Neither of these fish was the lunker I had on the line two summers ago, that I called Big Missy (funny, I'd come up with a better name now...), but they were decent sized, what you might call eaters, and both came shooting out of the darkness of the Chippewa River, out from beneath the rock and old street curb structure that lines the spot where I fish, with a speed and ferocity worthy of their species.
Last weekend, we got a lot of rain. We were on the northern fringe of the system that brought so much devastation to Texas and Oklahoma, and the Chippewa is almost at flood stage as a result. I figured it would be, but I headed down to my spot like always, hoping for a chance to perch myself somewhere above the rushing water.
No such luck. My usual spot was under at least five feet of water, and the current was so strong retrieval was almost impossible. In addition, the alarm was going off on the dam, a repetitive descending blare letting people down stream know more water is on the way and to not do something stupid, like trying to carry on business as usual.
I went to Half Moon Lake instead, specifically Braun's Bay, near Carson Park, where Hank Aaron (yes, the Hank Aaron), spent the early days of his career.
Halfmoon is small, 135 acres, and not all that deep, dipping down just 9 feet. But like the rivers (Chippewa and Eau Claire), we are blessed to have this body of water so easily accessible, right in town. And Braun's Bay has a nice park-ish feel to it, which I guess is a double edged sword. On the one hand, it's crowded as hell most of the time, not only by other fishermen and picnickers (and so forth and so on...), but water fowl. (Seriously, there's a resident population of ducks and geese who are not as wary of humans as they should be, and a couple hours shoreline fishing here has revealed that Canada Geese can be real assholes sometimes.)
But being a park means Braun's Bay is managed. It's kept clean and landscaped. In the evening, as the sun sets, it's exceptionally nice. A calm settles over the water, the city of 65,000 surrounding it is hardly detectable, and you can almost always hear a barred owl on the other side of the water, calling into the gathering darkness. Motorized craft is not allowed on the water (with the exception of a trolling motor), and this adds to the peace and quiet....or preserves it.
I've caught my share of bass and crappie on Halfmoon Lake. All on the small to average side, but full of fight nonetheless. Although they reportedly exist in some numbers, I've never caught a northern, or heard of anyone who has, on Halfmoon...although I might just rent a canoe or kayak and see what I can find beyond the bay. Kayakers are common place here. One morning last summer, I watched a kayaker ply her way through water like liquid glass in the stillest part of the dawn, and disappear with barely a ripple into the brightening mist. Standing on the little dock, I thought, I want to be her.
Hey, if I fished in a pedal boat, I can fish in a kayak. ;-)
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PLENTIFUL - Bass are (almost) a sure bet at Eau Claire's Halfmoon Lake, if you can put up with crowds and ornery waterfowl. A grasshopper crankbait seemed to be the preferred lure for this and several others, on an afternoon when the Chippewa River was threatening to crest.
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