Nothing on the docket for Monday, so headed back to Lake Tye to see if good fortune would still be with me. After SeaHawks snatching victory from the jaws of defeat on Sunday, possibilities are limitless (though hoping for a limit!!) Anyway, braved I-405 and 522 traffic and arrived at the lake a bit before 8:00 AM. One fisherman on site... made my way to the shoreline and lines in the water by 8:15. Chilly 31 degrees at the outset, spitting snow for the first half hour, then pretty consistent rain the rest of the day... water temp at 42 degrees at the shoreline. Began fishing with marshmallows and nightcrawler on one rig, white Power Eggs on the other. Fifteen minutes in, rod tip began to dance and reeled in the first of the day, a 12 1/2" steelhead plant (on white PE). Next several hours were spent trying different colors of PEs... nothing! Not a hit on the 'crawlers... rain becoming heavier! The fellow fishing just down the shoreline from me was faring better... said he was fishing Fl. Orange PEs... took four fish from 9:30 to noon when he had had enough of the rain and left. I continued on, now fishing Fl. Orange too... about 12:30 I reeled in my second... a 10 1/2" 'er... was surprised at its size, as my last trips had produced nothing less than 12". About 1:30 I reeled in my third, this a solid 12" 'er, then a half hour later landed the largest of the day, a feisty 13" 'er. The fifth came just a bit before 3:00, another surprising 10 1/2" 'er. I was off the lake and on my way home by 3:15. A couple more trips and I'll have enough trout to fill my smoker... yummm!
Very thankful for the Cabela's GoreTex rainsuit I had invested in a couple of years ago! Saw two other fishermen at the lake in the morning, both fished a couple of hours and left with no fish.
Again, I so enjoy fishing in the winter weather... warm layers of clothing, rain gear and gloves to keep me warm and dry... a couple of bowl-fulls of my favorite pipe tobacco and the company of thousands of waterfowl flying on and off the lake. Had the company of a large Great Blue Heron on the shoreline nearby as he tried to stay warm and shrug off the relentless rain. Spoke with two grade-school aged girls with brightly colored backpacks who were scouring the nearby lakeside for duck eggs... they were delighted by my first catch of the day... they said that they had found several duck eggs in the previous days... and "they were sooo good". Was very surprised to have a beautiful Green-winged Teal in full breeding plumage land on the lake only a few yards from me. The Green-wings are one of the first duck species to return in the Spring, but mid-January seems quite soon.
Feel sorry for those fishermen (and women) who are so focused on catching fish, that they lose sight of the great and grander experience of the great sport that I love so much. Remember, they call it "fishing", not "catching"! PTL!

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