It Ain't Rainbows and Unicorns All the Time

What we see on social media (and usually what appears on this blog) does not tell you the entire story of someone's life or fishing experiences.  It's a highlight reel.  You see the good days and the successes.  I love social media and my blog because of this, however, it is easy to lose perspective on things.  It is easy to think, "Why don't I catch fish like that?  Why can't I catch more fish?  I wish I could go fishing more."  With that in mind, this is a post about the "other side of fishing".

What I mean is that this is a post about how my last couple of weeks have been.  No, this is not a post about catching big fish on every cast or magical days where everything you do seems to work.  This is a post about grinding through days that were unsatisfactory and, honestly, disappointing.  I will be the first person to tell you that I am not perfect nor am I the best fly fisher in the world.  The next few paragraphs will prove my point.

I have got to hit the water a total of two times in the last two weeks and the results were not what I was hoping for.  First, I woke up early on a Saturday morning and went fishing at a lake near my home.  The lake is called Rocky Hollow and is located in Excelsior Springs, Missouri.  It has a decent bass population and with the cooling water temps, I thought that I would be able to throw a craft fur minnow over some submerged brush which would result in putting at least a couple of bass in the boat.  Instead, I got skunked with that method.  I only caught 5 fish total after switching to a small jig under a strike indicator.  It was not a great day but hey, the weather was nice.

One week later found me on Lake Taneycomo.  My wife and I went there for the annual brown trout run and had the hopes of catching some fish in the 18-22 inch range.  I fished for one afternoon and two mornings (one of them resulted in me getting skunked) and my efforts resulted in me landing exactly four fish.  I missed a few more fish which stung a little more because the opportunities were so few and far between.  The last fish I caught was a chunky rainbow but that was the underwhelming highlight of the trip.  The fish were spooky, the water was low, and the strategies I employed didn't work well.  

I'm not writing this to complain about fishing spots or fishing conditions.  I'm not whining about a lack of catches or small fish.  I'm just showing the "other side" of my fishing experiences.  If you spend enough days on the water, you will find that there are good days, bad days, and days that have a little bit of both.  I think the bad days can remind us about how good the great days are.  On the other hand, the good days should be appreciated because of how the bad days can leave such a poor taste in your mouth.  That is my perspective and that is, at least partially, the point of this blog.  Good luck on the water and the next time you have a fishing experience that feels disappointing, just know that we all have them and better days are on the horizon.

Craft Fur Minnows Now Available in the Online Fly Shop

Link to purchase craft fur minnow flies: https://www.etsy.com/listing/4554106401/2-pack-of-craft-fur-minnows-baitfish

It is a pleasure to announce a new listing in the online fly shop that can be found on Etsy.  This little devil has not only put a lot of fish in my boat this summer, but it's also put a lot of different species in my hands as well.  This fly has landed largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, and bluegill in the last few months.  With the amount of success that I have had with this fly on the water, it has earned a space in the online fly shop!

This fly is tied on a size 2 hook and as the name suggests, it is mostly made of a material called craft fur.  It is an unweighted fly and while it does sink, it has a slow sink rate.  This fly can be fished just below the surface with floating line or can be fished in deeper water with a sinking or sink tip line.  It imitates a baitfish that is about 3 inches long.  In the water, it is long and skinny like a minnow.  It also has a taper to it which makes the fly get skinnier towards the back of the fly.  Most of it's mass is towards the front of the fly which resembles a minnow well as they are equally proportional.

Link to purchase craft fur minnow flies: https://www.etsy.com/listing/4554106401/2-pack-of-craft-fur-minnows-baitfish

 

Justin's Story of Sweet Redemption

Justin is a darn good friend of mine.  He's smart, dependable, and generous.  We also happen to teach at the same middle school.  The aforementioned characteristics that make him a good friend also make him a good teacher.  On top of all of that, he helps me facilitate the after school fly fishing club that I have operated for 15 years.  Since he became a facilitator, he has made a huge, positive impact on club members.

On a recent trip with the fly fishing club, Justin had an encounter with a largemouth bass the likes of which I have never witnessed before.  Justin was throwing a six inch, chartreuse game changer on a 7 weight rod.  He wasn't catching anything but the club members recognized that he was chasing big fish with a big fly.  Towards the end of the evening, some club members spotted a big (in relation to what we were catching) largemouth bass cruising the shallows on a consistent basis.  When the bass refused their offerings, they called for Justin to try to catch the beast.

I wouldn't have believed this story if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.  In over thirty years of fishing, I had never seen anything close to what I witnessed on this particular day.  I watched this 3-4 pound largemouth bass eat Justin's fly approximately 7 times.  Sometimes he didn't take the fly all the way to the hook.  Sometimes Justin missed a hook set.  Sometimes the bass spit the fly before a hook could be set.  Sometimes it was barely hooked, came off the hook, and returned to the shallows seconds later.  It was like the bass was begging to be caught by Justin.  Tragically, the evening ended without Justin landing the bass.  While this seemed like the end of the story...it was not!

Fast forward one week later, the fly fishing club was back on the water at a different location.  Towards the end of the evening, Justin started throwing the same six inch, chartreuse game changer on the same 7 weight rod.  While he had a few bumps while casting into deep water off a dam, he didn't land anything.  As the sun was setting and we were about to end our evening on the water, some students started yelling across the lake to Justin.  They said that they had "spotted his old buddy" and that a big largemouth was cruising in some shallow water near them.  

If you're realizing that this story is sounding familiar, you should!  It is important to mention, again, that this was not the same lake as the previous week.  This was not the same fish but what happened next was almost identical to what Justin had experienced one week prior.  It is also worth noting that this largemouth was bigger than the first one I mentioned.  It was significantly bigger.

Over the next couple of minutes, the bass ate Justin's game changer two times but never got properly hooked.  When Justin set the hook the third time however, he pierced the upper lip of the bass and the fight was on.  All of the club member, as well as myself, rushed to Justin's location to see the fish and curious if Justin was going to land the leviathan.  The fish made some surges towards some aquatic vegetation and we all held our collective breath.  Some club members started to rush towards the edge of the water and I ushered them out of Justin's way.  I didn't want any of them to interfere although I know they had good intentions.  This was Justin's moment and I wanted him to in control of the situation.

After only a minute or two, the fish tired and Justin eased it toward the shore.  When he grabbed the lip of the bass (with what I can only assume was a mighty grip), the entire group yelled out in excitement.  Fists were raised in victory.  High fives were exchanged.  Smiles adorned every face.  After the moment sank in, I ran to grab a scale and a tape measurer.  We needed to find out just how big this trophy was!

The tale of the tape was a little over 22 inches long and the fish weighed in right at 5 pounds!  We got the fish in the water quickly after some pictures and video.  I am proud to state that the fish swam off with plenty of energy and very little aid was needed to help get it on its way.

The rest of the evening was filled with an analysis of the catch, retelling of the events that transpired, and talk of how to give the memory its proper amount of commemoration.  Justin shared pictures on his phone and told his wife about what happened.  I sent pictures to friends, family, and our school administrators.  The next morning, the story had grown to the point where people that I hadn't even told the story to were asking about the details of the catch.  

Justin is not the type of person to brag about personal accomplishments and he never did.  He expressed gratitude for the moment.  He talked about the appreciation he had for the fish.  He talked about how he was happy to have experienced the moment with club members and myself.  It was nice to see something so exceptional happen to my friend that gives so much to others but never expects anything in return.  This catch and memory mean a lot to my friend and it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy!

Fly Fishing Themed Cowboy Hat Band

First of all, I ain't no cowboy.  However, I appreciate what cowboys and cowboy hats symbolize.  To me, they stand for a variety of things.  I found the following list, also known as "The Code of the West" at https://visitjacksonhole.com/the-code-of-the-west and I feel like it does a good job of describing the characteristics that I appreciate when it comes to what cowboys symbolize.

• Live each day with courage
• Take pride in your work
• Always finish what you start
• Do what has to be done
• Be tough, but fair
• When you make a promise, keep it
• Ride for the brand
• Talk less and say more
• Remember that some things aren’t for sale
• Know where to draw the line

I like this code, set of principles, or whatever you want to call it.  That's why I sometimes wear a cowboy hat.  I also grew up wanting to be a cowboy so my love for the western lifestyle can be traced into my childhood.  In addition, the owner of American Hat Company once said, "“You don't have to live the lifestyle, you just have to love it.”  Granted, the guy is trying to sell hats but I like where he is coming from.  I also read a quote from an unknown author that stated, "“Some people are born with a cowboy heart, even if they've never been on a horse."  I dig that too.

What I DON'T like about cowboy hats are their sometimes plain, always overpriced, sometimes boring hat bands.  You already see where this is going don't you?  I wanted a hat band that was personal.  I wanted a hat band that I made with my own hands.  I also wanted a hat band that showed off my passion for fly fishing.  After a lot of brainstorming and experimentation, I arrived at what I felt was my optimum design for a fly fishing cowboy hat band.

The pictures below are going to tell the story better than I can.  A picture is worth a thousand words and you might not want to read 19 thousand words.  To summarize however, I started with three old fly lines.  I then selected a fly and ran it through one of the lines.  I then made an overhand knot.  From there, I braided the three lines, and tied them off with another overhand knot.  I then measured the band on the hat to determine the right length.  I then used super glue gel to hold the braid together at the point I selected and cut off the knot and excess.  Finally, I used the hook of the fly as a clasp and poked it through the braided line in a place that made the band tight but not too tight.  I tucked in the excess line and was done.

The number of cowboys in this world seems to be shrinking.  On top of that, the community of fly fishers is small compared to the number of conventional anglers.  When you look at the number of fly fishers that wear cowboy hats, the number is pretty small.  I thought about trying to sell a few of these but I believe my target audience is pretty small.  With that being said, if you want me to make you one, send me an email and I'm sure we can work something out.  I can customize fly line colors and fly patterns to fit your wishes.  Feel free to email me at showmeflyguy@gmail.com and thanks for reading!

 

I Caught a Big (to me) Channel Catfish on a Fly!

On a recent Saturday morning, my wife, Wendy, my dog, Waylon, and I headed to a lake that I had never taken them before.  I cannot disclose the location of this lake because swore to keep the location of this lake a secret.  I had a couple of good friends share it with me but I promised to not share the name or location of the spot.  I'm not trying to be a jerk to readers but instead, I'm trying to uphold a promise that I made my friends.  Now that we are through the formalities, let me say that things did not start off the way I was hoping.

This particular lake is known for having good populations of big largemouth, crappie, and bluegill.  I don't know what is in the water in this lake but good gracious does it hold some nice fish!  I told my wife about the quality of fish we were looking to catch and in all honesty, I was trying to get her excited about getting up early on a Saturday morning and hitting the water with me.  As it turned out, we caught the lake on what I would call an "off day".  We didn't catch any bluegill, the bass we caught were small, and we only managed to catch one nice bluegill.  At one point of the morning, I actually said out loud, "We need to catch something worth a darn.  I'm going to be ticked off if we drove all this way and don't end up with a good story."  Minutes later, I got my memorable experience.

I had been throwing a Captain Quint streamer for big largemouth and crappie but I didn't get a single bite on that fly.  Wendy had been throwing a small jig under an indicator and had only managed to catch a small green sunfish and a little bluegill.  As with most things in life, I subscribe to the idea that the best options sometimes exists in the middle of two options.  What I mean is that a big, weightless streamer and a small, weighted jig didn't catch anything and that maybe a smaller weighted streamer might be worth throwing.  If the fish weren't shallow and didn't want a small meal, then maybe something medium size but heavy might entice them.  Just for good measure, I decided to tie on two streamers and settled on a pair of unhackled buggers as my best option.  I chose olive because the water was fairly murky.

Aside from changing flies, we also changed locations.  I went looking for some drop-offs and some deeper water.  I found what I was looking for and decided to cast to shallow water and to strip the flies into deeper water so that they could ride the contour of the changing water depths.  In other words, I was just trying to cover different parts of the water column in different depths of water.  I located a shallow mud flat that slowly descended to deeper water and made a cast.  My fly hadn't been in the water for 2 seconds before a felt a tug, set the hook, and watched a large forked tail slap the water not fewer than 10 times!

All I can guess is that I must have hit feeding a channel cat right on the nose with my fly and that the water was so shallow that it's tail and a lot of its body came out of the water when he went vertical and tried to swim to the bottom.  Wendy and I couldn't believe what we had seen and heard.  The behavior was probably amplified by the fact that we hadn't caught much that morning and this moment was a very big stray from our norm.  After the initial flurry of activity, the fish headed for deeper water and the fight was on!

The fish changed strategies a couple of times during the fight.  Sometimes it ran to open water and sometimes it ran to cover in the shallows.  I tried to situate the boat between the fish and cover in order to deter it from getting my line wrapped around some branches or vegetation and giving it the necessary leverage to break my line or come unhooked.  After putting a serious bend in my fly rod for about 10 minutes, I finally got the monster into the net.

Relief slowly faded as my excitement grew exponentially.  Wendy and I looked at the fish in silent reverence for a moment, but the laughter and hoots of excitement filled the air quickly.  I couldn't believe that my slow morning had changed into something so surprising.  The length and mass of the catfish was as big as I had ever caught before.  And finally, in my opinion, I was thoroughly impressed by how beautiful the fish was.  The pewter and gold hues that sparkled in the sun were breathtaking.

After a few measurements and pictures, the behemoth swam away without any assistance or revival.  The tale of the tape of this channel cat was 25 and 1/2 inches long and 6 pounds, 8 ounces.  This catch represents one of the reasons that I love to fish.  You never know what is going to happen.  A slow day can become really exciting in an instant.  Big fish are memorable and make for great stories as well.  I fish for the thrill, not the kill, and this fish provided a rush of adrenaline that I absolutely love!

Lawson City Lake

I really like fishing in small lakes.  Specifically, I like small lakes that are 100 acres or less.  Typically, here in Missouri, lakes of this size allow boats on them but are limited to only allowing the use of electric motors or outboards that operate without creating a wake.  I like these lakes and restrictions because I like the fact that I don't have to worry about people skiing, large boats creating wakes, or dealing with heavy boat traffic.  I thought that I knew about every small lake in the Kansas City area until I heard about Lawson City Lake in Lawson, Missouri.  

After learning about this lake, I instantly wanted to visit it.  I was curious about the species and size of fish that call this lake home.  What also piqued my curiosity was that I found out that walleye are stocked in this lake on an annual basis.  I had never caught a walleye on a fly rod before and while chasing them with a fly in a lake during the peak of summer is not optimal, it was still a possibility.  One day, my curiosity and optimism convinced me to hook my boat trailer up to my truck and head north.

When I arrived at the lake, I was thoroughly impressed by the amenities.  The parking lot looked new.  The boat ramp was paved and in pristine shape.  In addition, all I had to do was pull my truck forward to a parking space and then back it straight back to put the trailer back in the water.  It doesn't get much more convenient than that!  There were also some nice restrooms, a walking trail, and a life jacket loaner program.  There were even kayaks that you could rent by using an app on your phone!

By the time I hit the water, I was hoping that the fishery was going to be able to compete with the amazing setup that the city of Lawson had provided.  In short, it did not.  It was a slow morning.  I caught 2 largemouth on a streamer and a few bluegill on some jigs under indicators.  There were no walleye sightings although I do think I found some with my electronics.  I know this sounds cliche, but it was a beautiful morning regardless and I loved being on this body of water.

I believe that it is important to note that maybe it was ME that was off and not the fish.  Maybe the fish were moody on this particular outing.  Maybe I was throwing the wrong flies.  Maybe I fished spots that didn't hold fish.  More data is needed and you better believe that I will be going back to see if the fishing is different than on the one morning I fished the lake.  Stay tuned for more on this pretty piece of water.

Fishing West Lake near Lakeside Hotel & Casino...Part 2

Well, it didn't take very long for me to return to West Lake.  If you missed the previous post about me fishing at this lake, just click here.  If you don't want to read the entire post, please allow me to summarize.  This lake is located near a casino in Osceola, Iowa.  My wife likes to gamble and I like to fish.  While she is playing slots, I'm on the water.  During my last visit (which was the first time that I had ever fished this body of water) I caught quite a few crappie on a craft fur minnow.  The fish were close to the bank, in the shade, and willing to run down a streamer.  It felt appropriate to try the same approach and investigate whether the pattern had changed from what it was 2 weeks prior.

Like last time, I fished this lake in the evening.  I headed straight toward the shade where I had caught a few crappie on my previous trip.  I had a feeling that the pattern I found on the previous trip would not be in effect, but it seemed like a good place to start.  This lake was still pretty new to me and I am still trying to learn where the fish are and what they are eating this time of year.  To my utter shock and amazement, I caught a largemouth bass on my first cast and realized that the pattern had indeed changed.

As my boat approached the shade that I wanted to target, I started letting out some line and making a few casts that were intended to be practice casts to get me ready for casts that were intended to tempt fish.  What shocked me, beside the bass as I had only caught crappie on this lake previously, was the fact that the bite came approximately thirty yards off the bank.  Along with that, the fly that I was throwing was weightless and I worked it close to the surface of the water.  I was NOT expecting to catch anything that far off the bank and that close to the surface.

I thought that this fish as an aberration or outlier so I positioned my boat near the shallows and stripped my fly from the bank to my boat.  I fished this way for about 20 minutes without a single take.  It was at this point that I decided to move the boat about 30 yards off the bank to see if that largemouth that I caught was an accident or something that would offer more hookups.  

Over the course of the next 2 hours, every fish was caught the exact same way.  Thirty yards off the bank, on a craft fur minnow that was unweighted, and in the shade that was extending into the water as the sun set.  This was one of the strangest patterns that I have ever seen especially when you couple the pattern with the fact that I didn't see any fish chasing bait to the surface of the lake.  The only conclusion that I can draw is that bass were schooling baitfish in open water (like hybrid stripers do) and feeding on singles that were straying from the school.  The only other guess that I have is that bass were hanging out in the thermocline and weren't afraid to dart out of the cooler water to grab a passerby near the surface.  Regardless, I found the entire situation strange and foreign to me.

After I had exhausted the pattern as much as I could in the water that fit the mold, I started trolling and casting for hybird striped bass.  There were a few blow ups, and some signs that hybrids were eating baitfish in open water but I never hooked into one.  It felt like I was chasing ghosts.  By that I mean that if I moved my boat towards some hybird activity, the activity was over by the time I arrived.  While I was a little bummed to not catch any hybrids, it sure was fun catching the largemouth that I was able to find.

So what can you, as the reader of this post, take away from my experience?  In my opinion, I would answer that question by stating that you should never be afraid to try new and seemingly strange things.  I have learned to pay attention to the information that fish and a lake are passing along to you.  Even if the information seems strange, paying attention to your observations is extremely important.  Like me, making inferences and adjustments just might be the difference between a productive time on the water and not catching anything!

Fishing West Lake near Lakeside Hotel & Casino in Osceola, Iowa

You can see Lakeside Casino in the background.

My wife, Wendy, likes to gamble.  I like to gamble a little bit but not as much as she likes to gamble.  I like to fish.  My wife likes to fish a little bit but not as much as I like to fish.  A few weeks ago, we came across something that made us both happy in our own unique ways.  Please allow me to introduce you to Lakeside Hotel & Casino in Osceola, Iowa.

Wendy and I had been to Lakeside in the past a couple of times.  I bet on a few football games and she played slot machines in the casino.  Prior to leaving however, we decided to take a look at the lake that Lakeside Casino is situated near and literally on.  It looked pretty and like it had potential to hold a lot of fish.  Upon further investigation, I found out that the lake holds the usual species (largemouth, crappie, bluegill, and catfish) but also held populations of hybrid striped bass and even muskie!  This got my attention and I never forgot about this lake.

A few weeks ago Wendy and I were looking for something to do.  We wanted to get out of town but couldn't decide where to go or what to do.  We eventually settled on going to Lakeside.  It seemed like she could have fun gambling while I took a small boat and went fishing on the lake.  As fate would have it, that's exactly what happened.  We had an absolute blast but I would like to take a moment and focus on the fishing.

While I had never fished West Lake (that's the actual name of the lake that the casino is near/on) before, I had fished a lot of lakes that were comparable in size and location.  Honestly, it reminded me of a larger version of Watkins Mill.  There were a few points, some coves, and a little bit of structure along the bank.  It was late in the day so I positioned my boat near the shade that was building along the west bank which was not a long trip from the boat ramp.  My little two-man boat was only fashioned with a trolling motor and a single batter so I didn't feel inclined to explore the entire lake.

As I slowly motored toward the shade, I noticed A LOT of baitfish near the surface of the water.  I even found a few dead shad along the way as well.  These two facts told me that fishing a streamer was probably a good fly to start fishing with.  I tied on a craft fur minnow for a few reasons.  First, it came pretty close to being the right size and shape of the baitfish I was seeing.  Second, the fly is weightless.  I didn't know what kind of structure or vegetation was below the surface of this lake and I wanted to avoid snags.  Finally, I had enjoyed some luckwith this fly on recent trips and since it was a proven fly for crappie and bass in a few different places, it gave me a little confidence in its effectiveness on a lake that was new to me.

It is rare for me to find early success on a new lake.  Finding the right fly and putting it in the right place and finding the right pattern usually takes time.  This was not one of those days.  I found a bunch of crappie in the 10-11 inch range right off the bat!  They were about 5 feet off the bank and willing to eat the craft fur minnow I was throwing.  Simply put, it was awesome!  I landed enough fish to make me happy but I also missed enough to make me mad at myself.  

As I was coming off the water, I felt both lucky and fortunate.  I also felt like this setup, which made both my wife and I happy for different reasons, was something that needed to be revisited and enjoyed more often.  As fate would have it, the return trip happened just a couple of weeks later but was a very different experience.  Stay tuned for more!

This was one of a few crappie that took down a craft fur minnow.

That is my wife, longing for my presence as she stares at me through a window near the casino.

Fishing a Private Lake with My Buddy Nate

Private lakes are special places.  They can hold big fish, lots of fish, and sometimes they can hold lots of big fish.  Most times, the fish don't get as much pressure as they do on public lakes.  In my opinion, that makes them a little less educated and to me, it makes them easier to catch.  Private lakes/ponds also tend to be smaller than public lakes/ponds which gives the fish fewer places to hide as well.  There also tends to be fewer people fishing the lake/pond which can give an angler time to fish every spot on the water that looks like it could be holding fish.  Like I stated, private lakes/ponds are special.

When my buddy Nate invited me to fish a private lake in central Missouri, I was immediately interested to join him and full of excitement.  Nate also told me that he had fished the lake for many years and knew where the fish spent most of their time.  He told me that he was one of the few people that fishes at the lake so the fishing pressure was low.  He assured me that we were going to have a good time and catch enough fish to make the hour and a half drive worth the time and cost of gas.  So with a box of flies to tempt largemouth bass and my Maxxon Double XX 7 weight fly rod, I headed towards Nate's location.

I met up with Nate at his house, put my gear in his truck, and we headed to our destination.  I hope you can understand why I cannot disclose our exact location.  It is out of an abundance of caution that I don't share the spot.  I don't want to upset the landowner or Nate in any way.  I am always happy to share my fishing spots on public water but I have to keep private water information to myself.

When we arrived at the lake, we both started to prep our individual float tubes.  While I hadn't fished out of a tube in years, Nate uses one frequently during the summer and is more comfortable with his setup.  I, however, struggled to put my flippers on, get strapped into my float tube, and get my gear situated in the pockets.  After clumsily getting into the water, Nate and I had approximately 20 yards of large lily pads to kick through.  

Just after I made it to open water, Nate informed me that I had picked up a rather large spider on my raft.  I'll be honest, I don't care for spiders.  I've slowly gotten over my fears but when I saw that this particular spider was almost the size of a donut, I freaked out.  I might have splashed water, used foul language, and had a higher pitched voice than normal.  It was embarrassing but effective.

As we kicked across the lake to our first fishing spot, Nate informed me about the spots that we would be fishing.  He pointed them out and gave me some information about each spot.  Next, he graciously informed me that I would be hitting all of the good spots first and then he would fish the same spots with a different streamer and try to coax any fish that I missed.  I thought this was very generous of him, but then again, that's the kind of guy that Nate is!

I asked Nate about what streamers he thought I should throw and he said I should use something 3-4 inches long that didn't get too deep because there was aquatic vegetation growing up from the bottom of the lake that would give me fits if my fly got into it.  I decided to go with a Captain Quint because it is a weightless fly with a really slow sink rate and worked really well for me during the late spring and early summer of this year.  It is a big enough fly that smaller fish can't take it down but not so big that comes off as overwhelming to larger fish.

With a plan in place and with gear that was rigged and ready to go, we started catching fish!  The takes were aggressive and hard to miss.  I cannot remember how many fish I missed but I landed significantly more fish than I missed.  I didn't catch a ridiculous number of fish and I didn't catch anything I would call monstrous but it was exactly what I was hoping for.  The takes came in places that looked "fishy" and I didn't catch a single fish I would call a "dink".  The evening passed by way too fast and while gazing at a beautiful sunset, we kicked our tubes back towards where our trucks were parked near the bank.

This lake provided exactly what a good private lake can provide.  There were lots of opportunities to catch fish and the fish were good in terms of quality.  The takes were aggressive and the fish were not picky.  If you ever get a chance to fish a private lake, take it.  If you have access to a private lake already, enjoy it.  And if you have a friend that is as gracious as Nate to share a private spot with you, be grateful!