Its time of the Lindsay Central Exhibition, and I can hear the Truck and Tractor pulling event going on in the distance as I make my casts in this cool September night.  This is the second year that the Lindsay Ex. is being held at its new fairgrounds on the south edge of the town of Lindsay.

I had been been stuck in the house all day today working on another project called Mopeds and Scooters | Save on Gas and felt it was about time I went out for some fresh air. So what if I hadn’t cooked dinner yet.  I had had a late lunch, and a much needed respite was necessary.

It was about 8pm. when I decided to go out and fish, but before that I had to retie my fishing line with a new snaphook - snagged the last hook in the rocks and snapped the line. Anyway it only took a few minutes and I was soon off to try my luck first at the dock.

The moon had not risen yet, as the darkness of night emerges even quicker with every passing day of September.  Cast after cast and not much happening until - fish on!  Not a keeper but a good little fight.  Had to use the pliers to pry out the hook.  A few more casts and then I got bored with this location so my next move was to fish from under the bridge.

Its a steep descent along uneven ground down the river bank at the bridge, and at night a slippery one at that. A little more difficult tonight than usual but I arrived standing up at the large boulders under the bridge at one of my favourite spots.  Next problem was to get properly balanced on the uneven shaped boulders.  Too cool for a dip, especially at night - lol.

Almost an hour had passed from when I first ventured out and no more luck tonight.  By now a bright full moon was rising and it reminded me of my girlfriend who currently happens to be thousands of miles away.  In the past on many a moon-filled night, I composed poems to her and this night with its beautiful full moon, who else could I be thinking of but her :_]

Okay, you want me to get back to the fishing, so, I was using the same hook as tied on earlier, a Mustad size #4, with a 3″ Yum Walleye grub (green body and orange tail) slipped onto it, which helped land the first little fighter this night.  But a rumbling tummy and the thought of having to cook dinnner when I got back to the house, seemed like it was time to quit. However, like most anglers out there, I had to try just a few more times.  Determined to catch something better, I changed the Walleye Grub with a 3″ white original scent Berkely PowerBait Power Grub.  I used to have lots of success with this and hoped that the same would be the case tonight.  Thank goodness my persistence was rewarded.  Casting close to the shoreline, trying hard not to get snagged in the bull-rushes, I hooked on to a good fighter.  A few minutes of whining reel, and nicely bowed rod, I saw the keeper of the night.  A lovely walleye, weighing in at 3lbs. and 17″ long.

Alright, now you were hoping that as a good catch and release kind of guy (fish that is) I would have spared this walleye and thrown it back into the Scugog for another day. Hey, remember I mentioned that I hadn’t cooked dinned yet, so what better reason than to keep it - if you know what I mean?

With my girlfriend so far away, the next best thing for me to do was to spend it outside with the moon, memories of her, and a good fish on the line.

Happy fishing in the Kawarthas!

It’s your only day off this week. You’ve been looking forward to spending a morning fishing since Monday. At 4 a.m., you creep out of bed and down the stairs and open the blinds and crack … it’s raining. You express your usual expletive deletives - if that’s your norm. The single day of recreation you’ve been looking forward to is shot.

Or is it?

Sure, a heavy rain can be uncomfortable. And it can have an impact on fish activity. But it isn’t always a negative impact.

A cold summer rain can turn off fish. But a warm rain in the cooler seasons raises water temperatures, waking up lethargic lunkers and triggering feeding activity.

There are numerous advantages to fishing in the rain. Fish can’t see well through the rain-dappled water surface, allowing the angler to get closer. The run-off from shore carries small insects into the water. A shower also knocks insects off overhanging foliage into the water. Fish feed is swept into the current by increased river flow. All these factors make fish more apt to take a bait.

Live bait gets the nod over lures in rainy conditions. Heavy rain can make the water murky and cut the visibility of artificials, but fish can still locate that big shiner minnow or gob of nightcrawlers with their sense of smell. That said, though, bass and trout might take a run at surface flys and streamers, since there are so many insects in the water.

During a gentle rain, river banks can be productive. Move to deeper water as the rain gets steadier. In a heavy rain, river mouths are the liveliest areas.

If you’re in an aluminium boat, keep your eye on the sky. GET OFF THE WATER LONG BEFORE LIGHTNING STARTS STRIKING IN YOUR AREA. You don’t want to be aboard the only metal object in a sea of foaming water when lightning strikes.

A few other rules of thumb, mostly for your own comfort: Get the best rainsuit you can afford; it’s worth it. Dress warmly underneath it, but don’t overdress; it’s surprising how hot you can get under a rainsuit that doesn’t let your body heat escape. Bring some extra clothes to change into in case you get wet. Oh, and a flask of hot tea, coffee or chocolate. There’s nothing like a steaming hot cup of dark, rich joe when you’re wet and freezing.

Coffee just doesn’t taste this good at home.

Happy Fishing in the Kawarthas!