Summer Mud Fun

Fish Report: 8/3/04
by John A. Walker

I don't care what the calendar says it is really hard to believe we are in the processes of winding down summer. Would you believe that our first really hot muggy night was August first? This was the same night you had to make plans to get up early to stand in line for your anterless deer permit.  Now even up here in Yooperland something is wrong when you are buying anterless deer permits the same time you are just getting to enjoy summer.

The only question I have is if the fish are all biting on that side of the river how come the fishing pier is on the other side of the river? It just goes to show that some fish cannot do anything right.

In my travels out in the woods we have been seeing a good number of deer moving around. They show up great now with the color contrast. There are a lot of twin fawns following mother through the woods and my grandkids never seem to get tied of trying to spot them when you see mom standing there watching you.

We got a "little" rain on Monday after a few weeks of rather dry weather. Needless to say this "little" rain filled up all the low spots and mud holes. We went in one direction on good, dry 2-tracks only to return having to maneuver through the mud holes. In fact in just a matter of minutes during this "little" rain you could have gotten really stuck without half trying. I came to one place with a grade going up hill where I felt my vehicle starting to sink in and thought, "Do I really want to do this or not?" At my age it is no longer worth the challenge just to see if you can get stuck and get to play in the mud.

Speaking of getting stuck, did you hear about how much fun it can really be?

It seems that a certain party a lot of us know was out driving through the woods when he all of a sudden found he was no longer moving, in fact it seems that his motor was going, his vehicle was in gear, the tires were going around, but he was no longer in motion. This all took place in a long, deep, mud hole.

He managed to get out and after checking things out figured he may as well get to work trying to get his vehicle jacks up and something under the tires to raise the pumpkin off the high center of the road. He got his vehicle keys out of the ignition to open his tool box in the back of his truck to get his shovel and jack out. He then spent better then an hour jacking his truck up collecting limbs and logs to place under the wheels until he figured he just maybe could make it out of this mud hole.

He threw his tools into the back of the truck, cleaned as much mud off himself as he could, and got into the truck to make his try. As he went to start the truck he realized the keys were not in the ignition so he climbed out and checked his pockets, not there either. He checked his tool box in the back, not their either. The only thing he could figure he had dropped them in the mud while working trying to jack the truck up. Seeing he was a long ways from anyone and seeing he was one of the last people on the planet not to own a cell phone, the only thing he could do was crawl around in the mud hole on his hands and knees trying to locate his truck keys. After much crawling, much mud, and much, much frustration he finally had to give up and realize the only thing he could do now was hike out to get some help.

So our now totally muddy, not-too-happy, Yooper headed out down the 2-track hoping to meet someone that could help him out. But as we all know life never happens this way. But finally he came to a place where he could use a phone and call his wife to bring out the other set of truck keys she had in her purse.

She finally got there, took him as close as she could to where his vehicle was still sitting in the mud hole, and he headed off back towards his truck. Finally, he crawled into the truck put his wife[base ']s set of keys in the ignition and started his truck. As he placed it in gear he looked out the window and saw a reflection off the dash of his truck, you guessed it, his car keys!! He must have tossed them there after getting his jack out. But look at the good side; he did get out of the mud hole on his first try.

PS: Don't forget my new book "The Old School" is now available.