Since I have begun fishing, I've always explored new equipment and techniques. I have tried my hand at fly fishing, jigging for steelhead, casting top water buzz baits for largemouth bass, and have experimented with every spinning lure imaginable.
I started fishing with my grandma at a very young age. She loved to fish, and would sit for hours while grandpa relaxed in the truck and read whatever printed literature was available. Looking back, I guess it was somewhat of a role reversal. Even though grandpa loved everything about the outdoors, he seldom fished; with the exception of their annual trips to the Oregon coast. But he always went with her, and I never heard him complain.
Grandma's preferred method of angling was bait fishing. Night crawlers, marshmallows, corn, and salmon eggs comprised her arsenal of bait. She believed that Ugly Stik rods and Mitchell reels were the finest examples of fishing gear available, and most often used heavy line with at least an ounce of weight. The extra-long rod and heavy weight allowed grandma to cast her rig far out into deep water. From her shore line command center, she would watch patiently in her lawn chair while her pole sat perched in the home-made spud link rod holder. And I can't remember a time when grandma did not catch fish.
As I began to grow up and mature, my equipment transitioned from mirroring grandma's shoreline set-up to ultra light rods, four-pound test, and minimalistic accessories. Lawn chair fishing, for the most part, was a thing of the past. My extra-large four tray tackle box was substituted with utility trays in a backpack and bait fishing yielded to flies, jigs, and lures.
I have written about my frustration with Magic Reservoir. We still don't own a boat, and although many anglers enjoy success from its banks, I am not fortunate enough to be one of them. I have watched large fish being caught from boats and with fly, but have had little personal success. And I have tried everything. Or so I thought.
Last week, a co-worker who recently relocated from Oregon inquired about a good place to take his family camping within an hour or two of Twin Falls. He prefers unimproved campgrounds, and also likes to take his boat and UTV. I told him there are 2 options for lake camping close to Twin Falls: Salmon Falls Reservoir and Magic Reservoir. We discussed both lakes, and I suggested Salmon Falls, obviously due to the fact that I can't catch fish in Magic. Since he owns a boat, he decided to give Magic a try.
The same weekend, my family took a day trip to Salmon Falls Reservoir. We fished and paddled for hours and only caught a few small bass. Cooking hot dogs over an open fire, I watched an elderly couple fish from their lawn chairs nearby. They were using long rods and heavy weight, and were catching fat trout and perch with almost every cast. I smiled and thought of my grandma, and how some things will never change. I hope they never will.
When I returned to work the following Monday, my co-worker told me about his weekend at Magic Reservoir. They camped lakeside at Myrtle Point, and launched their boat early Saturday morning. After hours of unsuccessful fishing, the boat's motor started acting up. He worked on the motor and nursed the boat back to shore at noon. While his family was eating lunch, he watched a couple of nearby fishermen pulling large trout from the lake. My co-worker walked over and asked the successful fishermen for advice. They told him to use a #2 hook with 2 marshmallows, then to thread a whole night crawler over the hook. He was also instructed to use at least an ounce of weight. After re-rigging his pole, my co-worker managed to catch more than 10 trout throughout the weekend, most of them over 20 inches in length.
Through the course of my life, I have lost touch with the basic fundamentals of fishing my grandma so carefully used. And I have to admit, I feel a little foolish. I know that large trout are found in deeper water, and the hot days of summer will hold them in the depths to escape the warmer water. My relentless pursuit of a mixed bag has begun to take its toll on my catch rate. Although I enjoy using jigs, lures and the like, I will most certainly treat my family to a day of old-fashioned lawn chair fishing at Magic Reservoir. I'll let you know if we catch anything.
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