Drove south before o'dark thirty to meet my youngest son, Wesly, for a fishing trip to Tanwax Lake on his birthday. Used to live near the lake and loved fishing it... been at least 10 years since the last time I was on the lake. Wes and I arrived at the lake a little after 7:00 AM and the wonderful folks at Rainbow Resort got us into a boat and on the lake by 7:30. The air temp was a balmy 56 degrees to begin the day, cloudy, the water temp was 64 degrees at 10'.
Had several rods set up to try a couple different methods to woo the fish, but it turned out we only needed one for a very successful day. Last Summer I had seen a young fellow catching trout after trout on Green Lake (Seattle) with a lure I was totally unfamiliar with. Turns out he had moved from another state and had purchased the lure there... a "Phoebe's Fighting Fish". Unable to find the lure locally, I went on-line and found the lure made by Acme Tackle... purchased a half-dozen and it was my lure of choice for the day. Started Wes out with one in brass (cloudy day), while mine was silver and blue. Began trolling from the Resort, down the middle of the lake. Five minutes in, Wes had a huge hit and reeled in a 12" Rainbow.... five minutes more, another... this one came off the hook in the net, so we released it... and so the day went. The brass out-fished the silver for most of the morning, but the action was constant all-day long. We C & R at least a dozen that came off the hook in the net, plus at least two dozen more that spit the hook after spectacular aerial displays. Had a couple in the 20" class that came unbuttoned after clearing the water multiple times, though all the fish we kept were in the 11" to 13" range. Fishing slowed a bit after 10:00, but adding a medium split shot to the leader put us back in the game again. The surprise of the day came about 10:00 when Wes' rod doubled over and he was able to fight to the net, ... a fat, 15" Brown Bullhead (aka catfish) on a trolled spoon!!! Had retained our limits of trout by 2:30, so we tried jigging for Crappie for an hour before heading in. Crappie weren't in a biting mood, so headed back just as the anticipated showers arrived. Off the lake by 4:00, cleaned our catch, iced it down and headed for home.
What an enormously successful day... catching trout with my youngest son... spending time with him during a hugely busy time for him (college, two jobs and about to enter the National Guard). Can't help but reflect upon all the days I spent on the water with Wes and his two older brothers, teaching them the fundamentals of fishing, not to mention the fundamentals of life and spirit. Three sons, the two older ones with graduate degrees and solid professional careers and wonderful families, and my youngest solidly on his way. God indeed has truly blessed me far beyond what I have deserved. Rev. William Cowper Prime wrote, "The contentment which fills the mind of the angler at the close of a day's sport is one of the chiefest charms in his life." PTL!

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