One Fish Dish...

I set out early on Saturday to head up to Rhododendron Lake along a new track that Andy found the other day.  I haven't been up there since last year, and hadn't been off piste for a week.  So imagine my surprise, and, I admit, amusement on seeing the image below as I entered the tank traps to transition from Doumont/Weigles to Branch142 or whatever it's called...

It amazes me how many people get themselves into trouble by taking 4X4 trucks into areas where they have absolutely no business being.  The abandoned truck had a flat rear.  The formula for this seems to be youth, an unbounding belief in immortality, eternal optimism despite the voices, little experience, and a dash of alcohol.  It was in a deep tank trap, and, with no winch, the truck wasn't going anywhere until help arrived, which Andy tells me was in the form of two trucks...

Meanwhile, I headed south-west towards the hydro-lines trail to Rhodo.  While the forecast was for no rain, someone didn't tell the dark clouds brooding over the mountains, and it began to drizzle.  I wish I'd had a better camera, because the light was perfect for some Ansel Adam's contrasty moody shots.

I decided to try a parallel route to the power lines, but got skunked when the road diminished into a pin-cushion of saplings and logging debris-a potential tyre-gashing body-piercing scenario that didn't appeal to me.

Finally, after getting onto the hydro-line trail and winding my way off to the right later on, I came to a smooth well-groomed dirt road.  There was an interesting logging vehicle with a sign that indicated I was being videoed.  Tosh.

They really are making a mess of things, those corporate types, aren't they?

Andy arrived just after I did, and we met in the parking lot.  The fishing was slow, with Andy trying his new bait-weight approach.  I stuck with the tried and true and finally, on my "penultimate last cast"...got a firm bite out of nowhere and pulled in the mighty kipper.  It has swallowed the hook and managed to commit suicide on the way in: a real kamikaze cutthroat trout this one!

 I had to leave for a pressing dinner-movie date, but I left Andy casting in my spot in search of another whopper.  He didn't have any luck but bagged 7 or so at Kidney Lake the next day - so karma has mysterious ways of working!

The route back was this one:

Rhododendron Lake is in the west, and the lake to the far east is Boomerang.  You can see the denuded strip that denotes the hydro-lines.  Rather than follow them the whole way, I cut right on the way into OK Mountain valley and took a sharp right up to Rhododendron Lake.  There's a camp sight on the other side.  I'll have to explore that this summer...

Paul