Favorite things

By Mac Arnold
RTWO Editor-In-Chief

Bullfrogs drone at dusk while the moon's early reflection glimmers on the water. Sweat rolls off my forehead from the stifling humidity as I try to guide the canoe into position for an "impeccable" cast at the nearby fallen tree trunk.

Big boys like to hang just underneath logs to zap unaware smaller fish in the current for an easy meal.

Boom! The hook is set as the jumbo smallmouth takes the offering.

Ahhhh, if only ...

It's the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Definitely is meant to be spent on the water in a canoe.

And the hotter it is, the better it is for this angler.

One of my favorite things to do is bass fish from a canoe along a swiftly moving river. It rates right up there with spring gobbler and deer archery hunting.

Sadly, this holiday I must hold off because one of the wettest Junes on record has left a favorite bass fishing river of mine -- River Raisin -- a flooded mess in the Dundee, Mich., area.

I saw where a promo for an upcoming article by the Blade outdoor writer was going to talk about how the high water in the Michigan-Ohio border region will affect fishing.

This isn't a hold-the-presses moment by any means, at least for this bass man.

Although I know the fish can be hauled out of the depths, which is what happens, they lurk in lower crags. It just makes it tougher to find and present the lure down to them.

But I've witnessed better-than-average anglers, such as my ex-brother-in-law, still find a way to get it done while I would rack up a zero or a one-fish day.

So the wait goes on until the water recedes.

The pond behind the house used to be a fun option but in February, after the ice cleared, it was discovered that there was a massive fish die-off. Anywhere from 30 to 50 fish had rolled up on the shore.

Two morning gigs so far this season resulted in maybe one small hit. Not a good barometer. Last year I would have at least hoisted a couple of fish from out of there.

Right now, the July 15 coyote opener is starting to look real good. Better than usual.

Of course the woods where I patrol and they roam is a swamp.

This wet summer is making it tough to do anything around the lowlands of the Great Lake State.

Hopefully next year at this time the wife and I can make a West Virginia excursion to another of my favorite spots: the south branch of the Potomac River in the Eastern Panhandle.