Still Skunkless on Willard 4-22-21

[jjannie]

Went fishing with the Pirate and Cookie this morning...me from the north marina...them from the bank in the SW corner.  We both caught fish.  Yee haww.

Pre-daybreak launch at 6:45...AM.  Cool 35 air temp.  Water temp 51 plus...rising to almost 53 inside the marina by 11 am departure.  Still TDC (Too D... Cold)


Got a good start.  Barely got my first whirly flig and minnow into the water going out of the marina when a hungry kitty climbed on.  Thought this was gonna be the beginning of a busy day.  Nay, not so.  Didn't get my second and last cat until just after 10 am...after fishing all morning outside and then coming back inside the marina.  Also on a blue-silver whirly flig and minnow.
I did have one moment of "excitement" about an hour into the morning.  I was moving quietly along, enjoying the tranquility of undisturbed fishing (dang it) when I heard a loud hissing and then some popping noises behind me.  I almost launched from my tube like a Polaris missile...absolutely sure I was about to be devoured by the Monster of Willard Bay.  Senility, forgetfulness (selective data retrieval) or whatever had made me forgot to put on the inflatable PFD I had draped over the back of my tube while parking my car.  When I came back to launch, I neglected to put it on...as per custom.  During the shifting and rock and roll motions in the breezy bumpy water the vest had slipped off and into the water.  And...just as it is supposed to do...it automatically inflated when it got wet.  I think some of my laundry got a bit wet too.




Howsomever, I did get one hard takedown on my whirly flig rod.  The 24" kitty gave a fine account of itself in the cool water.  But it provided the last action of the day...in spite of my optimistic continuance for another hour.

Thought for sure that was going to be you glad it wasn't. My auto PFD was tested out last summer when I tried to get little Rosie back into the boat but waves hit our boat at the same time launching me overboard when mine went off - Jeff did a great job rescuing us both.  By the way, Rosie can swim and still LOVES the water almost too much. Made up some those those whirly fligs and had them for our last Willard outing, but had no takers on them - not sure if it was us or the fish so we'll just have to keep 'practicing'.