| Bass fishing usually requires a fishing pole, but there | | | | bait. I swam to the boat and lifted it up for Bruce to |
| are other ways, and that is what this story is about. | | | | take. Just barely legal - or at least it would have been |
| A warning though: The techniques described here are | | | | if it weren't for the trees. Then again, maybe a |
| almost certainly illegal wherever you go fishing. They | | | | fishing pole is a legal requirement. Bruce threw it in |
| were fun when we were kids though... | | | | the bucket and I went back down for more. |
| Bass Fishing From A Raft | | | | Perch Fishing By Hand |
| Wilsey Bay in Michigan's Upper Peninsula is known for | | | | The little creek that enters the bay was occasionally |
| its good smallmouth bass fishing. The swimming isn't | | | | stopped by the sand that built up during storms. |
| that bad either, which was why we built the raft. My | | | | Then the water would build up behind the sand for |
| friend Bruce was probably the oldest at the time, | | | | days until it broke loose and opened up the stream |
| about twelve-years-old. It was probably his idea to | | | | again. We didn't always wait, however. Once there |
| use the oil barrels for flotation. Four of them, topped | | | | was sufficient water pressure, a simple channel dug |
| by some wooden pallets and plywood nailed | | | | through the sand by hand, from the dammed creek |
| together, made a raft that could support seven or | | | | to the bay, was enough to get it going. It would |
| eight people. | | | | start out slowly, and then, within an hour the creek |
| We anchored it in the middle of the bay. It is a | | | | would be gushing out into the bay, twenty-feet |
| shallow bay, so the middle was still only six feet deep | | | | across where our three-inch channel had been. |
| or so. This would be our swimming area, but more | | | | Since the creek rarely flowed this fast normally, |
| than that. We started to bring small trees out and | | | | other things happened that weren't normal. The fish |
| sink them with milk jugs full of sand and pieces of | | | | that had been in the creek behind the dam would all |
| cinder blocks. Of course, we didn't know that it was | | | | get flushed out, for example. The day of the "perch |
| illegal to build an artificial environment for fish. In fact, | | | | flush" the creek had opened up almost thirty-feet |
| we didn't know that this was what we were doing. | | | | wide, but only a few inches deep. As the perch came |
| We built walls of rocks underwater as well. | | | | out, we grabbed them by hand until we had a couple |
| Within a few weeks there were schools of fish | | | | dozen in a bucket. We built a pond on the beach for |
| hanging out below our raft in the racks and tree | | | | these, since it was too many to eat all at once. |
| branches. There were some perch, but most of | | | | Other Childish Fishing Techniques |
| them were smallmouth bass. As we watched then | | | | We caught smelt one at a time by hand with a |
| swimming below us, and then as we watched them | | | | flashlight, as many as forty in a hour or two. We |
| next to us during our dives. I had an idea. Who needs | | | | shamelessly clubbed suckers in the creek ad brought |
| a fishing pole when you can get this close to the | | | | them to the neighbor. She would pressure-cook them |
| fish? | | | | with ketchup, and they came out looking and tasting |
| Bruce kept the bucket ready in the boat, which was | | | | almost like canned salmon. Half for herself - that was |
| tied to the raft. I had one fishhook and three feet of | | | | the charge for cooking them for us. |
| line. I tied the hook to one end of the line and tied | | | | Whether bass fishing without a pole or clubbing |
| the other end to my finger. I treaded water while | | | | suckers, these are probably not techniques you'll |
| Bruce baited the hook with half of a worm. He threw | | | | want to try unless you want to meet the local game |
| the line over the edge of the boat. | | | | warden. And I do have to warn you that the last |
| Swimming by the trees, I simply let the baited hook | | | | time I tried using just a hook and a piece of line, the |
| float alongside me, trying to hold it out from my | | | | fish bit my thumb and drew blood. Yes, I may be the |
| body a couple feet. I could only hold my breath for a | | | | only person to ever had blood drawn by the bite of |
| minute or less, but by the second dive a ten-inch | | | | a smallmouth bass. But it is fun to remember how |
| bass darted out of the tree branches and took the | | | | much fun childhood fishing could be. |