calm before the storm.

All ya’all know I really like Eloika Lake which is one of the many small lakes through which the Little Spokane River flows as it wends its weary way to The Spokane River. Recently, I listed 20 acres on the southwestern shore and desperately needed to get some good photos of the shoreline from the lake’s point of view.  With that in mind, I called up Jerry and Lori at Jerry’s landing on the other side of the lake and asked if they had any canoes for that Saturday afternoon.  I was in luck! Or, was I?

At 6 pm, I started paddling towards my objective.  But of course, IF you are going out on the lake, and IF you happen to sell Emmrod®  fishing poles, why wouldn’t you take advantage of this opportunity to do a bit of fishing while you were at it?  Having been armed with some nice plastic worms which anglers have used all summer to bring in up to six pound bass and some nice little yellow jigs to try for those crappie which make this lake famous, I had to stop along the way every 100 paddle strokes or so and do a little fishin’.  Not much happening that night.  I watched a few little crappie chase the jig which you suspend about 18 inches below a bobber, throw out and reel slowly in.  I think they were too small to even get their mouths around the tiny hook.   

I gradually worked my way across and followed the weed beds along the west shore line down to my photographic target.  I enjoyed looking at the nice big houses and fancy white docks jutting out into the lake.  Finally, I reached my friend’s land and took several photos.  This time, I headed straight out across the lake and planned to go north along the east side of the lake, fishing as I went.  The lake was like glass.  Looked like a big parking lot where you could get out and walk home.  The sunlight  filtering through the trees along the west side of the lake as dusk arrived dappled the water creating all sorts of interesting shadows.  The natural drift of the current and very slight wind pushed my canoe gently out to the middle of the lake and slightly northward so I was able to crappie fish without much paddling.  I removed my sinker so just had the bobber weight but was still able to throw it out about 30 feet on each cast.

Finally!  I entered an area where I had hits on virtually every cast!  OOH BOY!  Was this fun!  I hooked a big one, but it got off after about a minute of play.  Several hits later and I had another on the line, As it got closer to the boat I thought it must be about two feet long!  This one was not gonna get away.  I reeled him in towards the boat, my Packer ® with a topwater rod bouncing nicely up and down with the strain.  Finally, he was just feet away.  I jerked him quickly out of the water.  I did not realize you do this gently.  No hard yanks.  No big excitement.  So, out of the water he flew, across the canoe and out the other side.  I did not know Crappie were flying fish!  I also did not know the release of tension on the left side of the boat coupled with the addition of a shooting fish ten feet beyond the right side of the boat, added to 240 pounds of weight high on a seat in a canoe equals a fine swim in the middle of Eloika Lake about 15 minutes before dark on a hot August night.

Well, the cool water got my head thinking.  First, put my pole in the still upright canoe.  Second, YES! the dang crappie is still on the line and he IS going to pay for dumping me in the water so get him into the boat.  Next, where are my flip flops?  They cost 20 bucks!  Well, I found one so the one legged guy gleaning stuff along the shore is going to be either happy or sad depending on which leg is missing. 

Being in the water was not a part of the plans for the evening so I set about getting back into the canoe while swimming in 30 feet of water.  After several minutes of trying it from the side, I came to realization that was just not going to happen.  I asked myself, how do I find enough weight to counterbalance me as I get in?  Climb in on the end so the whole canoe works against your weight I thought.  Like a lot of theory, the practice just is not there.  NOOOO! Maybe when I was a hot young 150 pound stud full of whim, whigor and wytality.  But now at 240 lbs, tired and old, I just could not get myself in any position to be able to climb the 2 foot moutain of the end of the boat.  

Now, what were my options? The closest shore was about a half mile away.  There was also a pretty good weed and mud bank around most of the lake so actually getting to a place where you could walk out of the lake was a real problem.  I had to find a dock which might also mean a clearer, less weed filled path to travel.  So, back toward my friends corner of the lake I went.  In the gathering gloom, the white beacon of the trex decking  covered boat launcher shone like the sun.  Grabbing the boat by the middle, lying on my back and floating with the help of my life preserver and the canoe, I began kicking and gradually we moved towards the dock.  About 30 minutes later, we hit the weeds.  We hit the mud.  As of yet, I had never experienced any fear or significant worry.  Just another exercise.  Just another problem to solve.  Just more grist for the story mill.  

After about five minutes of fighting the weeds and the ever thicker, higher mud level I realized I had a big problem.  You literally could not move through this goo.  If you got vertical, you had no bottom to stand on, there was just a light 20 weight viscosity to what you were swimming in,  but you could not move through it.  Now, I had moved beyond just another fun problem to getting a bit scared.  As in all these types of situations, panic is not the answer.  So I began screaming hysterically for help…not.  Even if I had wanted to, there was no one around to hear.  So, I had a little conversation with My Creator and asked for help and calmness.  It came to me, if you can not walk or swim through it, maybe you can slide over it.  So that is what the canoe and I did.  Staying as horizontal as possible, I grabbed and pulled on the weeds in conjunction with me kicking (swimming.)  Gradually, it took another 30 minutes, I finally got to the edge of the dock.  Again, no ladders and that 18 to 20 inches defied any ability to pull myself up.  So, I went around the side and found the mooring line.  I was able to use that to climb onto the dock. 

Safety at last!  I laid there like a great grey beached whale for a few minutes gathering what was left of my energy and dignity and then got up.  I looked in the boat to see if my camera and phone were still there and if the ziplock bag had done its job of protecting them.  Yes and yes!  I called Jerry’s Landing and Lori answered.  “I have good news, bad news and good news, Lori.  I landed a huge crappie!  The crappie landed me!  But I made it to a dock here on the SW corner of the lake. ”  I went on to ask her recommendations as I was too exhausted to take another shot at the lake, especially after dark, to paddle the 25 minutes back to the resort.  She told me to stand fast and they would mount a rescue.

Twenty minutes later, my knights in a shining bass boat arrived.  Soon, we were back “home.”  I do not think I have been as filthy as I was since I was a kid swimming in the water buffalo walloes back in Mindanao, Philippines (http://www.mycompactfishing.com/blog/swimming-water-buffalo-wallow-or-clean-crystal-clear-spring/).  Later, I just threw away my undershirt and pants and wallet because they were not salvageable.   Jerry pointed out the canoe had a great livewell as the bottom six inches were filled with water and that miserable crappie was still alive!  While I had intended to eat it to get even with it, in the end, I felt it had taught me a great many lessons and it deserved another day or two in the water, so I cut the hook which it had swallowed and released it. (You can check out the crappie blog (www.crappielife.com//narrowescapesatEloikaLake//) for his version of the night’s events.)   

Safe and sound, a lot more adventure than I had planned for but happy and content and grateful to God for the peace we can have in tough times to help us get through our ordeals. 

ADDENDUM:  Lessons learned:  Fat, old boys should probably think twice about fishing from platforms as unstable as a canoe.   Always wear your life jacket!  You go from fine to the thick of it in less than a second.  Don’t panic!  Stabilize the situation, calm down and think through it to figure out a course of action.  You will have to repeat this more than once in many circumstances.  I had three of these times in this spot:  When I fell into the lake, when I hit the weeds and mud, and finally trying to figure out how to get onto the dock.  Make sure someone knows where you are and when you should be back.  Keep your electronics in a waterproof container which floats.   Finally and perhaps most important, seek God’s help and comfort.

Jerry’s Landing has one more month before they close for the winter.  Check them out!  They are great and will tell you what to use for bait and where to fish.  To visit Jerry’s Landing Resort, North on Hwy 2 (Newport Highway) past Riverside High School and Miller’s One Stop to Oregon Road. West (left from Spokane) to Regal Road. Left to Jerry’s Landing.

Their phone number is 509 292 2337, their email is jerryslanding@earthlink.net and their address is N 41114 Lake Shore Rd, El WA 99009.

This blog is sponsored by www.MyCompactFishing.com .   This is the home of The Emmrod Packer®, The Emmrod Mountaineer®, The Emmrod Kayak King® and much more.  There are great videos and photos of fish liberated from the freezing waters with this fine compact, survivalist, durable fishing system.

I have often said I do not recommend you throw away all your poles and just use The Emmrod system.  If you read my initial post on Why Buy an Emmrod fishing system, I use the “Hammer” comparision.  There are many kinds of Hammers.  Each has its own use.  Yet, you could use any hammer for pounding almost any nail, it just would not necessarily be as effective.  Without further ado, Let’s look at where Philip is benefiting from using the Emmrod Hammer!  I am going to “interview him.”

Phillip, how do you set up your rig?

“I have found with my Emmrods if I do not put the line through the spings (Coil) the drag will not engage.”

(Dave’s comments) I have not had this specific problem  but Philip puts his finger on the same conclusion towards which we have been moving.  For most applications, running your line through the coils will give you a better fishing experience.  Keep in mind—fishing is situational.  Try it both ways and see what works best for you in different circumstances.  I would be dogmatic about trolling.  Run the line through the coils!  You will get far better control

What rod type works best?

“I also prefer spinning Emmrod rods even when I use a casting reel.”

(Dave’s Comments.)  Again, play with all options and see what works best for the fishing you are doing.  There really is no “wrong answer” that applies across the board.  We all tweak and adjust every tool we use. This one IS new to me.  I have had many folks use the casting rod when fishing with the spinning reel and in fact, that has worked pretty well for me.

How accurate do you find the factory recommended weight limit recommendations for the coils?

“I use the 8 coil rod to target up to 5lb fish, the 7 coil for 15lb fish, and the 4 coil for large fish.”

(Dave’s Comments)  I agree, the weight limits we assign are pretty safe.  I always recommend to err downwards,  Think you might get an occasional 7 or 8 pound fish but mostly under 5?  Go with the 7 coil rod!  No question.  If you hook a monster, DON”T CUT THE LINE!!!!  Use your drag to play them a little longer.  The fight is what is fun!

How do you find the Emmrods work for casting?

“For long range casting I enjoy fishing the top water special rod.  I still prefer my 7′ ugly stick for open water and long range casting.

(Dave’s Comments).  Refer back to the hammer issue.  The Emmrod casts excellently but in some circumstances the longer poles will have advantages over the Emmrods.  The Emmrods are designed to pick up the slack when the long pole presents a hassle in one way or another.  We want the Emmrod to be as close to what you are using in capability as possible but save you the undesired problems of a long pole.

Any last comments Philip?

“The place the Emmrods really shine is for fishing in heavy structure. The stiffness of the pole really helps when reeling fish away from heavy structure. These things I have found from my own observation and will tell you more as I use my Emmrods more.  One other benefit resulting from the shortness of the pole is the ability to easily land fish, especially from a small boat like a Kayak.  Because both the pole and the net handle are about the same length, I can easily land fish myself without dragging my reels in the ocean or having to carry a very long handled net.”

Thanks Philip.  I appreciate your input and hope the readers will as well.  Keep the photos and tips coming.  Dave

The Emmrod Short Top Water Rod

Obviously, the size of the fish you are targeting plays a role here.  Frankly, I am not that concerned with the top end of the scale.  I am more interested in our efforts to catch minnows.  How LIGHT of  a line can we get away with using?

The Nature of the Emmrod Fishing gear rods is they are a bit stiffer.  One of the very few abilities we do not have is to go to those ultra-light lines.  As a general rule, use ten pound test line as a minimum weight line.  You will find the act of casting or vigorous pull backs snapping those two to four pound lines. 

As with all rules, there are exceptions.  One of my customers, Phillip, has terrified the fish in the ocean near where he lives with his fishing prowess and collection of Emmrod Compact Fishing poles.  He is a fair sort of person who DOES want to give the fish a fighting chance so he likes to stretch the effort by using lighter lines. 

He expressed his excitement to me recently after trying out his Emmrod Top Water Rod.  He could actually use his lighter lines.  I provided him the shorter version; however, I imagine the longer version would accomplish the same thing.

Long and short Emmrod Top Water Rods

So, I have a request from all you Emmrod Fishermen out there.  Please send me feedback on how you stretch your system to use lighter lines. 

I am going to make a category of blogs called “Fishing Tips” where I can share the wisdom of the various fishermen and women out there who are enjoying Emmrod.  Every tool has its tricks.  Let’s Collaborate!

See the Bass hit when using your Rugged Flex Jr with a Top Water Rod

Packrod Spin, Fresh Water

Republic of Germany, aka Bundesrepublicdeutscheland.   Or, West Germany.  We landed in Frankfurt and caught a train to Stuttgart where we were stationed.  I was in a virtual state of exhaustion and slept most of the way.  About 20 minutes out, a young Sergeant in our compartment woke me up and gave me some advice on locating an apartment. 

The big fear about Germany most of we young families feared was the cost of getting an apartment.  One month upfront, last month’s rent and a month or two deposit.  Additionally, the cost of the rent was often pretty high and the availability was low.  The Sergeant said Just walk around and look for windows without curtains.”  When people move, they take EVERYTHING!  Curtains, lightbulbs, cabinets.  You are renting 4 walls.  When you see an empty window, knock on the door and ask if it is for rent.”

Well, arriving at the train station about midnight, no one was there to meet me so, several calls and a half hour wait later, Captain Jack Spencer showed up a bit bleary, stuck us in his car and took us to the Hotel Krone in a small farmer’s villiage called Steinenbronn about 15 minutes south of Stuttgart.

Over the next couple days, we walked around the villiage and one day passed this two story house.  Low and behold! the main floor windows were all empty.  A lovey young blond lady was in the yard.  I asked her if the home was for rent.  “Du must mit mutti spechen” she said.  So, we all marched upstairs to meet Mutti, or more formally, Frau Wagner. 

To make a long story short, we moved into the home a week later for $400 to cover the next two weeks.  We paid 800 a month and enjoyed the home until we left a bit over three years later.  God certainly provided generously for us.  In all my time in Germany, I never met anyone who had found a home so easily and entered it so cheaply. 

The added bonus was the Wagner family.  They were wonderful people.  Mr. Wagner raised pears in his back yard from which he made a fine wine.  Mrs. Wagner was a very kind woman.  She told me one time she was concerned for my wife being out in the country in a small town by herself and not being able to speak German.  I still recall her specific words roughly translated:  “We Germans are a cold people.  It may be very difficult for your wife to be here and not speak German.  How about if I take some classes in a nearby town (I forget the name) and I will take her with me and she can take conversational German.”  For a number of reasons that did not work out, but, Over 20 years later I can still picture the circumstances of that conversation.  The Wagners had three children, Linda, the young blond lady who was married to a Helmut Schmidt and lived a couple blocks away, a son Thomas who still lived at home and was about 25.  Finally, there was the youngest daughter whose name I do not recall.  Last but not least was Pia, the Schmidts daughter who was of an age with my daughter.  They played together and went to kindergarten together for the three years.

So, thank you God for a great introduction to Germany.  Thank you, Familia Wagner, for your kindness, generosity and friendship during our sojourne in your country.

This is brought to you By Emmrod Compact Fishing Gear.  Emmrod fishing systems are the best compact fishing rods on the market. This compact fishing poles are versitile, unbreakable and break down for very easy carrying regardless of what you are doing.  Backpacking, survival packs, canoe fishing, kayak fishing, carry on your motorcycles or bicycles or keep them in your ATVs.  This is the perfect option for anyone who needs a fishingpole for those special occassions.   Http://www.MyCompactFishing.com

double tipped Emmrod heavy duty rodEmmrod Compact Fishing Pole, Mountaineer

Here is what I have been able to find out by asking around.

–If you “shoot” your bait/lure out, forget anything under 10lb test line.

–If you cast, you should be fine, just don’t snap it out.  If you do, you will pop the lines, maybe even a 4 pound test line.  So, in the end, you should be able to cast with the emmrod using the lighter lures and lines, just practice and go gently in the lapping waves. I will try this when I can get out on the lake.

Emmrod Compact Fishing Gear Top Water Rod

4 coil Emmrod Compact Fishing gear spinning rod

Emmrod 8 coil casting Rod. Perfect for pan sized fishing. Ultralight Fishing at its best!

Stream Master Fly Rod shown w/ handle

double tipped Emmrod heavy duty rod

In the 1930’s Duane Markley’s uncle thought it would be great to have a compact ice fishing pole he could take apart and carry easily to his favorite fishing places.  He also enjoyed the idea of being able to make a few bucks selling them in his local market in the process.   He made the first spring operated compact fishing rod and from what I understand, it did pretty well.  Fast forward to about ten years ago.  Duane saw one of these old poles and thought to himself, “Self, I could do something with that!”  He approached his uncle and got his blessing to move forward with his ideas.

The first thing was to make a better connection.  The second thing was to patent the upgrades and changes.  He did both.  Duane thought there should be an easy connect application which would be transferable across several different rod options.  The connection should be simple, quick, and strong.  After looking around at existing technology he found an idea for a quick 1/4 turn, spring loaded connection which he adapted and  patented for the Emmrod Compact Fishing Pole system.  The rod has two teeth on each side.  These teeth fit into a slot on the housing on the end of the handle.  When pushed in, depressing a spring in the housing, you can turn the rod about 90 degrees at which point the spring pushes it back out locking it into place.  To remove the rod, reverse the process.  Perhaps 2 to 3 seconds to insert or remove the rod.  Additionally, he wanted the rod to be easily stow-able so in most applications, the coil on the rod fits over the housing on the pole handle or the handle itself.

Fast forward ten years to the present.  There are now five categories of rods which are pictured above.

This post will deal with the rods pictured in the second and third photos above.  That is to say, Spinning Rods and Casting Rods.

The original format for rods was the casting rod.  In truth, these still work well on virtually any rod handle in the Emmrod Compact Fishing Gear inventory.  But, because there are so many specialized types and ways of fishing and so many brands of specialized equipment, it soon became apparent the many benefits of the single eye casting, which we will talk about below, did not work in some instances.  First, specialty lines like Spider or Fire Wire are designed with a need for at least two eyes with an initial larger eye setting up the line for the final smaller eye at the end of the pole.  Without  that first eye to set it up, these lines just clumped at the end of the casting rods.  Duane is very customer oriented and immediately went to work designing a rod to deal with that issue.  Hence, the Spinning Rods.  Second, Trolling.  I will discuss that below in practices.

What makes Emmrod compact fishing poles competitive casters with standard six to eight foot poles?  Two things.  First with just one (or two when running the line through the coils) eye, the amount of friction on the line as it is cast is hugely reduced.  This permits the weight to carry the line much further than it might go with six to eight eyes.  Secondly, the spring assist in the coils compensates for some of the lost spring and leverage of a longer pole.  Add these two aspects together and Emmrod Fishing Poles using equivalent weights and lines will compete heads up with any six to eight foot fishing pole.

Sensitivity.  Depending on the number of coils, the Emmrod rods provide a graduated level of sensitivity which is appropriate to the targeted fish.  The more coils the more sensitive the rod is.  I will provide a weight chart below.  But generally, 4 coils is for those guys up to 25 pounds and 8 coils is for the little stinkers up to 2 pounds.

Trolling.  Over the years, the many fishermen using Emmrod fishing poles for trolling have used the rods in various ways.  Their combined wisdom indicates regardless of the type of fish or rod being used, you will have better control and better results by running the line through the coils then to the small eye at the end. Even though it may look a bit odd, especially with the casting rods, you will get better results.   Another huge advantage of the Emmrod Fishing Poles for trolling is the huge reduction in slack time.  The tip of a normal six to eight foot pole moves three to four feet back and forth.  The Emmrod Compact Fishing Poles only move about three to four inches.  As soon as a fish hits, the line is pulled tight and the coils react appropriately and against the fish.  This coil action and the lack of slack line results in a significantly higher hook setting rate.

There are four levels of rods defined by the number of coils in both the  standard casting and spinning rod family.  They are equal in this respect.  the coil/weight ratio is as follows:

4 Coil for fish up to 25 lbs.   6 coil for fish up to 10 lbs.   7 coil for fish up to 5 lbs.  8 coil for fish up to 2 lbs.

How does this play out in useage and which should you buy?  I think the basic rule is to err downwards.  For example.  If you occassionally catch a six or 7 pound fish, go with the seven coil instead of the 6 coil.  You really want the rod to be responsive to what you catch the most.  If you occassionally get  those bigger fish, you are likely usually catching fish under 5 pounds.  If you happen to catch a bigger fish, just loosen the drag and play the fish longer.  In the Inland Northwest Empire, I find the most common useage is for the Packrod or the Kayak King using the 7 coil rods.  This permits a lot of fun on the smaller fish and still has enough stiffness to handle the guys a bit over 5 pounds by playing with the drag.

PRICING:   All the basic casting and Spinning rods cost 20.00 each.  We permit you to pick the one that is most appropriate for your use.  The good news is, you can buy several rods and be prepared for anything. At $20.  a second rod tip is not a huge expense.  In this area (Inland Northwest Empire), I would recommend the 4 and 7 coil rod tips if you are going to buy two and want to keep them the smaller more compact versions. 

Tune in later for discussions on the other types of rods shown above.

Sponsored by Atherton Enterprises and Emmrod Packer Combo.  This is the original “Dock Shooter.”  Like most of the Emmrod Compact Fishing Poles, you can “shoot” your bait or lure when in those hard to maneuver spaces.  Catch those bass and trout you might otherwise miss! 

 <a href=”http://www.mycompactfishing.com/cgi/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=1-1130“>Check out the Emmrod Packer Combo</a>

Bottom line, it continues to be a strange year.  The good news is the bass are still biting and have moved in closer to the shore. There were a couple four pound bass photos on the wall when I went in just before going to the Colfax (Palouse Empire) Fair last week.  Those were recent catches.  Black was the lure color they were hitting on.

The crappie were a bit slow but still a few nice ones coming out.  The Perch were pretty good and some had been caught off of their docks there. 

Jerry’s landing is going into its last couple weeks of the season so hurry on up and take advantage of their great service and especially of their knowledge of the lake.  Free at the public dock w/ no info or $3. to launch from Jerry’s Landing with an instant fishing report.  You tell me which is the better deal!

Also, September 19th, the local Kayak Club will be having their annual whing ding deploying from Jerry’s Landing.

I need to encourage them to each get a Kayak King Emmrod Compact Fishing Pole  http://www.mycompactfishing.com/cgi/commerce.cgi?search=action&category=KAYA to enhance their Kayaking and Kayak Fishing experience.  Actually, I think the Emmrod Packrod http://www.mycompactfishing.com/packrod-compact-fishing-poles is probably even more convenient.  In either case, the 7 coil rod  is probably the best bet as it is gentle enough to give you a lot of fun on the small fish but tough enought to handle the bigger bass and perch you might run into.  Also, keep in mind, those big Crappie are really scrappy and a tougher tip (7 vice is probably still a good idea.  A second Rod that is great is the Top Water Rod which is great for the top water lures and give you more action. http://www.mycompactfishing.com/product/top-water-special-rod/1-1128.php

Enjoy the weekend and look for a new report next week.  Thanks! Dave Atherton

Enjoy the Emmrod Kayak King Fishing Pole for all your Eloika Lake Fishing

Hi Spokane County area fishermen, ladies, boys and girls.  Here is your August 10th Eloika Lake fishing update.   I touch bases with Lauri and Jerry of Jerry’s landing every couple weeks or so to find out how the fish are biting.  They are the experts who are on scene providing much of the bait, the lures, and some of the non-motorized boats to the fisher folk who stay at their resort and campground.  They are a convenient place to fill up on those necessities you forgot to bring with you through their small store so stop in and visit.  Their contact information is below.

If it is perch and crappie you crave, disappointment may be in your future as both are slow right now.  If you want to go wit to wit, hook to fin with bass, load up and head for Eloika Lake.  People using Jerry’s Landing caught a five pound bass last week and others caught two four pound bass this week.

There are two ways to get your boat in the water.  The public launch is located at the end of Bridges road on the east side of the lake–North on Highway two to Miller’s One Stop, left at the flashing light and you drive right to the public launch area. Do not forget the parking pass available at any fishing license seller.

The second is Jerry’s landing where there is a small fee  ($3) to park and launch your boat but you also have the store where you can stock up on the last minute needs you forgot or replenish what you use up.  You can also get updates on where the action is and how to fish.  Huge value for small dollars.  Tell them “Dave sent me.”

Jerry’s Landing:  41114 N Lake Shore Road, Elk Washington.  PHONE:  (509) 292 2337.  N on HWY 2 past Miller’s onestop to Oregon Road.  (If you get to the divided highway, you have gone too far.)    After turning left, go to Regal/Eloika Lake Front Road (Same intersection, regal to the right, E. L. front road to the left.) Turn left and follow that around to Jerry’s landing.

Happy fishing.

Sponsored by Atherton Enterprises’ Emmrod Compact Fishing Poles . Time to fix an old tarp? Time to make some quick hookups? Tired of having a hard time setting up to camp? Time for the Rhino Tarp Clip! Check them out at Rhino Grip Tarp Clip

Loon Lake, Just before Dusk

My Good friend Jim M and I have been threatening to go fishing for quite a while.  We had three problems.  We both thought we were too busy.  That should never be an excuse to keep you from fishing!   I did not have a boat.  Finally, his boat was not working.  As neither of us can walk on water and there is not that much open shoreline at Loon Lake, we were dead in the water.

Emmrod Compact Fishing Pole, Mountaineer

Finally, Jim got his boat licensed, the motor running, the life preservers in place and everything except the running lights squared away.  So, we made our date with destiny and headed off to fish.  I provided the night crawlers, the canned corn and we stopped at the Loon Lake Grocery and I picked up marshmallows and maggots.

The public launch is around the back side of the lake at the NW corner of the Lake.  It is very up-to-date and convenient.  Plenty of parking, a nice ramp and a great dock donated by Knight’s Ez Dock in Deer Park Washington.      (Touch bases w/ them if you need to install a dock: Daved@knightconst.com Knight Ez Dock, 28308 N Cedar Road, Deer Park, WA 99006   (800) 654-8168.)

So, off we went to catch a few whales.  Theory vs. Practice!

Heading out for the Big Ones

 

Well, the motor was working OK but not great.  In fact, it moved us along at about 25 percent efficiency.  It was late, we did not have lights, so, we decided to limit our distance.  While Andrew was excited about the chance of rowing back, the idea failed to excite either Jim or myself.  We went around the first corner of the lake and threw in our anchor.  We got our gear ready, baited and threw the lines in.  We were using about two feet leaders on a swivel with an egg type weight just above the swivel.  We were in about 30 feet of water and fishing just above the bottom.  Jim drew first blood with a small bass.  Unfortunately it swallowed the hook so we had to keep it.  I caught the next fish which came easily off the hook and we released it.  Pretty quickly, the wind picked up so we retreated around the corner of lake back towards the dock.  Our fishing there was fruitless.  After about 20 minutes, we returned to where we had been previously and just dealt with the wind.  The fish were biting as fast as we could throw in the bait.  All were small blue gill and sunfish, but a great deal of fun.

 

Our First Catch, a little bass.

This was a fine day for me as I had a chance to do some boat fishing with my Emmrod Packer.  I was using the seven coil rod tip.  Frankly, I should have used the 8 coil or the top water rod for the additional sensitivity I would have had with those rods.  Never-the-less, the 7 coil was gentle enough to provide a lot of fun.  It clearly transmitted the bites and nibbles of these little fish.

A little blue gill like many we caught this evening

The four fish we ended up keeping.

I would have liked to release all these fish, but, sometimes, you just can not help but injure them too much to release them.  Andrew had a good time cleaning them up for later consumption when we got back to shore.

Check out the Emmrod compact fishing system at my web site. You will find a wide range of Emmrod Fishing products.  Also, there are videos to watch showing the Emmrod Compact Fishing system in use pulling in nice big fish.

<a href=”http://www.mycompactfishing.com/“>The Emmrod Compact Fishing Pole System</a>

While you are thinking about fishing at Loon Lake, Stevens County, WA, why not think about buying a home up there so you can do it more conveniently?  I have two listings, one single family home at 40490 Gwenelen Road,in Morgan Acres.  This home comes with access to a beautiful beach park. It is now reduced to only $114,900!

http://tours.tourfactory.com/tours/tour.asp?t=586565&home=www.mycountryhomes.com&slink=-1&sReferer=http://mycountryhomes.com/&idx=&r=http%3A%2F%2Fmycountryhomes.com%2F

The other home is a great place to live, a business opportunity and a Man Cave all wrapped up in one property.  The zoning is commercial and the building would lend itself to many uses. This turn of the century home has so much character and has beautiful stained glass accents throughout.  Best of all, it is only about 6 minutes from the Loon Lake Public Launch. Perhaps you could open a great fishing tackle or fly tying school here?  Check out the tour!  

http://tours.tourfactory.com/tours/tour.asp?t=596611&home=www.mycountryhomes.com&slink=-1&sReferer=http://mycountryhomes.com/&idx=&r=http%3A%2F%2Fmycountryhomes.com%2F

Keep Loon Lake in your mind for both fishing and living. It is only about 30 minutes north of Spokane about 15 minutes north of Deer Park.  There are many other lakes in close proximity.  Eloika Lake, Deer Lake, Jump off Joe Lake, Diamond Lake, Sasheen Lake are all within about 30 minutes of Loon Lake.  Come visit!

 Sponsored by Atherton Enterprises and Emmrod Mountaineer Combo.  Like the Kayak King, the Mountaineer is great for all those tight space fishing requirements.  It has an added perk in its adjustable handle.  This really helps those with arthritis and carpel tunnel syndrome. http://www.mycompactfishing.com/cgi/commerce.cgi?search=action&category=MOUN 

 

Give them a call or visit:

Jerry’s Landing

41114 North Lake Shore Road
Elk, WA 99009-8743
(509) 292-2337

The fishing has been a little slow the last week.  Our water temp. is 81 degrees and the lake turned over, so we think that maybe by next week the fishing should improve.  They are using top water baits right now out in the center of the lake.  The crappie are found in the open holes in the center of the lake, mainly in the evenings.  The best time for the bass have been at dawn and evening.

In an earlier conversation, Julie told me they had some very nice large bass and the crappie were a good size as well. Keep your eye on Eloika Lake as it is one of the most fun lakes for me to fish.  I like it that you never know, just like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates, what is going to be on the end of the line.  Perch, Bass, Crappie, Trout?  Who knows. That is what makes it fun.

Dave Atherton

http://www.mycompactfishing.com/compact-fishing-products.html