September 8, 2015 – While the weather wasn’t as nice today on the Pitt…any day on the Pitt is a good day. Where we had perfect weather yesterday, we had some significant rain this morning and by the time we got up to the river and stopped on the bridge to take a look at the fish…the river had come up considerably and become silty enough that we could see very little. It was running faster and higher than yesterday and we scoped out a few other spots to see if there was a better place to seine.
There wasn’t.
So we went back to the usual site and discussed options, safety, set patterns, target numbers, and in the end decided to go for it.
It was a hard slog and required a few sets and some different patterns. At one point two of us were “running” (if you can call it that) up the middle of the river trying to herd the fish over to the edge where others were holding the net.
I’m reasonably certain that herding fish is worse than herding cats, though I only have two cats to herd at home…
The bruises from Friday’s dirt biking have finally started to really show up, and today’s net hauling and fish fighting has added a new layer of soreness to already tired upper body muscles. My hands, forearms, and shoulders are exhausted….I must remember to call my chiropractor tomorrow….
We had very little room to set up, a sliver of shore compared to yesterday. And even our lunch log was no longer over dry gravel.
Ahhh, the glamorous things we do when we work 😉
In the end we managed to almost hit our target. At 98 females were were a few short, but all things considered, we did well, and we were all pretty tired at the end of it all.
The boat ride back down the lake was calm, the rainy day flattening the usual afternoon winds and waves.
I always enjoy my couple of days on the Pitt. The crew is always wonderful, the conversation lively, the jokes colourful, and the work physically and mentally satisfying.
And so begins the fall spawning season. Given the lousy environmental conditions this summer, fingers crossed it will turn out well.
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