Put this one into the Monty Python category, "And now for something completely different"...
Today I went exploring a new lake by kayak in the Huron National Forest. This lake gets an annual stocking of 1300-1600 rainbow trout each spring, sub-legal size so at least they get to grow before they get harvested, and the lake also contains perch and bluegill. I borrowed a set of kayak wheels from my boss (had some difficulty, more on this below) as the lake is a solid mile hike in from the parking area, no boat launch, no motorized vehicles allowed and no motors allowed even if you could pack one in that far. Perfect!! I wheeled in the kayak, launched and paddled across the lake and started fishing, not expecting any trout at this time of the year anyway but what the heck...to my pleasent surprise, the lake had some nice big yellow perch in it, of which I caught eleven in the 8-10" range (with one possibly going larger, didn't get it in the boat). Not "jumbos" but not little guys either, all eating size (though I tossed them all back) and they bent the 7 1/2-foot 3-weight over really nice! All but one of them hit a size 10 chartreuse Woolly Bugger (with grizzly hackle, weighted underbody, and Krystal Flash in the tail) with the final fish taking an original KBF (also size 10). On top of this, I got to see a really big beaver (his head was bigger than my fist, he was about 2 1/2 feet long!) and yet another wild orchid, a Spiranthes species, a.k.a. "lady's tresses". Just another beautiful northern Michigan experience...this is where Spence steps in and says in a soothing voice, "That's Pure Michigan".
The only issue was the kayak cart. It folds up to go inside the kayak, but not only was it too big to fit inside my kayak, it kept folding up on the way out (in the dark) and dumping my kayak on the ground! It appears to have no hold-open device to keep it from folding up whenever it wants to...If any of you troutnuts out there know of a good brand, please let me know because there's plenty of other lakes I want to get into that are too far to just drag the thing in.
Jonathon
P.S. Oh, and I'll be going back in after those rainbows as the weather cools off and they come up out of the depths (it reaches 38 feet in the middle, probably spring-fed) to feed on midges and etc...
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...