Report is late, as I have had technical difficulties beyond my control!!!
After last week's success at Ballinger, we decided to try it again. Pete and I arrived at the lake at 7:30 AM... were fishing on the pier by 7:45. Temp was a chilly 23 degrees upon arrival... lake was a flat calm. Water temp was 43 degrees at 10'... pretty cold for trout, they are likely to be lethargic. Started with Power Eggs (fl. orange) on one rig, Nightcrawlers on the other. About 9:00, I had a humungous hit... rod tip down and butt of rod lifted off the deck of the pier... but no hook-up... after that, had several subtle bites on the Power Eggs... fish just picking up the bait, then spitting it out. About 10:30, Peter had a hard hit and reeled in a nice 13 1/2" Rainbow. Nothing more until 12:30, I had a hard hit and reeled in a fat 14 1/2" Rainbow. Pete left the lake about 1:30... I continued on for a while longer... couple more light bites, then a hard hit at 2:30 and reeled in another 13" Rainbow. Left the lake at 3:00 PM to get to a grandson's birthday party!
Was a bright, sunny, albeit very cold day. Still, a wonderful day at the lake... so much to observe and take in. The resident pair of eagles were getting a little frisky with each other, won't be long before they start getting their nest remodeled and begin a new family.
I have been a fly-fisherman for over fifty years, and have always been interested in what fish I catch have been eating, so I always carefully examine their entrails. The last Rainbow I caught was packed with midge larvae sucked off the bottom of the lake... 1 1/2" to 2" thin reddish or greenish worm-like creatures that during the Spring and Summer months will rise to the lake surface and emerge as the largest of the midge species, the Pink Lady. Looks like a great crop, ready to go!
One more word of caution to all fishermen who love the sport and cherish the resource: in the stomach of one of the trout, I discovered a crescent shaped piece of foil, off the top of a bait jar, that had been carelessly tossed into the water. This trout, being attracted by the flash, ingested the foil and it became impacted in it's bowel... I believe it would have led to a painful death eventually. As a fly-fisherman, I have always made it a practice to catch and release all lightly or lip-hooked fish. When I fish with bait, I have made a conscious decision to kill what I catch, because I know that the mortality rate of fish caught in this manner is extremely high, therefore they are wasted. I very much enjoy eating trout, so I am very respectful of these awesome creatures as I use them for food. It saddens me to think of wasted fish because of the disrespectful act of tossing garbage into the lake! The foil piece can be seen in the last photo.
I love the sport of fishing... it gives me great joy! Sometimes I win, sometimes the fish win... but, all year long these wonderful creatures give me reason to get up early (even when it's 23 degrees out), pull on my fishing clothes and spend the day on the lake, river or stream! PTL!

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