Back to Bussard Lake: Our 14th Annual Road Trip (Part 2)

The very fact that this is our 14th trip to Bussard Lake seems to prove that we are doing something right.  It also proves that our friendship has been able to withstand the strain of 14-plus wildly embellished blogs, living in close quarters in basic fishing cabins, sitting in small boats for hundreds of hours, losing fish when reeling in, failing to net fish and, occasionally, listening to lectures by Professor Schatz on topics as diverse as G.A.T.T., college basketball, and the economics of shrimp farms in distant countries. 

And even though our wives wonder what we find to talk about after 14 years, I can assure you that we have a huge trove of stories, funny and/or really bad jokes, and golden memories that will never fade.

Our "home" days were very relaxed.  A few "highlights" before we get into our fish numbers (the most important aspect of all our trips)!

Wayne must have been in some Special Operations sniper unit in his day judging by his deadly aim at the ground squirrel population around Linda's cabin.  Actually, I also have to give honorable mention in dispatches to Sharpshooter Schatz and Linda's son, Mark Moyer, who was in the Army for some 20-plus years.  Between them all, the ground squirrel infestation has been brought under control. But when you are trying to enjoy your morning coffee on the cabin deck, it is a bit like being in the middle of a shoot out in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." And Robert Redford is actually there!

In the photo above, Rich and Wayne had just brought Mary Kay and Harriet to the lush grass down on the lake front.  Now their coats will be even glossier--they really are the most beautiful horses.

Wayne is also our go to man for Cuban cigars (when available) and many other types of cigar (Honduran, Dominican etc) which are a once a year treat for those of us who care to partake.  The photo above was taken in the evening at Bussard Lake with a few glasses of post-dinner wine.  I think they were the best and smoothest we had ever had.  The ash was well over half way down the cigar before it dropped--the usual sign of a well packed superior cigar.  That's Wayne for you.

On the flight over to Spokane this time, Wayne was saying that he hoped Rich would have some "project" for us as we would be staying at home and not undertaking any long road trips.  A past "project" was painting Linda's cabin and maybe he was thinking of doing wood chopping or other manly pursuits.  

I was certainly not looking forward to any "projects" as I was wanting to veg out in the fresh air after a year of pandemic living. Wayne's wish came true when our bathroom in the cabin seemed to be getting a damp carpet and then a definitively wet and sloshy carpet.  A plumbing "project" was in the works!

The source of the leak was detected in a frostbitten plastic pipe in the kitchen by the Principal Plumber and his Assistant.  After a lot of hobnobbing and back and forth between kitchen and bathroom, they took themselves off to the local hardware store to buy the necessary supplies.  

When they got back, they installed new piping and made the bathroom pipe/hose connection an outside connection (in case of any further leaking) in what was formerly an inside connection.  I am glad to report that the bathroom is now bone dry and not even a drop of water was detected from the outside connection.  These guys missed their calling in the plumbing trade.

As I was not part of the plumbing team (another failure on my part), I found them sitting outside the cabin admiring their handiwork and more than ready to explain the technical niceties of their ultimate leak solution.  

I asked them what sort of plumbers did their plumbing sitting down?  They contended that it was just easier to sit nearer the connection that was more or less at ground level.  Of course, I had my suspicions that they could not bend down any further but, in the spirit of brotherhood, I shall say no more.

Our first day at Camp Bussard was a bit wet and misty so we did not venture out except in the evening when Wayne and I rowed around Bussard Lake to inspect the fish population.  Not much was happening.  We caught and returned a few smallish large mouth bass but we had to wait until further into our trip to start catching some bigger ones on Bussard Lake.  It may still have been a bit early in the season but there were not the usual frenzied attacks by the big mothers who fiercely defend their nests and snap at our yellow poppers and flies.

Our old faithful, Waitts Lake, is where we fished on three separate days.  Our out-of-State WA fishing licenses are now costing Wayne and me $86.50 each for our short stay.  When added to Rich's local license (more like $30 for the year), the economics of fishing do not really add up.  This is not because we can't catch fish (although that was true in 2019!) but because you are limited to only five fish each "in possession."  

That means that the three of us are limited to fifteen fish.  Crazy stuff.  Technically, that means you should not be fishing for more fish if you have not consumed your fifteen fish from the day before.  As you can imagine, we cannot always consume fifteen Rainbows and Brown trout each night!  However, each trip to Waitts Lake brought in our non-technical "limit" of fifteen and the official catch was 15 x 3 days = 45 fish during our stay.  However, we don't always count so well so the total catch might have been a little higher than that.  When we asked a local guy how his fishing had gone one day, he said he was "limited." We were "limited" every day and it didn't feel good.

 

Our trophy fishing boat purrs through the water with its silent electric engine and we had three spectacular days cruising the depths of Waitts Lake and catching some beautiful Rainbows and Browns.  The biggest were about 14 plus inches but on average I would say they were about 12-13 inches this year.   Not exactly "big" but as Yvette keeps telling us the smaller ones are much more tasty than the bigger ones--or is she just trying to soothe our wounded manhood?  Whatever. 

On two of those days we were accompanied by a Bald Eagle and an Osprey who kept a careful watch on us.  I was worried that one of them would swoop down on us and attempt to steal our fish like happened to Reimes a couple of years ago.  Reimes was reeling in a fish when an Osprey grabbed it, line, hook and all. Commodore Schatz was yelling at Reimes to hang on to it and he did until the Osprey gave up the struggle.  We don't think Bald Eagles and Osprey are "limited." They are exempt from any rules or regulations!

As this is our 14th year, I was reflecting on all the amazing fishing we have done in those 14 years.  Rich has been our Commodore and Boatman, guiding our luxury craft through all sorts of weather and tricky situations and always lining up the boat for netting the fish.  Remember that if there is no successful netting there are no fish to take home.  So, both the boatman and the netman have to be perfectly synchronized.  And Rich and Wayne have been a perfect team--a well-oiled machine as I once described them in an earlier blog.

We don't call Wayne "The Netman" for nothing. He has certainly been responsible for netting all the fish I have ever caught and unhooking them for me.  He has done the same for Rich--except Rich has the ability to unhook his own fish.  (I just have a horror of handling live fish)!  Thus, on the basis of simple math, Wayne has been responsible for safely "landing" the thousands of fish we have caught over the years.  And Rich has made it possible for Wayne to net those fish by carefully maneuvering the boat into the optimum position.  

Let's hear it for the Boatman and the Netman for 14 years of inspired, strategic and highly successful fishing.  Hip, hip, HOORAY! 

We had surprise visitors on Memorial Day.  Kirstine came home from the University of Washington in Seattle where she will soon be graduating with a major in public health.  And Reimes also came home from Bremerton where he had recently returned from active duty in the Gulf on the SS Nimitz. 

Kirstine announced that she had already got a real public health job with medical and 401 (k) benefits and would start on June 7, although she will not graduate until December.  That kid is a mover. 

Reimes is in his first two years with the US Navy and is already in the elite group that gets those fighter jets off the deck and back onto the deck.  A noisy and hair-raising business I would imagine. In his spare time he is climbs mountains--most recently, with his mother and sister.  

They say that a photo is worth a thousand words so I will finish with a few photos from the rest of our trip.  It was yet another magnificent trip with lots of good food, good company and good fishing.  It can't get any better than that.  We look forward to next year and more adventures on roads and lakes.  

But we will definitely ensure that we watch out for all the speed signs and repel any marauding Osprey!

Lounging around on the jetty at Bussard Lake

A little House Martin who lives in a bird box nearby would sit with us on the cabin deck

We had a delightful lunch overlooking Priest Lake in Idaho

Yvette and Wayne play sniffle ball (or something) at Hill's Resort on Priest Lake

A seaplane which landed on Priest Lake. 

 I think the old guy may be Mr. Hill who owns Hill's Resort

Rich, Yvette and Wayne take rest after lunch at Hill's Resort

After fishing at Waitts Lake we had massive sandwiches at the Valley Store

A gaggle of geese head towards Waitts Lake

This horse lives nearby and sticks his head through the window for treats

Nightfall on Bussard Lake  

I was not going to type anything further as this blog is quite long enough. However, my 11 year old grand-daughter, Veronica, wanted to show me how well and how fast she could type. She doesn't think much of my two finger typing method but I have managed to produce many blogs, memoranda, letters, and other written materials with just two fingers over the years. Can you honestly tell the difference between my typing above and this final typing by my junior amanuensis? Of course not.

Thank you, Veronica, for your help!