Sometimes the beauty of fishing is in the beauty around you!

I'd been waiting since last September for this day to come - our first trip of the year to Crotch Lake in Ompah. We like to rent one of the North Frontenac Parkland Campsites for the day (it's only 50 minutes to the bush road and then 20 minutes in from where we are located and absolutely one of the most stunning places in Ontario) and just enjoy the gorgeous and stunning beauty of the land and the fabulous fishing. We have sites booked for September for the whole family...but it struck me last week...why can't I just go with the boys for the day right now!!! So I quickly booked one of the 4 land accessible sites and was ready to go on Friday!

We got up at 6 and headed out the door at 7! After a gorgeous drive there (7 deer crossed our path...one was a family with a baby fawn) we arrived around 8:30am. The boys pulled out their Nerf guns and I pulled out my tackle box and rod...wanted to get as much in as early as I could. It was absolutely the day of the ROCK BASS...WOW...of the 72 fish I caught on Friday I'd have to say 40 were good size fighting Rock Bass...the rest were small mouth (with 3 HUGE white fish).

The fishing was great....got at least 8-10 BIG THINGS on the line...but it was just one of those days (even for the boys..who had some very sizable things on their lines at times as well..) were I just couldn't land them...or keep them to get a picture. Had a great sized Pike on the line last cast before we left...got him in right to the rock edge...and was calling for the boys to bring my net back (my youngest was teaching my oldest to catch frogs by hand..but they found a BIG ONE they wanted the net) and just as I pulled it in it jumped off..ugh! The boys felt bad and were upset that I didn't get the fish..but I reminded them..we saw it...and it wasn't about catching it...it was about the AMAZING day we had....it was so peaceful and relaxing...and having FUN fishing not being upset about it!

Soooooo....after some thought and realizing how SHORT the summer is...and life is....we're heading back on Wednesday (Different campsite....) to have some more fun...and hopefully catch that BIG ONE!