Fishing Chambers Lake

Day 282: For years now, I have been bemoaning the fact that with Fish and Wildlife catering to the trout crowd, there were no good lakes left if you wanted to pursue the spiny-ray fishes: bass, bluegill, perch, crappie. Well, not only is Chambers Lake (Thurston County) home to all those species, it's a kayaker's delight. The shoreline is heavily infested with lily pads, perfect habitat for wily bass. By hugging the lily line at the risk of getting hung up, trolling a Blue Fox spinner at a slow paddling speed seemed to be the ticket. A white Roostertail also worked. My score for the day was five bass (largest, 13"), four perch (all small) and two bluegills (one of which would have made a pair of nice filets if I'd kept it). This smallie was hooked a little too deeply to shake off easily, so I brought it inside the boat where I was less likely to do any major damage while removing the hook. It headed back for the lily pads when I returned it to the water.

A Bridge For Everyone

Day 13: Lost in their gossip, the two women were entirely oblivious to the Blue Heron standing boldly on the path not a dozen feet in front of them. Even more astonishing was the dog's apparent unconcern, his attention given solely to repeated territory-marking of the bridge's wooden posts. I had braked my bike some ways back, careful not to startle the bird into flight, but I needn't have worried. He turned his back to the walkers, spread his legs in a defiant posture, as if to say, "You're not going to shift me. I was here first." Nevertheless, he was the one who gave ground, walking placidly into the brush at the side of the trail, still unnoticed by the chatting ladies or the dog. I felt for a moment that I had been given a glimpse of a better world, one where all things in nature coexist in a harmonious balance.