Tonite on Colonel By Lake

[ganman]

Tonites fishing was an example of how much things can change in ten years.

Colonel By lake is the last lake on the Rideau system before drops into the Cataraqui and Lake Ontario at Kingston. As the last waterbody on the system it seems to collect all those nutrients from farmer's fields, septic beds and everything else that filters down from the upper lake It's not the most picturesque lake and in a region of beautiful water bodies some may call it ugly. There aren't a bunch of fishing camps on it, or cottages. As an ugly duckling it doesn't attract any tourists. Dog and Cranberry have 20 times as many fisherman on any given day. But its green soupy waters were incredbly rich and the bass were big and plentiful. We caught an incredible number of 6lb bass on this lake. I once took Charlie Campbell and Stacey King of Bass Pro Shops fishing here. These guys have fished for years on the BASS tournament trail and are veterans of many Bassmaster Classics. Working for Bass Pro Shops they got to fish all over the place. But I'm not sure I've seen two more excited guys as they were that day. They threw muskie sized spinnerbaits on flippin stiks, because they said "these are big vigorous bass" and they marveled at how thick and strong they were compared to bass back home on Table Rock Lake. Stacey caught one he thought was at least 7lbs.

That was then and this is now. Tonite was my first time back in at least ten years and what a difference. Zebra Mussels have taken hold and the soupy green fertile water is clearer now and its much weedier. Tonite I got a pair of three pounders and a number of small bass, my father got one bass. It dosen't sound so bad but we fished hard and the fishing was slow. It was nothing like the old days. Maybe the bass are still there but in different spots.