# WOW Week at Henry's



## FishNaked (Apr 15, 2009)

Well here it is Sunday evening and I'm finally sitting down to reflect on fishing this past week. What a week it has been.

*Tuesday June 21.*
We'd spent the weekend and Monday in Yellowstone and then Judy decides to run to Utah late and spend a few days with her family. I worked in the garden and puttered around the house and finally about 8:00 decided I didn't want to go to bed...so I grabbed a fishing pole and Lucy and we jumped in the truck and headed north. No boat tonight so we'd be sitting on the bank with bait trying one pole on the bottom and the second under a bobber. I fished form 9:15 to 11:45 with not much action. One bump on the bottom line and small fish kept dragging my lighted bobber around but never enough of a bite to pull it under or to set the hook on. It was clear night though and the stars were out and it was fun to just sit there and play along the shore with Luce.

*Wednesday June 22*
After work I ran up to my folks house and grabbed the boat. Grandpa had to help his neighbors move so he couldn't come with me. I called several buddies but nobody could go last minute...just me a Luce again. We launched about 6:30 and I had two fish on before I had the second pole tied on and casted out. My first two fish were the biggest this evening...I didn't weigh or measure any but best guess is 21-22" and 3 pounds. Fishing was furious...I trolled around until 9:45 and landed 27 fish...all on spinners tonight. I left my camera in the truck so no pics tonight. They all went back in the water this night to get bigger for next year.

*Thursday June 23*
I twisted a buddies arm to go with me and we both left work about an hour early so we could get an earlier start. We launched about 5:30 and started catching fish immediately. With two poles each in the boat we constantly had on a double and had one triple. We trolled for about an hour and a half and got clear across the lake when the wind came up. Our little 14' boat isn't the best in the rough water so we pulled in the poles and slowly started making our way back across the lake in the white caps. It was slow going and we were getting splashed with each wave but we made it across. About 300 yards from the marina the wind started to soften so I tossed out a pole for the last couple of minutes...wham...fish on. Then another and another. Curtis threw his poles in and we both started catching fish again. The fish had slowed on the spinners but they were hitting rapalas this last hour after the wind...and the fish seemed bigger. It was still rough and every time I let go of the tiller handle the boat tried to turn in circles in the remaining wind so we still had to be careful landing fish. I hooked into a big fish and knew it immediately. We reeled in all other poles as I fought the big bruiser. My mistake was not killing the motor. I got the fish close and saw him surface twice. I guessed him at 26" and 6-7 pounds. He rolled in the water and flashed his belly...Curtis yelled out that he was 4" thick. As I got him close enough to net the boat turned circles in the wind and I lost control as he went under the boat. The line loosed up as I maneuvered around to the other side of the boat and with one last head shake he spit the rapala back at me laughing. We fished until it was too dark to see and were back at the dock at 10:05. Final tally we ended up with 37 fish landed...plus 13 others that spit us off on the retrieve to the boat. That is a 50 fish night...wow! We kept 4. [attachment=14:3eaajwlr]Curtis 6 22.JPG[/attachment:3eaajwlr]Curtis's biggest fish was 21" and 3 lb. 5 oz. I turned a couple back earlier in the night that were similar sized. The four we kept measured 21", 19" 19" and 18". It was too rough to take good pictures while out fishing so the only one of the night was back at the cleaning station in the dark.

*Friday June 24*
Judy was home from Utah so I'd promised her a date. Grandpa took one of his neighbors fishing with his two boys...9 and 7. They fished 4 hours and landed 30 fish and lost another 20 at least. Grandpa said those two boys reeled in every fish and had the time of their lives.

*Saturday June 25*
With the fishing as good as it has been we just have to keep going...right?

Grandma has been couped up in the house all week not feeling well and we coaxed her out to go for a boat ride Saturday afternoon. With both my folks and Judy also going we had a more than full boat...sad sad Lucy got left home.

We launched at 4:30 and had 3 fish within the first 7 or 8 minutes. Another lights out night on the water it was going to be! My dad bet Judy $1 for the first fish which he lost within 3 minutes. [attachment=12:3eaajwlr]Judy 1.JPG[/attachment:3eaajwlr]Every pole and every color was catching fish. [attachment=3:3eaajwlr]Z 1.JPG[/attachment:3eaajwlr]Judy was squealing with each fish and my dad had a huge smile on his face all night long. [attachment=4:3eaajwlr]Gpa Smile.JPG[/attachment:3eaajwlr]We had the camera tonight and with Judy on board we were definitely going to take lots of pictures. [attachment=11:3eaajwlr]Judy 2.JPG[/attachment:3eaajwlr]

Judy hooked into a good fish and when she got it close to the boat it flashed us those unmistakeable markings of a brookie. We got it safely in the net and Judy didn't even fix her hair in the wind for the photo op. 19"+ and 3 lb. 1/8 oz. [attachment=13:3eaajwlr]Judy Brookie.JPG[/attachment:3eaajwlr]Into the live well he went. Just a couple of minutes later Judy hooked into another fish and I hooked into a double. I handed my second pole to my mom to reel in. I was shaking my fish off, my dad was helping to unhook Judy and we weren't paying close attention to my mom and we let her reel it to close to the boat and we didn't react fast enough to help her and nobody grabbed the net. It was another big brookie with dark fall colors...bigger than Judy's...probably 21" and 3 1/2 - 4 pounds is my guess...biggest fish all night. [attachment=6:3eaajwlr]Gma.JPG[/attachment:3eaajwlr]You can guess the ending of this story as we lost the big beauty trying to control the line by hand and tripping over the net...bummer.

The wind came up and got really rough...and we made grandma's queazy stomach come back. We slowly motored back to the dock so she could read her book in the truck. The wind softened a bit and back out we went just me and Judy and grandpa. Judy definitely had the hot pole all night and kept telling us the score as she landed fish after fish. [attachment=1:3eaajwlr]Judy 3.JPG[/attachment:3eaajwlr] [attachment=10:3eaajwlr]Judy 4.JPG[/attachment:3eaajwlr][attachment=2:3eaajwlr]Z 2.JPG[/attachment:3eaajwlr][attachment=9:3eaajwlr]Judy 5.JPG[/attachment:3eaajwlr][attachment=8:3eaajwlr]Judy 6.JPG[/attachment:3eaajwlr]My dad was just happy to be at the motor control and watched the excitement Judy got with each fish. He kept teasing her that she was going overboard with the next fish and then he happily shook it off her spinner so she could cast back out.[attachment=5:3eaajwlr]Gpa 1.JPG[/attachment:3eaajwlr]

We fished until 9...and had almost an hour's break in the middle when we took grandma back to shore...so we actually fished approx. 3 1/2 hours. Final tally was Judy 23, me 17, grandpa 16, and grandma reeled in 2...that is 58 fish landed and many more lost at the side of the boat. Grandpa lost a second dollar to Judy for the most fish caught. We kept 4 fish and returned the rest to grow bigger. [attachment=0:3eaajwlr]Fish 6 24.JPG[/attachment:3eaajwlr]Judy was annoyed that we didn't keep a full limit of 6...but we kept hoping to hook into a bigger fish as darkness approached. Her brookie was the biggest fish we kept. Grandpa lost a third dollar to Judy for catching a bigger fish than he did. He won't bet her again next time. My first two or three fish of the evening were my biggest landed...and I tossed them back. I shook off one hybrid that was pushing 3 1/2 pounds and a pretty cutt that was a solid 3.

The Henry's moss monster is starting and another week or two of this warm weather will make the lake un-trollable. [attachment=7:3eaajwlr]Judy moss.JPG[/attachment:3eaajwlr]

All in all what an amazing week of fishing and we took full advantage of it. My dad's little boat caught 152 fish in 4 nights. I personally landed 64 fish this week...and that makes 86 for me on the year out of Henry's. That is more fish that I've caught out of Henry's the last 20 years combined.

Do you think this week can get any better?


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## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

That looks like a lot of fun and a great week! Thanks for sharing your success!


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

Nice report...nice fish too!

Good of your wife to ignore the hair so we could get a glimpse of those fish...she's a good sportswoman!!


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## Greenhead_Slayer (Oct 16, 2007)

Nice work! We are headed up Friday until Tuesday, thats an encouraging report


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## Greenhead_Slayer (Oct 16, 2007)

PS- Are the snowflies out in full force?


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## Size Matters (Dec 22, 2007)

It sounds like you had a great time thanks for the report and photos. 8)


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

Wow! you guys are a slayin' them fish! Rapala's and spinners? I thought only Lucky's and Smelly-Jelly worked now-a-days...  Good job.

I always look forward to your reports. Thanks for sharing.


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## FishNaked (Apr 15, 2009)

I'm not sure what a snow fly is...sorry. Mosquitos haven't been bad yet. Someone mentioned to me that the Cicadas (sp?) are out on the river this week?

I haven't caught a fish yet on a Lucky...go figure. Rainbow and Brooke Trout rapalas have been a hit the last hour of day light and the spinners have been crazy. Here is what an abused Blue Fox looks like after getting gobbled 3 or 4 trips in a row.


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

No, sir. That's what a PROPER Blue Fox looks like! Nice work. I've noticed your spinner preference and am right there with ya.

That's a helluva week! I really need to fish that lake someday.


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## JCR (Sep 17, 2007)

Looks like you and your family had a blast. Thanks for the report and the awesome pics!


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## saturn_guy (Jan 17, 2009)

FN, I'll be there in just over a week and a half. Any pointers. I'm going to go get some spinners now, but I don't have a boat. How well can I do from shore? PM's are great! I'll be a first timerr, and just hope to have a small sliver of the week you had.


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