Grouse Hollow Journal for March 14, 2013

Grouse Hollow Journal for March 14, 2013 by Greg Koelker

"I've gone fishing thousands of times in my life, and I have never once felt unlucky or poorly paid for those hours on the water." - William TapplyI managed to get the Mississippi Queen on the river on Saturday afternoon. It wasn't easy.

First I had to get somebody to go with me. Ellen didn't like the looks of the low clouds and persistent off and on drizzle we were experiencing, and she has a terrible cold. (I had a feeling it was going to quit, the drizzle I mean.) Anyway, she was definitely out. I tried my young friend Eli Jackson but he didn't reply right away. Vince was in South Dakota, Mike Bilot was probably at work, and Curt and Gordie were too far away for short notice pike fishing. Who else might be brave, or foolish, enough to get wet while wetting a line? I called Mike Davis. He answered on the third ring and without hesitation said, “I can do that.”

Okay, I had a partner willing to fish in the rain. Now I had to see if my idle-since-September Merc motor would start. I uncovered the boat, rolling up the tarp to the front to try and keep most of the pigeon guano from soiling the carpet and seats. While many of the birds have fallen to flying lead poisoning this winter, those doggone sky carp that are left keep making a real mess in the center of the tobacco shed. Anyway, I pumped up the fuel line bulb, pumped and set the choke, and then started pumping the cold engine with the starter rope. It started on the sixth pull, growling to life in a cloud of blue smoke!

There is water running over ice through the shed, making walking around the boat treacherous. After having to walk back to the house to ask Ellen to find my truck keys (so I didin't have to take off my wet and muddy boots), and unloading my ice sled and gear, I had a heck of a time hooking the boat to the pickup. I grappled with the boat tongue, falling to one knee once, and slipping and sliding my way around the Queen while hanging on for dear life before having the hitch secured.

I was ready to go . . . I couldn't find my walleye stuff. At least I remembered I needed it before I left, but It wasn't where I remembered it. I checked the barn and the garage, and then the shop. I eventually found the rods and tackle box in a corner of the shop. I still don't know how or why they were in there.

Before I left, I remembered that I nearly forgot my fishing pliers (Wow! My memory must be improving!) and asked Ellen to check for the long nosed tool in my jacket pocket (I thought) and get me my warmer gloves from down stairs.

When I did roll down the driveway, I realized that I was going to be late for the rendezvous time Mike and I had set. I had some stops to make yet too. I got boat gas in Stoddard. I put in three gallons and the right amount of oil. In Genoa, I had Jen Clements get me a scoop of pike minnows. She said her step son, Mark got a nice mess of pike that morning. Great! On the way down the road, I got a text from Eli Jackson saying he was already out at Genoa, and as he eloquently put it, “The fishing sucks.” Blue smoke again, but this time from me.

Anyway, Mike was waiting for me at the parking lot of the Blask Landing. We readied the boat for launching. Eli's fishing partner, Tony came walking over. They were taking a break in the truck, warming up and snoozing. He said they had been there all morning and had three saugers.

We launched without incident, no small feat considering Mike and I top the list of most dangerous mariners at boat launches, after all the incidents we have had together and apart at boat landings. Eli and Tony had been fishing with hair jigs and minnows. So I tried my old standby, Donatello – a heavy headed jig that looks like one of the Ninja Turtles - with a twister tail and a minnow. It hadworked well last spring. Mike put on a floater rig with a minnow. He said he had been out on the open water twice before this year and the rig had served him to a couple fish dinners. I eventually put one on too, as he caught all of the fish for the day, both of them – smallish saugers.

We caught up on each other's families. His daughter (and my former student), Melissa, is a music teacher at an English school in Bogota, Columbia. He says she loves it there. We discussed gun control, education, health care, politics, hunting and fishing, not necessarily in that order. We solved more than one problem of the world if only everyone would listen and agree with us. Anyway, we finally called it quits, following Eli and Tony back to the landing, all of us soaked through and cold. As always, it was a good time on the water, regardless of the weather and catch, or lack there of.

Until next time, get out – on March 18 the Wisconsin DNR is asking for input on the deer herd with 34 meetings around the state. The Crawford, La Crosse, Monroe, and Vernon Counties meeting will be in the Community Room of the Bekkum Memorial Library in Westby from 6 to 8 p.m. Also, the DNR is holding nine public meetings in the state to ask anglers their ideas to improve the Driftless Area on March 20. The meeting for this area will run from 4-7 p.m. at the La Farge Kickapoo Valley Reserve Center along Highway 131. Also, the DNR spring wildlife & fisheries proposed rules hearing and annual Conservation Congress county meeting will be Monday, April 8 at 7 p.m. in the Viroqua High School Commons area. Don't forget to get your fishing license renewed. You might as well get your turkey license on the same stop. Finally, Wayne Jacobson of De Soto told me yesterday (Wednesday, March 14) that they had flowers poking out of ground along the house.  Enjoy.