Patience, Perseverance and a Rainy Weather Reward

My birthday was fast approaching, and the camping/fishing trip I planned was on a collision course with unseasonably cool and rainy weather. Figures. So I packed my bags and left for Dolliver State Park in NW Iowa. I told myself there would be some breaks in the weather and it wouldn't be that bad...

I lied. Over the years I've learned to leave that carrot of hope dangling in front so I follow through with my outdoor endeavors. Sure enough I stepped out of the truck and into chilly air and a light, steady rain. It wasn't heavy enough to put out my campfire, nor extinguish my plans for fishing on the Des Moines River the next morning.

I started off sight-fishing in a deep, rocky creek as it entered the main river. The rainy weather was rippling the water but the wind was light enough I could just barely make out schools of fish near the clear water bottom. Low barometric pressure and cloud cover were good factors, but chilly air and wind were going to make conditions tough. Putting together the weather elements, I forecast the fish would be sluggish, but possibly hungry for a natural looking meal that was big enough. So I went to work testing my theories starting with the worst first.

The first strike I had came nearly 2 hours and 20 lures into the day. I was using a perch colored, shallow diving Rapala and I combined a steady roll on the reel with an occasional series of twitches to make the bait dance like it had a brief seizure. Finally, one worked! A 12" Smallmouth bass inhaled the bait and put up one heck of a fight. I had my first piece of the puzzle alongside my first birthday fish.

Several minutes passed with zero additional interest in the lure, so I made an adjustment. Three casts into a new lure and a 19 inch Northern Pike couldn't resist the action. The fight was equally impressive to the Smallmouth bass and my dampened spirits were on the rise. I almost had the fish landed when it spit the hook and turned tail for deeper waters. Then, the most memorable part of my trip unfolded.

Let me first say, a rare fever infects me when I'm fishing and instincts seem to trump reason. I worked hard for this Northern and as my would-be second fish began to swim away I found myself launched in motion with reckless abandon, arms outstretched and airborne. I came to rest on a bruised right elbow, soaking wet in 6" of water - fish in hand and grin on mug. Apparently, I dove into the water, throwing my $200 bait-caster and all logic aside and nearly drowning my new cell phone to reclaim my prize. I am no longer allowed to wear my wallet or my cell phone near the water but luck shone down and I had my first keeper.

More importantly, I caught on to the winning combination of lure and presentation. A slow, steady retrieve with a large-bodied Beetlespin scored the first keeper of the day. I modified the presentation with an over-sized copper colored Colorado spinner blade to put off more shine and vibration. I then bounced the lure off the rocky bottom which is where I got the most hits. Within an hour I had four 15inch Walleye and one 13 incher which I released. It was a crummy weather day, but a great fishing experience. I became the butt of many jokes by jumping in after a little Northern, but I made new memories with good friends and I caught my limit of Walleye by paying attention to the little things and changing my approach to match what the fish wanted.

Patience, perseverance and some birthday luck really helped me out. So next time the weather is foul, don't let that keep you in. Dress for the weather, pack proper gear and try out different lure/presentation combinations until you find one that works. Stick with it and it could lead you to a rainy weather reward. Oh yeah, I don't recommend jumping in the water ;-)