Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Little Road Trip Today 07/28/10

Last evening, my wife asked me if I wanted to take a little road trip tomorrow to Harrisburg and the Bass Pro Shop. "Ahhhhhh... Okay!"

So, this morning we got up, ate breakfast, and headed north to Harrisburg, Pa. and the BPS Outdoor World. It's like a Mecca for anglers and hunters alike.

It's been several months since I last visited BPS. I was due for a trip. Although I rarely buy much, I do like to walk the aisles of the fishing department and see what's new and what prices are being asked for the lures I use the most.

Today, I bought a couple of crankbaits (Big O's) and spinnerbaits (Stanley Wedge). I needed to replace a few that I offered up to the river gods over the past few months. I believe my wife was amazed that I kept the cost below $20.00. :)

I found it hard to find a 3/8 - 1/2 oz. white spinnerbait with double willow leaf chrome blades. I ended up with a Stanley Wedge with the large blade being chrome and the smaller blade being gold. It was the closest I could get to what I want. I'll have to trade out a smaller chrome blade form another spinnerbait.

After shopping at BPS, we drove south to Middletown and ate lunch at the local Hardee's. I just love their mushroom and swiss hamburgers with curly fries combo. We don't have a Hardee's here in Lancaster, Pa.

They messed up our order by charging for something we didn't order and my wife got her burger for free... Yea! She's a good one for reviewing all receipts we get from stores and she often finds mistakes that work out to our benefit.

After lunch, we stopped by to see our old fishing buddy, Bob Clouser. Bob lives just outside of Middletown, Pa. in the small town of Royalton, Pa.

Those of you who are fly fishermen will recognize Bob as a world famous fly tyer and angler. He is well-known for many flies, including the Clouser Deep-Diving Minnow and The Clouser Crayfish.

Bob has suspended store hours at the shop he and his wife, Joan, ran for many, many years. The shop is only opened when he is in town... hit and miss. I;d suggets calling before going to visit. He travels extensively to seminars and does guided trips throughout the USA and even below the border.

In the next few months, he'll be announcing a program that will take place as he begins to dismantle his fly shop. This announcement will create deals for those who are members of a newsletter he'll be developing.

Good luck to Bob and Joan as they begin a new stage in their long angling career.

Bob at The Eastern Sports and Outdoors Show in Harrisburg, Pa. in February, 2010
Photobucket

On our way home to willow Street, we drove along Rt. 441 S and stopped at the Middletown Access (Swatara Creek), Canal Lock Access (Above TMI), and The Falmouth Access. I was curious to see just how low the river looked since the last time I was up that way well over a month ago. Boy, it was low alright! Some of the ledges that we floated over back in June are now well out of the water. The flow has slowed which doesn't allow for the dissolved oxygen (DO) to get into some of the eddies and slack water along the banks. Some of the major chutes are unpassable due to exposed rocks.

I met up with a Pa. DEP rep at the Falmouth Access who was monitoring the waterway for any of the gasoline spill that occurred on the Clarks Ferry Bridge (Rt. 22/322) yesterday. A tractor trailer filled with 7300 gallons of diesel and gasoline turned over after a mini-van pulled into the lane.

DEP isn't quite sure how much actually reached the Juniata and Susquehanna Rivers. They are hoping that very little overall made it into the waterways.

This is not what our beloved rivers needed right now during the current low water levels and hot summer temperatures. The DO is already low and we don't need more problems to stress our smallmouth population.

Take Care,
Dad