Continue now.
After supper, back to the motel, Nick tucks into bed and I go to the office and read FWR and post a small item on our trip that started this thread. I get chased from the office as they are ready to close, it is 11pm.
I then go to the hot tub area as after being on the water for two days it would feel good to get into some H2O myself. I am just hopping into the steaming tub when the attendant comes and says he is shutting the pool down, "give me 5 minutes" I plead, "ok 5 minutes is the dour response". Once again Merritt shuts down too early for me bigguy.
Back to the room and I phone Rodney to catch up on some fishing related news. Finally it is time to hit the sack as 4am and the start of our final day is only 4 hours away. When you have naps during the day in the boat like I do you can stay up later and get an early start the next day.
Before I fall a sleep I read the Backroad Mapbook, a Road & Recreational Atlas that I bought after supper. I would recommend it to those that do not have it as it details the locations of hundred's of lakes in the area. Cost was about $21. I study the area we are fishing but the book falls from my hand as I doze into never never land. The night seemed to go quickly and I am on my feet at 4 and repeat yesterday's route, Tim's, a few tins on the way, ball stat's and read the local paper.
Back to the motel the well rested fishing partner is loaded and ready. I gather my stuff in a hurry and off to breakfast at our second home.
No mice were observed but we are told that Kid Rock's bus is parked outside, talk about a home away from home that bus was. I imagine he was doing some filming here in the Merritt area.
When paying the bill at the counter after breakfast the staff was excited as apparently the Kid was in for supper the night before.
Not following Kid Rock that much I asked about him, they said he is associated with Pamela Anderson which I seem to remember them getting engaged a while back.
I tell her, the waitress that Pam is a second Cousin to my first cousin on the Island in Chemainus, the waitress does not seemed interested in my statement, more interested in the Kid I guess. Maybe we should bring Pam along on a fishing trip one day.
I go and look at the bus to see if the Kid is around and ask how Pam is doing
but my partner is more interested in heading fishing, so much for stardom.
As we arrive at back at the lake for day 3 of the trip the world of movie stars and rock singers quickly is erased from my mind as the serene state the lake is in this morning, fllat calm mingled with the songs of the bird life is far more appealing anyway than rock music.
The fishing is slow as we are, we get off to a slow start as I miss 3 and Nick 2. Nick is first to hit the scoreboard landing the first at 11:30 on a dry sedge. Nick pumps the stomack and finds some green colored chironomids, the same as I am have been using the whole trip. Nick keeps changing his offering to try and find that magic combination. In Nick's first fish he also points out to me some red coloured blood worms. There is so many different types and sizes of these chironomids and other insects, I donot think I could ever figure it out like the "Master" can
Nick then hooks a good sized fish but it turns out to be another spawner, it puts up a good battle for a spawning fish, around 6 pounds. It gets tangled around the leg of the motor, Nick gets it off the prop but the line breaks as we try to net it. All that is left to net is his indicator.
Nick says if it had been a clean fish his rod would be at the bottom of the lake because he lost it I guess.
Finally I am into my first fish a nice fish of around 2 pounds that I land and retain, at least now I have landed a fish each day of the trip.
Two boats then appear on the lake using outdoor motors, as they come by we tell them outboards are not allowed on the lake we are fishing, only electric. They disagree and disappear. Shortly they come back and they tell us they phoned the CO who told them they were allowed. We calll them over and show them in the reg's they were wrong but it turned out as we talked to them they thought they were on a different lake where outboards were allowed. We share a few laughts and they are on their way to the lake they wished to fish. I should have told them to get the Atlas I had bought.
We bid them farewelll as they go and search for their missing lake so to speak, we back to fishing.
The bite comes on and I land two, lose one and Nick is successful landing three more the biggest about 2 and a half pounds.
As my watch nears 6 the chilling wail of one of the of the loons echo's throughout the confines of the lake and through my veins. It is as if he seems to be telling us it is time for us to leave his lake, the lake of many mysteries, of the fish that inhabit it along with the other bird life that have graciously shared with us the last 3 days.
We recount the day as we pack up, Nick has beat me by one fish today, 4 to 3 if I counted correct, making the final score of 19 to 7. Nick adds we did ok but we missed alot and lost far too many but at this point it does not matter.The fish we caught is now secondary to all the events and stories we will be able to relate and watch on video the next many years. Did I tell you I got the biggest for the last two years in a row, now, that does matter.
I hope you have enjoyed this fishing journal and unfortunatley I reused a film I had taken before so I had a roll of double exposed prints, may send to Rodney for a couple of candid shots to post if he wishs.
We arrive home at 11 time to do a few chores the next morning and then back searching for a spring with Gary. I was luckly enough to land a small one. I then lost one on Sunday afternoon. Guess what I will be doing today and tomorrow.
I am also planning my next trip to Merritt, maybe in during the Merritt Music Festivel on July 12 to July 17 when I hear there is some beautiful fish in the Coldwater River as well. No Chris do not go there as your wife might start asking some questions about these fishing trips.
Life is sure great in the world of fishing especially when you get to fish with "The Master".
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Topic: Three days On Merritt Lakes With The Master (Read 4913 times)