A moment of calm
By Nick Simonson
Coming over the rise and down the gravel road to the boat launch, the early morning sun reflected off the sprawling lake, which was only slightly dappled by a light and variable breeze. It was the first time I had arrived at the water this season where a chop wasn’t already rolling across the surface and I knew the two or three hours my buddy John and I would have to cast to what remained of the spawning crappies with our fly rods would be prized in what has been a windy spring, and one that has been busy for both of us. While the shoreline was still exposed, some water must have entered the flow as the crib of rocks in the northern bay where I often found the endless schools of spawning specks was partially submerged, when just a couple of weeks ago they stood out like a jagged crown along the steep shoreline. In and around that circle was where the fish would sit in
previous seasons, waiting for a small jig or streamer to inhale, but with the lower waters, they didn’t seem to have any set foothold on the shoreline for their spring sessions.
We were late in catching the spawn on the lake, with most fish likely out of the shallows from their late-March efforts unique to the warm water.
