The Great Metaphor of Fishing

July 26, 2012 by

One Fine Passion

I am fortunate to carry a passion for fishing in my heart. I’ve learned many things from it that apply directly to successes in life, in relationships and in the study of things.

North Idaho has it all when it comes to the great outdoors. Taking part in what’s here in a meaningful way adds life to my old bones and brings enthusiasm into my daily enterprise. I find that when I relate to the Nature around me in this positive way that I then also relate in positive ways to the people and challenges found in business.

A night fisherman enjoys a quite and often bountiful return on a bass lake in North Idaho.

I caught this scene of a friend fishing for bass and crappie on Shepherd Lake in North Idaho. The rewards of night-time fishing are often exceptional fish and tremendous peace and solitude for the soul.

So fishing became a metaphor where I could lay things out for comparison and see a little better into other events unfolding in my life. The river flows. On it and in it there are many dangers, many surprises and a delightful bounty when you learn to read it and become one with it. I call this latter notion my Zen Attitude, though I don’t study Zen or practice it knowledgeably. Like the metaphor, my Zen Attitude is simply a parallel to a known philosophy. I like to get into The Zone, for instance where thoughts are not being thought, but realizations and insights occur in the moment where I’m in a fully cooperative relationship with the water and air environments around me.

At this stage of my life when most of my friends have retired (but not all, and certainly not me), recreational fishing is a way of analyzing the complexities of modern life and of finding balance within it all. I’ve made many solid friendships too along the way, either on shore or wading or in a boat; and many of those relationships like Mike Robertson of Calgary’s Bow River Blog have become lifelong albeit long distant fishing buddies.

It adds richness to life even in these times.

~Dwayne Parsons on Twitter @IFishWrite

A Tell Tale Sign in the Water

July 12, 2012 by

Predator of Another Kind

I had just pushed off Go Fish Charter’s Fishing Guide, Chad Landrum, and his happy 3-man charter from my dock where they had come into lunch and share their stories of a good morning on walleye. As the boat moved out and took current under his engine, I saw this carcass floating right beside the dock. At first glance I thought it was small mouth bass, and told Chad on the phone that’s what I thought I had seen. He told me he had seen it as well and that he thought it was a tench, and ancient holdover generally considered a scrap fish.

An ancient fish species fairly common to Lake Pend Oreille and it's outlet river.

When I first saw this large tench floating on the surface, half eaten, I knew something unusual had surely invaded our water.

The Phenomenon

Chad was right. when I processed the digital and looked at it more carefully, I could see that it was indeed a tench. Though the eyes are the same color as that of a small mouth, the head is shaped differently, showing the bottom feeder of a non-predatory genealogy. What I found most interesting was the way in which the obviously dead fish had been eaten. The bite and scratch marks were not recognizably like anything I had ever seen on aquatic carrion in North Idaho. I went on about my business just kind of puzzled, trying to think what kind of animal or bird would have eaten a dead fish in that manner.

It wasn’t until the following day when we hosted the Cofrances family of kids and two of their close friends that the mystery came to light. I heard one of the older teens, Bob Byrum’s daughter, Beth Byrum, exclaim that there was a large turtle in the water at the edge of the sandy shoreline. Beth is the youngest member of an incredible singing group, Sarabeth, that I hope to feature sometime on this or another site.

I expected to see a Painted Turtle, a variety common to these waters; instead, I was surprised to see, when she picked it up, that it was in fact a non-native Snapping Turtle. I had seen them before on a trip through the South.

This prehistoric looking turtle is a Snapping Turtle, imported somehow, not likely home-grown, certainly not native to North Idaho waters.

It was immediately obvious by the size of the head and concave dish-like shape of the shell that this Snapping Turtle, caught by Beth Byrum, was not a normal North Idaho Painted Turtle.

That was now several days ago. I’ve mentioned it to half a dozen people I know and was surprised to learn that others who’ve lived around Lake Pend Oreille all of their lives have seen them before also. My brother-in-law for one had heard something scratching in his garage a year ago or so and was shocked to find a Snapping Turtle sitting on the seat of his riding lawnmower.

Invasive Species

How they got here is anybody’s guess. I say probably an aquarium release of a young turtle or two when someone moved. Who knows. I can only guess at this point that they are reproducing. This one was a male. It was obvious–let’s just leave it at that.

I certainly intend to question Idaho Department of Fish & Game officials about it. I’ll show them the photos if they laugh at me. And if I learn more, I’ll share it here on IFishWrite.

~Dwayne on Twitter @IFishWrite

 

Of Bounties, Fines and Plenitude

July 5, 2012 by
A Dolly Varden in the states is still illegal. Catch one and you must release it.

You want to know if that’s a Dolly Varden, Lake Trout or Brook Trout. One would cost you mightily, one you can make money on Pend Oreille and the other you can keep. Two of them are char, the other is a true trout; yet they all have similar markings and those who seldom fish might not know what they caught.

Know Your Fish

I fish with a lot of different people in any given season. Many of them are from out-of-state and many are new to fishing altogether. The problem is we, like many states, have an increasingly complex set of regulations; yet the burden of knowledge rests on the angler. Many novice fishers don’t know a peno from a whitefish. In one case, I kept quiet. They would learn at the dinner table.

Go Figure

Your ability to correctly identify a fish caught in the Lake Pend Oreille reservoir and river systems as well as in the Clark Fork River flowing into North Idaho from Montana can mean the difference between reward and violation. This includes North Idaho’s Pack River, the primary river feeding the north end of Lake Pend Oreille and it’s tributary streams as well as lesser streams flowing directly into the lake system, of which there are many. Your knowledge of what fish is which may be the difference between a hefty fine, a sometimes hefty fish for the table or a rather hefty bounty for catching a predator the Idaho Department of Fish & Game deems undesirable to the Pend Oreille Lake fishery.

The Bounty

Though this is likely the last season on this system to carry a bounty on Lake Trout (Mackinaw), IF&G is contemplating introducing its controversial but effective plan on North Idaho’s Priest Lake system in 2013. The objective in this aggressive management policy is to reduce large predators considered responsible for the collapse of kokanee populations in these large bodies of water.

Kokanee (sometimes locally referred to as “bluebacks” are a variety of landlocked sockeye salmon that in good years run12 to 15 inches and populate in very large schools. Hunters and wood harvesters will often see red kokanee in huge numbers on streams that flow directly into these lakes from as early as October well into December as these freshwater salmon go upstream to spawn and die for the next generation of the species.

Kokanee were once so abundant in Lake Pend Oreille and Priest Lake that there was a commercial fishery for them. When I was in junior high school in the early 1960s, we could hand-line for them and keep 50 apiece. By the mid-90′s, the Priest Lake population had collapsed and those in Lake Pend Oreille were in danger of collapsing. The predator management policy introduced first on Lake Pend Oreille was a desperate measure by the department to cull large predators from the system where everything else had failed to revitalize the kokanee numbers.

 

A 13# Lake Pend Oreille Mackinaw

This Lake Trout, also called Mackinaw, weighed 13 pounds and provided good meat for the smokehouse. It also brought a $15 reward from the Idaho Fish & Game predator reduction program.

In 2010, a bounty of $15 per head was placed on Mackinaw Trout (they are actually a char) as well as the Rainbow Trout in the lake as an incentive to reduce the over-abundant populations of these two species, and that under a harsh cry from avid anglers who were sure IF&G was destroying a legendary fishery. However the incentive dominated. some guys, giving in, made a fair living harvesting Lakers and Rainbow despite the fact that specialists from New Finland were brought in to net Mackinaw off their known spawning beds. Biologists radio-tagged some large macks to follow them to their redds and maps were drawn to show the netters where these large lake trout were choosing to spawn.

The third species in this discussion is the brook trout. You won’t likely catch one in the lake and river system other than some fair-sized ones on occasion in streams like Cocollala Creek. I’ve never taken one or heard of anyone catching one in the Pend Oreille River or Lake. Neither one is suitable habitat. I mention Brook Trout because their markings are very similar to that of Dolly Varden. Mackinaw, especially younger first-year and second-year specimens could be misconstrued to be Brook Trout by anyone not familiar with distinctions. So the point is: read the regulations and do as they suggest. Know the differences and respect what you catch. Beyond that, go and enjoy a good day’s catch!

~Dwayne K Parsons on Twitter @IFishWrite

Let’s Never Forget

July 5, 2012 by

The Fourth of July Is A Celebration of Memories and Reason

Fourth of July fireworks over the city beach of Sandpoint are as memorable here as they are anywhere else. The glitter and glory of colorful explosions, parades and festivities can be quite entertaining and they create memories, but there’s a very important historical reason we celebrate.

Let’s Not Forget

Now in my 64th year, I celebrate the 4th of July in North Idaho with a pensive heart because i don’t want to ever forget the many men and women who paid with their lives for the freedoms we enjoy. Let’s not forget those who are crippled physically and mentally either–because they paid also a price for us to enjoy these times.

I can’t imagine any one of those serving America wanted to die or be injured or suffer remorse later. Certainly I want to enjoy a holiday like this, and I do; but to go on without mention of these lives lost and ruined is to ignore the pain that brought us the freedoms we have.

Let’s do our best to hold on to the independence we so valiantly earned.

~Dwayne K Parsons on Twitter @IFishWrite

 

 

Why Fish Color Varies from One Location to Another

June 29, 2012 by

Camouflage

Coloration within a fish species quite often varies from one lake, river or stream to another. Sometimes these color differences are so slight they can hardly be distinguished from one location to the next.  In other cases, the distinction is so prevalent, the fish can appear to be a variety of the same species; but to my knowledge the variance in coloration is simply a camouflage adaptation to match the general color of the bottom of the body of water.

A prize large mouth bass from McArthur Resevoir, near Sandpoint, Idaho.

This handsome large mouth bass illustrates the species’ ability to adapt its camouflage coloration to the dark-colored spring weeds of MacArthur Reservoir, a North Idaho wildlife and bird refuge north of the resort town of Sandpoint.

Fish Wear Camo Too

This unretouched photograph of a prize large mouth bass was taken on a rather dark, grey day. The particularly dark coloration of near black on this bass, however, is typical of MacArthur Reservoir large mouth. It’s a species adaption that allows individual fish to blend with the dark color of this shallow bird sanctuary where fish hawks are plentiful and capable.

~Dwayne K Parsons on Twitter @IFishWrite

The Proof’s in the Picture

June 26, 2012 by

How to Capture the Exact Moment in Photography

One of the strongest reasons we fish is to show others what we caught. The advent of video and digital cameras and their subsequent migration into cellphone technology has made picture taking a part of everybody’s trip to the lake. Sites like Facebook, Flickr, Pinterest, Twitter and LinkedIn have given us the place to show what we caught.

Rick Lawrence of Fish N Fool Lures being photographed by Ben Fiest

Rick Lawrence of Fish N Fool Lures displays a fine largemouth bass taken from the edge of cattails on MacArthur Reservoir north of Sandpoint, Idaho where I live. His success is recorded by fishing buff, Ben Fiest of Sandpoint, and yours truly (for the sake of illustration).

Four Basic Types of Photos

The mug shot is when someone holds their catch up in front of the camera and that’s about all we see with a smiling fisherman in the background. Sometimes that’s worthy, especially with an exceptional fish; but more often it’s quite boring to look at. You won’t receive many comments from a mug shot.

Another type of photo common in the outdoors is the standard scenery or landscape photo. Some of those are absolutely gorgeous; but in my younger days of photography when I had to study in order to compete, I discovered that I sold more scenics when they showed human involvement and almost guaranteed when the human in the shot was either looking into the scene or doing something in it. Why is this? Because when there is someone else in the picture and they are anonymous or representative (not hogging the viewer’s attention), then the person looking at the photograph has reason to imagine themselves playing or standing in the same scene.

The action shot is usually best when the sport or activity is caught at the pinnacle of involvement. If you don’t have high speed digital settings on your camera (and cell phones don’t), you have to train yourself to see the pinnacle moment coming before it happens.

Combine All Three in Illustrating the Story

It took many years of shooting and analyzing before I learned to combine all three when I could. In the photo above, I anticipated the moment when outdoorsman, Ben Fiest lifted his cell phone and Rick Lawrence of Fish N Fool Lures held up his catch, lure dangling. Rick sells these fantastic plastic swim baits so he’s always looking for photographs that show proof. Ben, on the other hand, who works in construction just wanted to record the memory. I was there, not only to fish and write about it, but to illustrate my blog. So here was the perfect opportunity.

I saw it coming. I barked no orders. Just grabbed my camera from its case, turned it on and took a rapid succession of photos as Ben and Rick got into the action. The one you see here was my illustration for this article. That’s MacArthur Reservoir in the backdrop, June of this year. The photo is a mug shot, a scenic, an action shot and an illustration all in one.

Here’s a different kind of illustration, one I took this spring specifically for Idaho First Realty, owned by long-time friend and broker Ed Ostrom. That’s my famous Bijou, the registered long-haired chihuahua, an unpaid model posing as I captured the southern shore of Sandpoint, Pend Oreille River, our infamous Long Bridge and the Cabinet Mountains in the back drop–all in one to give Idaho First Realty’s website a unique and truthfully illustrated banner.

Last, I want you to look another kind of story illustration that can provide memories for you on your trip. I took it when I had no fish to photograph and little to write about accept the topic: what you do when you’re not catching fish.

Get the picture?

~Dwayne Parsons on Twitter @IFishWrite

Pick A System and Work that System

June 25, 2012 by

If you wonder why some bass fishermen are more successful than others, there are two good reasons. Neither one is more important than the other; so it’s not like one and two. They both count in the factoring of fish caught.

Crank bait system

When you're ready to learn, pick a system you know others are having success with and then use that system until your body memory understands the subtleties without you thinking about it. Switching back and forth between fishing systems weakens your confidence.

One is they choose a system and work the system. The system works. They’ve seen others using it, so they stay with it until they master the subtle techniques required in presentation bound inherently to that particular system.

The other is that they spend a lot of time fishing. Rick Lawrence, for instance of Fish N Fool Lures fishes his unique swim baits 3 or 4 times a week.

Al Lindner, of walleye and spiny ray fame, fishes close to 300 days a year–it’s been his business to do so.

Mike Robertson, a great trout crank bait angler is the same way. Pro anglers, like these, stick with the systems they select because they know it works and they master them.

Fly Fishing Guide Russell Moore has developed a unique system for deep water nymph fishing that has upped his catch and release count considerably over his competitors.

These anglers are masters in their own right because they learned a system and stayed with it. Do they innovate? Yes, they do. Do they explore and try new things; yes, of course. But they rely on their system of choice for the most part.

Your object lesson is to pick a system that works and work it until you master it. Then do your innovations or pick another system. You’ll learn more and catch a whole lot more fish.

~Dwayne Parsons, Twitter @IFishWrite

Tough Bass Made Easy

June 25, 2012 by

When weather and water conditions seem less favorable, you go on the hunt.

Like a couple of Blue Herons, two bass fishers await their opportunity by casting through the dawn for small mouth bass feeding on crayfish.

Do this and you may discover some surprising things. Bass are feeding in that predawn light, especially the bigger ones. It’s an excellent time to be up and on the water because predator fish are taking every opportunity to find their days meal. The crawdads, a night-time creature, are still out on the crawl and minnows are doing their best to stay alive.

It may stretch your waking time, but if you want to tie into a big bass, this is one of the magic hours.

~Dwayne Parsons, Twitter @IFishWrite

Strike Motive–Fish With an Attitude

June 24, 2012 by

Strike Motive is not always Hunger

Fish strike lures or flies for a number of different reasons, not always related to hunger. Sometimes it’s the chase and catch motive, like big rainbows in open water. Sometimes its the swim to beat the competition, like a trout frenzy when you drop a tantalizing bait into a stream pool holding a number of hungry trout, or throw fish meal into a farm pond. Sometimes it’s a protection mechanism at work in a spawner on its redd, like this spunky Pumpkin Seed that hit a small crankbait cast into shallow water for bass.

Pumpkin Seed caught during spawn

This North Idaho Pumpkin Seed (Sun Fish) struck a lure much bigger than it's mouth.

Strike motive can even be sparked by a thunder storm or the change in air pressure as it comes in over a body of water. I once experience a surprising trout feed when I was caught by a November squall in a row boat on the wrong end of the lake I was fishing.

The storm came over the ridge in a hurry and realizing I had no time to return to the launch on the other end, I hunkered down in a rain jacket in the shallows of a grass bed. Until then I hadn’t had so much as a hit, fishing for an hour at least. But as I contemplated enjoying my misery, looking at the rain pelting the water, I saw the dorsal fin of a fair-size trout break the surface in front of my eyes. I was fly fishing. So I quickly changed over to a Pheasant Tail beaded nymph pattern and cast into the open water near the grass. In seconds I hooked and landed a 13″ cutthroat trout.

I was delighted of course and during the entire squall I caught 10 more averaging about 12″, normal for that lake and lost one a little larger–of course.

As soon as the squall passed over and the brisk gusting wind stopped, I was back to a fishless game as if that lake had never held a trout or anything with fins. What was the strike motive? What brought on that feeding frenzy. I’ve often wondered if I’m right. I think it was the fact that the squall and the resulting wave action on the surface kept the fish hawks from seeing these trout in the shallows where the nymphs were lifting to the surface during their hatch.

If anybody out there cares to tell me otherwise. I’ll consider your advice. But I thought that might be a valid explanation. That particular strike motive might be tagged: Uncover.

~Dwayne Parsons on Twitter @IFishWrite

 

What’s the best bass lure on the market?

June 23, 2012 by
As hot summer sun warms the bays, not all smallmouth bass have gone to deep water

This smallmouth came savagely to Tony Gunderson's sunfish spinner bait cast along reeds in shallow water on a late afternoon in June.

The dichotomous answer is enough to make one chuckle. The simple part is, “whatever works!” But that’s about as good an answer as “do the right thing!” to someone who really wants to know.

The truth of the answer is that there is no best lure. It’s the fisherman’s knowledge of bass, the species, their habitat and habits that distinguish who catches the most. It’s the angler’s understanding that brings some more big fish than others catch.

The “best” way to acquire that knowledge is by fishing with fishermen who are better than you. Watch what they do; ask questions and imitate their techniques. Then, the bass you catch will teach you what works and what does not.

Observe the nature of the environment you’re fishing, measure the water temperature, note the wind–its direction and speed. You don’t have to write these things down; I’m just suggesting that you note them because they are considerations in the factors that determine where the bass, large mouth or small mouth, are located on a given day, and why they may or may not strike.

There’s one proverbial truth that never changes. “You can’t catch fish if you don’t cast.” Here’s a second truth worth considering if you have time, “You can’t cast successfully if you’re not on the water.”

So if you must go through the failures and mistakes in order to attain the knowledge you desire, speed up the process by fishing with anglers who know what they’re doing–as often as you can.

~Dwayne Parsons on Twitter @IFishWrite

 

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