Crooked Lake

Day 15 (7/29/09)
Today we tried Crooked Lake, one of the many lakes in the Kettle Moraine State Forest area. It was great. We planed on taking off kind of early but by the time we ate breakfast, watered plants and got everything ready to go it was 9:00. When we left there was little to no wind but when we got there it was quite windy. We decided because of that we would head up wind as far as we could go and drift back. After getting to the far end I started fishing and Eileen started stalking a crane. In spite of her stealth, it took off with the biggest ruckus I think I have ever heard from a single bird. She did manage to get a few good pictures of it before it took off. I managed to get one nice Northern on my ultra light pole which was a blast before the wind became too much of a hassle. After a couple hours we decided to call it a day and check out some of the other lakes for future reference. It was a great ride through the Kettles and we decided on the next trip we would try Mauthe Lake. At the Mauthe Lake information center we picked up some literature on the Kettle Moraine area. It gave us much to think about and we couldn’t believe we hadn’t been out there before. On the way home we stopped by the Renaissance bakery for some sweet treats. Sweet, pretty much summed up the whole trip and I can wait to get out there again.

Rainy Day at Gerber

Day 14 (7/26/09)
It was a very windy day so we decided at noon instead of making the weekend a total wash we would go to Gerber Lake again. We figured it would be least effected by the wind and offer some entertainment. I am starting to think I should have named this the Gerber Lake Project. We have always wanted to go beyond, what we have come to call, the scary bridge because we were going to have to undo our seats and slide through on our backs. It turned out to not be as scary as we thought but pretty much left us on the other side with the water to shallow to go further. It was fun though and out of the wind. It turned out the wind was the least of our problems. As we came back out on to the lake from the river it started raining. We kayaked under some trees and waited out the worst of it (no there was no lightning). After the rain the lake got perfectly calm but the fish still refused to bite. Eileen got some great pictures and video of a Green Heron however. We never fail to have fun at Gerber but we do want to find something new. It looks like we are off to the Kettle’s.

Gerber Again

Day 13 (7/12/09)
In spite of it being a very windy day we decided to try Gerber Lake again. We are going to have to go looking further afield if we want to get something new, maybe the Sheboygan River. It was the worst day fishing I have had on Gerber. I was actually skunked. I didn’t even have a strike until we were going in to the dock. It was a short but encouraging fight before it spit the lure and was off and running. As much fun as it is to fight the fish on light tackle I might have to go to something slightly stiffer to set the hook with bass.

Return to Gerber

Day 12 7/8/09)
Today we went back to Gerber Lake. Again it was a beautiful Wisconsin day. It was a little windy for fishing and half way through the wind changed to the opposite direction. The fish didn’t seem to be biting as well as last week but I managed to get one Northern and one small Bass. I have include video Eileen took of catching the small Bass. Eileen had a chance to try out her new camera. It is a Fujifilm Finepix WP. It is supposed to be waterproof. The best part of the trip was going up a small creek that runs into the lake. We went as far as we could before a snowmobile bridge impeded our progress. We decided to wait for another day to get past it. Again I am amazed by how little water it takes to float a kayak.

Rice Lake

Day 11 (7/4/09)
As these things go, just when you think you have got something mastered, fate slaps you back to reality. We had decided to take a morning spin in the kayaks before the afternoon madness of the fourth of July started. I knew of a nice quiet little bay in Rice Lake where I always wanted to try for some bass. Before I could get started though, I would have to put on something weed-less. So I pulled a weed-less mouse out of my tackle box and proceeded to change lures. Fortunately for me I had snapped closed my tackle box, because no sooner had I started to tie on the mouse then I dropped it over the side. In my over zealous attempt to grab the mouse I turned over the kayak and everything in it. The water wasn’t deep but it was muddy so I managed to have one of my “Crocs” (remember I mentioned earlier how crocs were the perfect footwear for kayaking) sucked off in the mud. Again, I learned a lesson easily because the croc was all that I lost. Note to self; always do everything in a kayak over the center of the boat. After that start, I did manage to catch a northern pike which flipped the hook as soon as I held it up for Eileen to photograph it. Oh well, the faster off the hook the better. Later, I had a huge strike but before I could set the hook it was off and running. I am never really ready to call it a day, but that was probably one of hardest days to come off the water I have ever had.

Red Cedar River

Day 10 continued (7/3/09)

Continuing with our theme of “You can do it all”, this afternoon we took the kayaks down the Red Cedar River. It was shallower then we had hoped but much faster then anything we had been on in the past. With another inch or two of water it would be really great. There were no spots where we had to get out but there were a couple where we had to kind of pole our way through. Given the number of riffles and small rapids it would be a blast in higher water. That being said it went much faster then we anticipated. I only had a couple of chances to fish before I was swept down another fast stretch. I will need an anchor or get out of the kayak if I want to do much fishing. I did manage to get several strikes and one small largemouth bass. It is definitely a must do again situation.

Patches

Day 10 (7/3/09)
This morning we went for a ride in “Patches”. Patches was the winter project of my mother in law Pat and her friend Don. It is a Micro Trawler they constructed out of signboard (plywood) and TLC. It is refreshing, in this day of mass consumerism and retail mania, that this homemade delight turns heads wherever it goes. Patches has the cuteness factor going for it. It has the look of a full-size trawler in a fourteen foot package. With a nine horse engine it isn’t going to break any speed records but it gets around fast enough. Because of its design it is very stable and easily fits four or five adults. It can even sleep two people if you are not at all claustrophobic. It was a beautiful day for a ride on the lake.