We played a fast 7 holes as a thunderstorm chased us to the clubhouse. As guests of the owner Bob Wilson, Sonya and I had a great time with Sally tagging along on the course, a first for us all.
Sally and Nan on the putting green.
Storm moving in.
Chipping on #7
Sonya and I left Lawrence at 2 AM on Monday. We got to Laramie around 2:30 PM. Grabbed a few supplies at the Westside fly shop. Set up our camp at twin Buttes lake. Got a little bit of fishing in last night and this morning.
Got on the lake around 5, lots of boats on a Saturday evening. Pretty slow overall. We got around a dozen fish total. A 15” wiper for me and a 20” fish for Jake.
Jake and 20” wiper
I met Rod Eisenhauer in the parking lot at Shadow Glen on a perfect May morning. We warmed up on the range an hit our tee shots on number one shortly after 11. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed a relaxed round. Had a drink at the men’s grill after. Thanks for the round Rod, it was a memorable day.
Jon and Rod on the 14th tee at Shadow Glen
#4 Tee at Shadow Glen
A few evenings back, Sally went with me to fish the white bass bite. First cast at around four and we had a 12 incher in the boat. A total of 16 largest 15” and 2 1/2 pounds. Chrome Rat-L-Trap was the killer again. Noticeable action when the sun poked from behind the clouds. Memorial Day weekend rush was on.
Me and Sally with a nice white bass.
A missed call from Jake started this trip tonight. At 5:30 I was backing the truck into the garage. Jake was dropping the boat into the east ramp and I made a dash to meet him. A successful family trip a couple of days prior laid the groundwork for tonight. Jake got us positioned using the Garmin and we soon started to slowly pick up a few small whites. I had the hot combo toward the end, landing five whites between 2-3 pounds. The chrome Shad Rat-L-Trap, blue over orange was the lure. Long casts down wind with a medium speed steady retrieve worked well. The peak action was at 8:30. On the night we boated around 20 fish.
Joined the group today at 8:30 AM and teed off in a threesome with Scott Workman and Carl Jones. We had a good round but ultimately ended up losing three dollars each to John Sell and his team. On the whole, I played pretty decent for the first time out with a final score of 86. Drove the ball well and putted quite well for being away from the game since September. I really enjoyed the round and spending the day with Scott and Carl.
Scott Workman, Carl Jones, Jon McCleary - 18th Tee at Jayhawk Club
Since moving to the Fringe and Jayhawk Club in October I have been thinking about weather or not my best days of golf are behind me. I look at people who by all accounts have less to work with who are better players than i am. It begs the question why? As I examine my game and wonder what has gone wrong, I realize that it is really nothing, nothing more than my attitude toward my game. I still feel the rush of a perfectly struck shot, or the fulfillment of a good nine holes or round. I can still break 80 sometimes, that was my old benchmark, I feel like with some work and a renewed commitment, i can get it back and perhaps maybe even improve on my own ability.
Tonight, its Wednesday, lately I have been joining the men's group at the Jayhawk Club for league. I have missed the casual rounds with Jake at Burning Tree and plan to meet him tonight. Looking forward to testing out the new bag trolley, Clickgear 3.5. Also wondering how the use of my new equipment will improve things at the course. I will have results tomorrow.
Thursday June 28. 9 hole match at Burning Tree w Jake. Sr. 37 +2 , Jr. 38 +3. Good match, 3’ putt on last to win. New clubs are an advantage - hit 8 iron 152 on 9, 6 iron 180 on 7, hitting driver well closer to the ball. Putting just OK, not holing the mid range putts.
It is amazing how a person can learn to loathe something they once loved. Golf has taken that turn in my life. There was a time 30 years ago where my obsession with the game knew no boundaries and my love for it was deep. As time went on and my game improved the margin for achievement closed and my frustration with my performance on the course widened. In the years between 1991 and 1994 my game found its peek, I was playing to a 4 handicap but could never seem to improve beyond that point. during that time there were probably a dozen or more rounds where I either shot or broke par on moderately difficult courses with my best performance a -2 at my old home course in Kennewick, Washington.
Later on with the boys in middle school the family moved north to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. I found a renewed passion for playing but it only lasted a few years. I was able to shoot the occasional even par round and flirt with some mid 70's scores on occasion but the desire to improve had left me. I am not sure it was because of time, loss of interest or competing hobbies, somehow I just lost the spark. As sad as this is to say, I have been at a point for many years now where any score that is not in the 70's has felt like a disappointment and colossal waste of time. There were times where I alternated between vowing to never play again or at best just give up on finding my old glory days. For me, I had come to accept that perhaps my best day on the course were behind me and the back nine of my golf life was destined for mediocrity.
Preserve Pond Latgemouth
Made an afternoon hike to the pond with backpack and fishing gear. Caught this bass on the west side campsite. Lost one just like it only a few casts before. Roadrunner with black and pink skirt.
Received the new tent yesterday and set it up at Jakes house. The tent definitely lived up to its advertising. Super easy to set up and take down, good quality and just the right size for two people.
Nan, Leslie and Henry testing tent.
Tent set up with awning
It is July 3, almost 6 in the morning. This is my second day in a row coming down to the point park. Caught two nice trout yesterday grandpa’s old Fenwick seven weight. Fishing the shore from the lone tree down stream 50 yards. The coolness in morning fog along with the singing birds and peacefulness make this a great way to start the morning and to complete the first leg of a perfect day.
Thursday, July 5: Fish this morning at the lone tree, tried a crackle back and landed 10 fish. Hooked and lost another four. A lot of fish activity early on the surface, seems to be the time to fish this way.
What a time in our lives, as though the train is coasting through the last few towns on a cross country run, not quite there but only a few more stops to go. I feel torn and confused about the decisions ahead, in need of guidance and clarity. What is it that I want? And is it the same as what I need ? The pull of a new tomorrow…but is that all that I hope it will be? Right now those notions are in conflict with this fear of loss or is it greed, what does another little bit do for us, do we even need it? And on top of it all there is this sense of time? What would I do anyway, is there anything so urgent that it could not wait until the end? And then the unforeseen, should these circumstances even be considered? So what are the real questions at hand?
what do I plan to do in the first 5 years of my free life?
where do we want to be? What environments will stir my soul to life?
what places exist that must be experienced?
who do I want to be around, anyone?
what will bring me a fulfillment?
when will I have the security to choose and is it ever enough?
all of these questions fill my mind as I think about the path ahead, what is right for me, our family, our future? With whom should I speak to gain the clarity required?
From the moment we pulled up to the stone and log gate, the surroundings captured me. This place, as I had only seen on the screen of my computer, lived up to the slick production and promotion of the graphic design team who produced the video.
The current temporary clubhouse, a home converted after the original clubhouse burnt to the ground in 2008 housed a handful of golf carts, a pro shop well stocked with Idaho Club gear, a warm fire burning at the stone fireplace.
Jeff Gove, resident golf and real estate professional greeted us with smile and genuine enthusiasm. We were escorted to our lodge home by Gordon and Nicole, they did a great job showing us around the house and making sure that we had everything that we needed. The house, which sat against a small pond and 13th fairway was beautiful. Fireplaces and a hot tub on the back deck, large kitchen and comfortable beds. The surrounding neighborhood was made up of like homes, all dripping with the northwest lodge look, blending beautifully into their surroundings.
Austin and Carrie brought along Winrey, their lovable golden retriever. A small bull moose appeared from behind one of the adjacent homes and moseyed across the road as if it was released from a cage and trained to put on a show for prospective new owners.
Met up this morning with Jon Jon of Local Fishing Knowledge at the Kihei beach access. The Hobie Pro Angler kayak served as our transportation as we hit the water around 7:30. A northeast wind left the inland shoreline calm and the clear water over the broken sand and coral. We fished south, first hook up was blind casting between two sand flats, a blazing run of 125 yards then a slow retrieve back to the kayak. Second run was a direction change, then a pop and the fish was off. The power was unbelievable. What a thrill. Back to the hotel. Convention dinner.
woke at 3:30 AM and worked out with Jake at Jayhawk Wellness at 5. Cool 63, overcast and a light north wind. Got 4 fish over the edge of the roadbed east of the island. Fished until 11. Trolling shad plugs, bright green was the color.
wiper at Clinton Lake
FISH: Morning at Clinton Lake, 6AM calm nice morning, cast for White Bass in the shallows near the island point. Soaked minnows over fish all morning, slow trolled back to launch in the wind. Pulled out at 10:30. One catfish. Evening before got 12 Whites in the shallows near the island flats at dark.
CHIPS: Played a solo 9 this evening, shot 42.
At the practice range with Mike Weakland and Paul O’connell.
Sometimes in life, if we are fortunate, certain people come along who make us better by multiplying our own strengths and filling our gaps with their own talents. These friends have a way of adding elements to our life that enrich the experience of living. Mike Weakland is one of those uncommon individuals who adds humor, stability and a deliberate cadence to my often serious and fast paced controlled crash of a life. I turned 53 on Tuesday, and this 3 day sojourn to Trout Lodge was just what we both needed after putting the trip off for several years. The excitement began when the Stealthcraft came unbuttoned from the hitch at the intersection of 31st and Haskel, a stout deadlift to re-engage the lift jack and a set of long nosed pliers as a makeshift hitch pin and we were back in business. Where the hitch pin got off to is still a mystery. Aside from a divot in the bumper and a tight back, no harm done.
We arrived in Branson before lunch time and were on the first tee taking in a sunny 65 degree December afternoon, we played at a relaxed pace and alternated good shots with some we weren’t too proud of, shared some great laughs and finished with a pair of birdies on 18 to cap off an unexpected gem of a day.
Mike and I on the 15th Tee at Pointe Royale
Mikes rainbow trout at Flat Rock Hole.
The close proximity of the 19th Hole Grill to our lodgings is part of the charm of Trout Lodge, every man should have a reliable diner where familiar surroundings and a utilitarian menu can be had. The bacon and eggs, crispy hash browns and mid weight diner coffee fortified us for an afternoon on the river. We loaded the boat with cooler, Lebanon bologna sandwiches that Mike artfully fabricated the night before, rods and warm layers of clothes. On a Tuesday in December you will not be fighting a crowd on the upper reaches of Tanney, full throttle most of the way and we were soon rigging up our gear in a heavy 5000 Cfs flow. Our stop to see Chuck at the fly shop paid off when Mike hooked his first ever fly rod trout, #16 brown scud anchored neatly in the corner of its mouth. We mostly drifted the Flat Rock hole on a dropping flow, 5 rainbows to the boat on brown scuds. Mike boated 2 nice fish, had full command of the tackle and is now a fly fisherman of the first order. One of the great joys in my life is sharing and handing down the gift my grandpa gave me as a young man, to see the excitement in the eyes of others as a trout dances on the end of the line.
We made our way home on Wednesday, a trip we will not soon forget.
Launched the boat today at 9:30, clear mid fifties. Release at 2500 to 3000 CFS. Learned something today. Fishing the flow, weight needs to get scud to bottom. Used an egg attractor with large bead head scud under. I caught 3 and Jake 1. Parked the boat at the eddy for lunch, back out for afternoon trip.
