05/26/2012 - Trout Fishing Locust Lake, PA
Well it's time for the annual Memorial Day weekend trout fishing expedition on Locust Lake, PA with Dad, Stevie, Stephen, and Wally!
I say expedition because it seems like anytime you fish Locust Lake you can almost certainly expect some kind of crazy weather to roll through sooner or later!
Sure enough, this day would be no different as we were hit with some late afternoon thunderstorms that felt like they might rival the Bering Sea storms you see on Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch! Fortunately we got a solid day of trout fishing in on the lake, and although the action wasn't as steady as in previous years...we still caught a bunch and had a great time!
Here's a few pics from the day...
Starting the morning off right! Tossed and turned all night, 2 hours of sleep called for some TRES INTENSE Newman's Own K-cup action!
I should also add Mom's super bargain shopping prowess is in full effect as she secured a brand new Keurig for FREE just by agreeing to submit reviews for the K-cups!
Coupon Kay comes through BIG TIME!
Alright...off to the lake, despite having to circumnavigate an entire mountain due to bridge construction closures, we arrive just in time to take in the misty morning view!
We slipped the boats in at the ramp and dropped off the vehicles in the parking lot above the lake...
On my way back down I snap a quick pic of the trail's perspective...
Then I arrive to this interesting scene...ohhhh the fishing stories have already begun!!!
I ask the old man if he's ever fished before...he just smirked! haha
We snap a quick pic together before heading out on the water!
And a little crop, one to remember!
Sunrise over the dam...
Anchor away!!!
Wally, ready for some action!
The lake is like glass, and the boys are fishing already!
Another sunrise shot across the dam...
Followed by the first PA brownie of the year for me!
Lay out of my rods while another fisherman trolls in the background...
Wally, enjoying the morning...
While I land another brownie...
The boys waiting for a bite...but it was a slow start
So they relocated over by us...
A little later Dad shows us the secret weapon!
But Wally has his own that worked on this nice brookie!
Picture taking is exhausting! I take the opportunity to enjoy some refreshments...Thirst Quencher!
Catching fish...and eating fish...crackers!
Made with REAL Cheese...artificially flavored that is!
Wally is on!
Nice brownie!
In between crackers, I land a nice brookie!
And Wally is on again!
With another nice brownie!
I hit a little lull but then land double header brownies...with this one...
And this one...
Wally is back on landing another!
And I follow up with this nice brookie!
And another brownie a little later...
Then Wally landed a nice pair, a brookie and brownie combo...
And another brown a little later...
Dad in the distance releasing one. Being on different boats made getting pics pretty tough.
And a final brown for me...
Then the storms rolled in. At first, it was some nice and welcomed cloud cover, followed by a few short showers. A little bit later we heard the rumble of thunder encroaching. We sat through a heavier dose of rain, but as the clouds grew darker, we pulled anchor and headed in to ride out the approaching storm. And when I say storm, I mean STORM. You could see the rain coming across the lake, hitting the water in the distance...and when it reached us, it went from 10mph winds to literally 50-60mph winds and sideways rain...it was absolutely unreal. Wicked downpour conditions! Wally and I barely made it to the shore, and later found out Dad, Stevie, and Stephen actually got pushed up against the rocks of the dam and didn't have enough power in their electric trolling motor to offset the wind and had to go to the other side of the lake just to get to shore and some cover! Absolutely most insane window of weather I've ever seen on that lake!
So Wally and I headed to the campground store for cover while we waited out the storm. After it let up, we returned to the boat to find a whole lot of water in it! From bone dry to that in about 10 minutes!
The crazy runoff, mini flash flood haha
After the first storm passed and cooled off the surrounding area!
A nice dock shot after the storm...
We sat at the dock debating on whether to go out again when mother nature let us know it probably wasn't a good idea!
Final shot as more weather approached...
It was around 3:30PM when we decided to pack it in and did so just in the nick of time! The next storm came upon us just as quickly and we jumped in the trucks as the rain started coming down. As we drove home through the storm, we were hit by torrential downpours, hail, flooding...the whole nine! Definitely made the right call getting out of there!
Here's a little video from when we pulled over during the storm on the way home, you can hear the hail hitting the van pretty good!
Sunday morning, the guys got up to go fishing again but were greeted by more thunder and lightning...so they called off the day.
Pretty tough conditions weather wise, but at least we got a full day in on Saturday! Always a great time fishing with everyone up there!
I had also planned on fly fishing the Little Schuylkill River on Monday morning, but with all that rain the river was like raging chocolate milk!
Well hopefully next time up I can enjoy some dry fly action and catch a few! ;)
Until next time...
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