An interesting morning

[Reel Geezer]

As many of you know, we are sweltering out here in Idaho, as is much of the west. Almost every morning I have been getting up very early and heading to the Snake River to arrive at daylight. I fish until about 10 AM or so and then head home (it is about 13 miles to the launch ramp I am using now.

I run my boat 3 or 4 miles upriver and then drift back down. We (Bert & I) see lots of beaver on the river, and this morning we had one tag along the boat as I was drifting downstream. He followed the boat for almost a mile popping up alongside the boat now and then. I suddenly realized I had my camera with me, and pulled it out, but the beaver had disappeared. As I rounded a bend he was sitting on the shore, and eased into the water as we approached. You can see how close we were here.


He sat there as we drifted even closer and you can see that Bert had a good view.

He finally swam under the boat and disappeared as we drifted on.

In case anyone is interested, here is how we get up the river. This boat has a Yahama 60/40 jet on it, which is needed in many spots. The river is very placid, there are some strong currents, but many gravel bars and shoals that are only 6" or so underwater. The jet scoots right over them whereas you would tear off the lower unit of a prop motor.


We do catch some fish also. This morning I landed a dozen or so of these:


ranging from 5-8 pounds. This one was 25" and 7 pounds. They take my bass lures. I also had a great time with 4 nice smallmouth bass. And just to make this fit into Reel Talk, I was using my Shimano Calcutta DC with the computer control. No backlashes here.

[Ron Mc]

hey, I can say the same for my SB 1131A -

looks like a great time

[john elder]

did I say how much I hate you?! I'm sitting in my office, buried in papers and dealing with assorted tripe...that river looks really good...got to go buy a lotto ticket or 80 so I can blow out of here!

[Richard Lodge]

Like John, I'm stuck in the office without a decent stretch of water or a fly reel in sight (except for an AMFF poster on my wall).
Nice story and great photos, Phil. Looks like Bert was on the alert in case that beaver tried to board your boat. Thanks for a great fishing report that brightened my day.

[RAM]

It is obvious the Beaver knew you had cold beer on board. You should have shared it with the old chap! That is neat. Cats, dogs, and beavers. Normally don't find them together. Sorry its so hot. It was a hundred here two days last week. Haven't been smallmouth fishing now in three weeks the creeks are so low. The fish see you when you get out of the car! Ciao! Bad Bob

[john elder]

It is obvious {to most of the hoard),
the Beaver knew you had cold beer on board.
You should have shared it with the old chap!
That is neat {...I doff my cap}
Cats, dogs, and beavers,
Normally don't find them together.
Sorry its so hot, {it's probably the weather}.
It was a hundred here two days last week
Haven't been smallmouth fishing now in three weeks.
the creeks are so low,{up to ankles they are!}
The fish see you when you get out of the car!

Ciao! {bye}

Bad Bob {with heat-driven editing}

[qwapaw]

OK, what type of bass lure do they take. When I go o the sanke it is hit or miss whether we catch fish or not.m (mostly water level issues) Maybe I'm not as sold on bait as I thought I was. Nice pictuers for sure. I do have water withing 100 yds of my office and my bass rod in the truck, but I too am burried with paperwork at the office. Thanks for sharing, Dan U from Oregon

[Reel Geezer]

Dan - the catfish have been killing a 1/4 ounce Chatterbait. I fished from 6:30-9 this morning and got 6, but only one bass. All were on a blue black Chatterbait. I also had a channel cat strike at a buzz bait this morning.

And of course, beavers will take any WOODEN plug.

[Roger Schulz]

Phil:

I am hard at work ensuring that you will always have fish to catch. Yesterday I was at one of our hatcheries tagging alligator gar. They were about 2 months old, but already many were over 12 inches in length. They really have sharp teeth. Believe it or not, I do more that just talk on the phone and write email notes.

Roger

[Harvey]

Why would anyone tag an Alligator Gar let alone raise them in a hatchery?
If you guys from Georgia can't find anything else to eat, come on down to the Everglades. The canals are hatcherys and all you need is a bucket of shiners to get a truck load of gar. The "necks" shoot them with bows and arrows just to have something to do.
"H"

[Roger Schulz]

Harvey:

Your thinking of another gar species. Alligator gar are imperiled in east Tennessee. Their native range is only into the panhandle of Florida. Their are a lot of other gar speices found throughout the country.

This is your biology lesson for the day.

Roger

[Ron Mc]

you fish for those things using a frayed rope

[drexelantiques]

A blue back Rebel Minnow (blue back, silver), will catch the heck out of gar, especially when they are schooling. I've caught dozens, and dozens, at Santee Cooper, at lake Murray, and other lakes in South, and North Carolina. You want to use a short wire leader, and fish it in short jerks. You can use the two hook size, three hook, and even some of the saltwater sizes. I never had much luck getting them to strike frayed rope.

I simply can't believe folks are raising them in hatcheries.

Last time I was at Santee, and catching gar, a game warden came up, curious as to just what I was fishing for, as other fishing was dead on the lake. He asked me to please kill every one I caught. I had some as big as 40-50 lbs that I landed.

I was shore fishing for Stripers one day, using cut and live bait, and light surf casting rigs. I caught a big gar. As I landed it, all of a sudden I hear a woman screaming. The older, big, African American woman came down the beach yelling "Whatcha going to do with that fish?" so I gave it to her.

An hour or so later, a car pulls up behind where I was fishing, and it is the same woman. She had brought me a gar sandwich.

Man I dreaded biting into that, I knew it would be awful, but what could I do. I just hoped she would see me take the first bite, and leave, so I could dispose of it.

I took the first bit, and man, it was delicious. She had taken the gar, and treated it like you would crabmeat, or etc. and had made garcakes out of it. Put it on a hoagie roll with hot mayonaise and mustard. One of the best sandwiches I have ever had.

[RAM]

Neat poetic editing John. I am not getting into dueling poetry again-at least for now. I have fly fished over gar for fifty years-thousands of them that cruise crystal clear spring creeks here, and I have NEVER had one of them hit any fly I used. Not wooly buggers fished slow or fast, not top water bugs, not streamers, not anything. None even appeared to look at a fly. They are caught here on fly rods, usually in big rivers in turbulent water below dams, and on frayed tinsel material-no hook. I am just grateful I have never hooked one in 50 years, and hope I don't in the next 50 years. I DO like to catch big channel cats on flies (they love black wolly buggers fished deep and slow). Bad Bob