Hit Mirror Lake for a few hours yesterday afternoon. Started fishing around 5:30. The wife and kids wanted to fish with a fly and bubble so I took the pole that was most set up and finished rigging it. It already had a small double renegade so that is what we started with. I cast it out and handed it to my daughter to reel in. I started rigging up another pole when, of course, my daughter reported that there was something wrong her the pole. Yep, rats nest, first cast. I stopped rigging the second pole and started fixing the first one. I cast out about 30 feet to get to the bottom of the rats nest, and when the knots were out of the line, I was taking up the slack when BAM, fish on. I handed the pole to my daughter to finish reeling in. We put a little but tasty 9 inch brookie onto the stringer. I cast that pole out again and handed it to my other daughter. I started rigging the second pole again and before I got anything tied on, “daddy I got one on”. I stopped rigging the second pole to take care of that fish. Fishing was good… My first daughter says, “daddy I want to fish with my own pole”. “Okay”, I say, “give me a minute.” I cast the pole out again and handed it over. Started rigging the second pole. Finished. Cast it out and hand it over too. Now I need to recast the first pole. Do that, hand over. Start rigging third pole. “Daddy, I got one.” Stop rigging, take care of fish. “Daddy, something is wrong with my pole”. “Okay, hang on, I’m coming”. Cast out pole and hand over. Start fixing bunged up pole. “Daddy I have a fish”. “Daddy, will you finish my pole?” “Hang On!” Fix pole, cast out, hand over. “Daddy, I want…”, “Daddy..” … You get the picture. I lasted about an hour and a half. “We are going to roast the hotdogs NOW!!”
Long story short, six fish total, 5 average planters and the brookie. Three of four poles so fouled up I will need to replace all the line on them. I only got to reel in 4 casts at most. But… I really do like taking them fishing. They love it too.
Funny thing though, after a while the fish were jumping like crazy, more than at first, but we stopped catching fish. We obviously needed a different fly. I have had this experience several times at Mirror Lake, where the fish are jumping like mad and I can’t get a hit. If I could just figure out the Mirror Lake fly…
