With bass season finally here. I got together with a friend to kayak fish my favourite smallmouth river. I gathered all my bass flies and got my six weight with a floating line and an extra spool lined with a "Streamer Express" line. When I got up at 4 a.m. it was pretty windy so I replaced the 6 weight with a 9 weight floater and an 8 weight fast sinker. Well even those weights were no match for the strong winds which pushed us back upriver as we tried to drift down. Fishing was tough under those windy conditions and all we had to show near the end of our float was a small smallmouth that my friend caught almost in sight of the takeout. I had missed one fish that struck right beside the yak and I was headed for a no fish day. However, I stopped flailing with the flyrod and started tossing a Storm "HotnTot" with my baitcaster. Just before the takeout my first ever musky nailed the lure and after an exciting battle, I brought him to the net. Thank the Lord that I had remembered my pliers. The fish slimed me pretty well but didn't do any damage. The debarbed hooks came free and I was able to get the fish back in the water to fight another day. This fish definitely made my day. Now I want to get one on the flyrod.
