Kent- Is anything SACRED?!?!?!?! :) Ryan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kent Lufkin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, April 24, 2002 3:55 PM Subject: 'Chutes and bobbers at Bobby Lake
> After a number of last-minute work schedule changes, Sean Ransom and > I set off yesterday morning to fish the not-so-secret lake in Grant > County. But our plans quickly went awry as we hit snow in North Bend, > which became a near-blizzard by the time we reached the pass. When we > finally got to Ellensburg, sun and gale-force winds had replaced the > snow and to make up for lost time we decided to try our luck at > Nunnally instead. > > We did find the road along the creek/canal into the west end of the > lake, but also noted the big 'Keep Out - No Kidding - This Means You' > signs posted every few hundred yards. We scouted the put-in but were > nervous enough about leaving my truck there that we moved on. > > Since Nunally looked more like Puget Sound during a winter storm with > foot-high whitecaps, its main parking lot was otherwise empty except > for a solitary angler struggling into his waders. Seeking calmer > water, we moved on to the little Bobby Lake parking lot to find > several cars and trucks there ahead of us. As we had originally > planned to fish Beda, I'd brought my pontoon boat and Sean his big > Outcast kayak - neither an easy haul over the sandy, 1/3-mile trail > to the lake. So we each grabbed an end and made two trips hauling > boats and gear to the water. > > Although Bobby is more sheltered than Nunally, the anglers already on > the water were still being tossed about and there was no sign of > either fish or hatch when we finally put in to some very choppy water > at 10am. A couple of other guys took an occasional fish (one with a > damsel nymph), but otherwise the fishing was slow until darting > swallows announced a baetis and 'mid hatch about noon. > > I anchored in a shallow bay in the NW corner of the main lake and > cast a size 16 parachute Adams among the hatching baetis. My choice > was immediately confirmed as I watched a quickly-moving bulge in the > water inhale my fly. Twice taking me well into the backing, I had > several anxious moments to reflect on my knot-tying skills before > finally releasing a handsome 20-inch triploid several minutes later. > A smaller 18-incher also fell for the same Adams before the > excitement in the little bay was finally over. > > I joined Sean in mid-lake for some serious bobber staring and ended > up hooking four more and releasing three, all in the 18 - 20 inch > range. One particular athletic fish was quite a leaper and in > mid-battle I had the peculiar sensation of wondering if I was really > seeing a separate fish as I watched his aerial display several yards > to one side of where my line entered the water. > > Besides the parachute Adams, my other hot fly was a size 14 > chironomid with an inferior craft-store glass bead head and a dark > silver body made with strips cut from an anti-static computer parts > bag. All my 'mid hook-ups came with the fly about 4 feet below the > bobber. > > Even the wind couldn't wipe the smiles off our faces as we wrestled > our boats back to the truck for the drive home. > > Kent Lufkin >
