I loaded all my equipment on Tuesday evening and added the food Wednesday morning as I planned to leave directly from work around 2:00pm but it turned out that the best I could do was to leave at 4:30pm. I got to the lake at about 8:10pm and immediately inflated my float tube and put on my waders. I was fishing by 8:30. The water was perfectly still and there were fish rising everywhere, but they didn't care for my lure. The only action I got was an occassional bat hitting my line.
The next morning I fished for about 3 hours and caught a couple nice ones. I came in to eat breakfast and set up my tent and the "facility" that I built from scrap lumber and a new toilet seat. I expected John Jewkes or Mark Simpson and their kids to arrive by early afternoon, but it was a little bit later.
I fished about 9 hours on both Thursday and Friday and just about 3 hours on Saturday. Overall, I caught about 12 or 13 fish ranging from 15 inches to 20 inches, all Cutthroats. The water was pretty warm, so I think the fish were sluggish and down rather deep. It was still great fun to be there. I saw a lot of wildlife and took some fabulous pictures. The weather would have been absolutely perfect if not for a fairly strong wind that blew every afternoon and a really short rain shower on Thursday night.
When we weren't fishing or eating, we were playing cards (as is Doug's family's tradition and I have to be retaught each time) or riding on one of the four ATVs that Mark and John brought. Friday, we all rode up to the Ute Mountain Lookout Tower. It was fun. Later that night everyone except Nathan Jewkes, Eric (Nicole's husband whose last name escapes me) and I went to Long Park Res. to fish. They caught quite a few small planters and the 3 of us caught a few nice Cuts. Saturday morning Mark and John and all their boys went back to LP Res while I stayed and fished Sheep Creek.
The broke camp after a late breakfast and were gone by 12:30. I started taking down about when they were leaving and was on the road by 2:00. 3 hours later, I was back in the unbarable heat of Syracuse.
