Once a month my best friend, Jim Roberts, and I go off on a four-day camping/fishing trip. We began this routine about 3 years ago when Jim retired from the daily grind of running a collision repair (Body Shop) business. While we always have a good time setting up camp, planning and preparing our gourmet meals, and reminiscing about old times, our pescartory success has not always been remarkable. Our most recent trip, this past weekend, was to the Lake Nacimiento Resort, near Paso Robles.
We arrived about 9:30 a.m. and set up camp. After lunch we took our obligatory naps and later went out on the lake to test the fishing. Despite the fact that we didn't even get a nibble, we had grilled salmon steaks, palenta with meatless marinara sauce, and tossed salad for dinner. We generally consume a 36 pack of light beer over the 4 days and a box (yep!) of white wine. Usually switching from beer to wine in the evening.
We used to pitch a tent and sleep on a large air mattress, which invariably would be flat by morning. We now have portable cots that are custom made to fit in the camper shell, which makes getting into and out of bed much easier - and we are less likely to disturb each other when we have to get up in the evening, which invariably we have to do.
Lake Nacimiento is primarily a bass lake, and from all accounts one of the better bass fisheries in the State. Unfortunately, we are trout fisherman (or wannabes) and did not have either the right equipment or the right technique to entice those critters. We did, however, meet some great people, which we invariably do on these trips, and got tips and suggestions and even some lures guaranteed to knock the bass dead. Nope, didn't happen.
On Saturday we didn't even bother going out at all. Sunday we fished in the morning, but it was way too hot in the afternoon. A slight aside. Every year we take Jim's daughter and her two teen-aged sons, along with two of their friends on one of these trips. This year we were planning to take them to Nacimiento. So one purpose of this trip was to check out the camp site, bike trails, recreational facilities, etc. We were not impressed. In fact we almost immediately resolved to find another location. They failed to tell us at the time we made the group reservation that the group camp site was "remote." Remote, as in 2 miles from all the amenities, including the store and swimming pool. Remote, as in a canyon with a road so steep we could barely drive up it and which I doubt Lance Armstrong could have ridden up on a bike. The clincher was when our camping neighbors told us the summer temperatures are in the 100-105 degree range. We are now planning to go to Lake Don Pedro in the lower Sierras on the approach to Yosemite.
A fellow came by our campsite on Sunday night and asked when we were leaving. We told him we were going home the next day. Turns out he camps there during the week and we had the best site for TV reception! The next morning, when we arose at 5:30am, there he was, with his motor home, his boat and his wife waiting for us to leave! All the while we were packing up he was moving his stuff into the campsite and keeping up a running soliloquy about viagra, his prostate, and as many stupid jokes as he could remember. We meet some strange people fishing.
No comments:
Post a Comment