs, the pancakes with a recipe from her favorite place (King Arthur Flour in New Hampshire) and I've got to tell you they were the best pancakes I've ever eaten, bar none.
After cleaning up the breakfast dishes, we got into the truck and headed up the road to Upper Blue Lakes. Remember the "sure" with the eye roll of "yeh, right" I got from the campground hosts, I had to make sure I caught fish. My reputation was on the line.
Usual spot, wife in her new camping chair and two lines out with rainbow Power Bait. Got one bite, missed it. Got a second bite and missed it too.
Both bites came over a period of about an hour. I was at the bottom of the Power Bait jar and as it's been in the past, when I get to the bottom, I open a new jar and throw out the old. For some reason the bottom part of the jar just doesn't get any hits.
I did just that and cast out. You know that fishing with a slip sinker rig, you cast it out, let it fall to the bottom, and then tighten up the line awaiting a bite. The line hit the water and started sinking. I let out line, more line, and more line and thought "it can't be that deep".
I tightened up the line and low and behold, there was a fish on the end. Must have taken it on the drop. Turned out it was an eleven inch Rainbow.
I was so prepared to catch fish that I didn't have my net, my stringer, or a bucket to put it in. I found a piece of thin rope and used it for a stringer. By this time my wife was getting a bit toasted, but being the trooper she is, she just kept reading her book and didn't say anything.
Second rod out and within minutes, an eleven inch Brown came to hand. I said OK we can go now, I've got two for the campground hosts. I rummaged around in the truck and finally found a gallon plastic ZipLoc bag, put the fish in, and filled it with water. Figured it would hold them until we got back to the campground.
The hosts has them for dinner on Saturday night and pronounced them wonderful. We, on the other hand had meatloaf, zucchini, and mashed potatoes for dinner on Friday. Sat by the fire, read some, and called it a night.
Tomorrow Day 3 and two adventures. Stay tuned.
Haha you sure showed them, mark! Glad you had (or are having?) a good time camping!
You are a man of your word, Mark. Happy to see that you did us fisherman well by meeting the challenge of the hosts. Camp breakfasts, coffee out of an ol' tin cup, and pancakes to get in a fight over. Good feeling.
Your vacation sounds mysteriously like one of your fishing trips with a cuter partner.