To avoid the risk of bacterial contamination following heart surgery, my friend Tom received doctor’s orders to avoid contact with water. This restriction included boating during the month of June, when Tom and his wife Elizabeth annually join Robin and me to fish on Lake Champlain. Eight weeks after his surgery, Tom felt quite well, but he followed his doctor’s instructions and remained on dry land. During previous years, Tom and Robin usually alternated spending time in the boat with me, allowing me to maximize my time on the water without exhausting their enthusiasm. This year it was just Robin and me, with our dog Britt, in the boat.

When we arrived at our preferred boat ramp, the parking lot was overflowing with vehicles and boat trailers, with more vehicles parked on the road and a line of boats waiting to launch. Switching to Plan B, we drove a couple miles to another ramp, a place where I had fished only once before. When I caught a smallmouth bass on my fourth cast, I thought that we’d have a great day. Unfortunately, that was the only fish we hooked that day.

The following morning, when we arrived at another one of our favorite ramps, we were surprised to see no vehicles in the parking lot. We soon discovered that the unusually high water made launching there impossible, so once again we moved to a different ramp. After launching we hooked a few bass while fishing with jigs around an offshore shoal, then motored to a nearby island. While Robin napped on the rear deck and Britt stared at the many birds flying past us, I hopped a tube jig along a six-foot-deep shelf of rocks that extended away from the island. Feeling a subtle heaviness on my line, I set the hook into something solid. I saw a flash down deep, then my reel’s drag whined as the fish took line with a swift, powerful run.

“Big fish! Really big fish! Robin, wake up! Get the net!” I screamed, panicking ridiculously. Regaining my composure enough to battle the fish, when it swam within sight, I was disappointed to realize that it was a northern pike, not a bass. The pike escaped the net once, but eventually we brought it aboard. Weighing almost 8 pounds, it wasn’t a monster by Lake Champlain pike standards, but it certainly made my day.

Michael Hahn Band varies in size from a duo to a six-piece band, depending upon the size and budget of the venue. They love to make music for any occasion. For bookings call 802-754-8889.
Upcoming Gigs:
Sun. July 6: Hungry Bear In Bradford from 2 to 5
Tues. July 15: Burgers & Brews in Barton from 5 to 8

Have a story?