That was a close one!
Every time I head out to the lake, I’m always going over every process in my head to make sure I do not miss a step. Today came close to being one of those “I can’t believe I did that days.”
Our evening started like any other. The boys and I had planned an evening fish on Ten Mile. I got everything ready at home prior to our departure. All our starting line up dodgers, lake trolls and lures were placed on our Okuma and Ugly Stik rods. My new trolling motor battery was purchased earlier today, so I put my 50lb thrust Minn Kota on the transom hoping my issues were just a dead battery.
Off to the lake we went. We loaded up our gear, but then I realized I had not installed our new Scotty swivel mounts and rocket launcher rod holders. By the time we were backing down the boat ramp it was 7:50pm and we were running out of daylight quickly.
Thankfully, my routine at the launch worked the way it should. I backed the trailer into the water and before unlocking the chain and strap I did my “last check” to ensure I had installed the boat plug. As quickly as I backed into the lake, I pulled my boat out to drain out the water it had taken on. This was a perfect reminder of how getting distracted while loading your boat can have a negative result if a “last minute” checklist is not followed prior to launching.
We were fishing by 8pm and had 4 fish in the cooler after we found the setup they were looking for. The winning setups of the evening were a Gibbs Dogtail dodger paired with a Gibbs bling blade on one rod and a Brad’s Extreme dodger paired with a pink Old Goat lure on the other rod. A combination of one kernel of my peaches and cream shrimp scented corn and one kernel of anise scented corn did the trick.
We caught our kokanee at 15ft off our Scotty 1085 downriggers. I’ve definitely missed these things and they made the evening enjoyable because of how easy they are to use.
As for my Minn Kota motor, I definitely have an issue with it and I’m really hoping Minn Kota can help us as it’s barely past its 2 year warranty (of which it spent 2 winters in my basement).
The evening ended like all evenings should. The gentle breeze and rocking boat put Ethan into a deep sleep on the boat before heading into the launch. Austin had a little more energy and was excited to cast for rainbows from shore as I loaded up the boat. It’s great to hear Austin say “Dad, I’m ready to catch some bigger fish.” and to also hear him agree that we still need to catch kokanee because they taste so great.
Hopefully we can get the boys into some bigger fish soon. They have been asking to catch some bigger fish so we have been starting to venture out into other fisheries and teaching them about how to catch salmon and Dragon Lake rainbows. Maybe next year we will do another pike and walleye trip too, but for now I hope to stay close to home and catch some of the big kokanee that British Columbia has to offer.