Anglin with Anglen: Aug. 1, 1974
As I write this, I just wonder how many of us take the time to thank the good Lord for the things we have in Boundary County. We can raise almost anything we want to in our gardens; we can raise all kinds of fruit most years; our hunting and fishing is good, and we have all kinds of wild berries for the picking.
We still have a shelf full of huckleberries in the basement. We also have serviceberries, and wild black caps. Have you tried Oregon grape and rhubarb jelly yet? It is different and good, rhubarb and serviceberry pie is one of my favorites.
Fishing was good the past week. A couple of us went to Brush lake on Tuesday bass fishing. We got 12, up to a pound and a half, and then caught three trout while we were eating our lunch. The trout fishing in the lakes has really slowed down. We just may be running out of trout, or it could be the weather.
Two of us were on Dawson lake just at daybreak Thursday. We came off with 104 crappies up to ten inches long. We were back up there Saturday morning and caught 114 fish. We had two bass, and I even caught to big perch on plastic worms. I just kept four fish both days as that is all we can eat, and I do not stockpile very many fish.
These crappies are very tendermouthed, and you have to use a delicate touch to keep from tearing the hook out of their mouth. They are like all spiny rey fish — if they are not fished pretty hard, they will soon overpopulate a lake, so we do not feel like we are being hoggish when we catch so many. We used white doll flies and a carey special dropper fly. Quite often we had two fish on at the same time. I am glad to see so many crappie in there even if they are small because about three years ago all you got were big ones, and I was afraid they were not spawning.
They should make for real good ice fishing this next winter as they are very readily caught through the ice. We had three boats on the lake Saturday morning, and I do mean they were there early. The fish seem to quit biting shortly after the sun
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Editor’s note: For 27 years, beginning Feb. 8, 1973, Ralph Anglen of Bonners Ferry wrote an outdoor column for the local paper that was widely read and used as a source of fishing and hunting information. It was called “Anglin’ with Anglen,” and was the real deal, the genuine item, written by someone whose socks were wet, whose toes were cold and who pulled no punches. We will continue to reprint Anglen’s column solely for its pleasure and historical significance. Any typos, we leave as is. Readers are reminded that this column was written almost 50 years ago and conditions, including state fish and game regulations, have changed.