Camping
We had made our original plans through Reserve America for Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and were watching with great anticipation as to whether the forest fires were going to be squelched before our vacation fell victim to the raging forest fire that was started in early September in the Big Sur area. With a great deal of reluctance, on the Tuesday before our vacation, we called Reserve America to transfer our reservations to Caswell Memorial State Park. Upon our arrival at Caswell on Sunday, we were surprised by how truly wooded and vined the park is in reality, as opposed to one of the websites that made the park appear rather barren or at least, the park entrance look really barren.
I really enjoy camping . . . really I do . . . okay, so I have a huge problem with bugs and flies and bees and spiders and don't even talk to me about things that go bump in the night! Actually, I usually can't hear things that go bump in the night because, if I lay on my good ear, I can't hear anything. Brian, on the other hand, can hear EVERYthing. Sunday night, there were a lot of crickets . . . a lot of crickets . . . Monday night, there was wind . . . a lot of wind . . . Tuesday night, there was a sprinkle of rain . . . just a sprinkle of rain.
Wednesday morning, we packed our stuff and came home.
Fishing
We had no idea what to expect or hope for at Caswell except that, in addition to camping and just plain being away, we would be able to fish! Normally, Brian and I fish at Lake Chabot in San Leandro. Lake Chabot has trout stocked in late September through early June with catfish (YECH!!!) stocks during the summer. While I enjoy fishing there, it could be a little more authentic if the fish weren't drugged on their way to the lake-- okay, that's an assumption on my part but they are very lethargic. Since we are, however, stocked trout fishers, I went to a local bait and tackle shop (that believe it or not, doesn't have a website!) called "Fisherman's Warehouse". It's on DeAnza Boulevard in Cupertino; unfortunately, I haven't got a better address for you near to hand.
I walked in and looked confused because of the plethora of product that is available for the sport fisherperson . . . I had no idea!! Believe it or not, although it could've easily been done, I wasn't taken advantage of by the person who helped me. He got all excited as I told him about our plans of camping and fishing on the Stanislaus River BUT he didn't deluge me with "You need this" and "You need that". I was the one who was asking him about lures and baits and tips and hooks and lines, etc. I didn't feel like I'd been taken advantage of by the time I left but, even more excited about going fishing. Mind you, this is after I found the first website about fishing on the Stanislaus River which showed a fish at 23.5 lbs being hauled in!! I didn't need much encouragement after seeing that picture!
When we fished, using anchovies as bait as suggested by the bait shop, it was great fun! On Sunday, I almost immediately got a hit with a 12-inch striper! And he put up such a fight for a little guy!! But, because he was a little guy, I threw him back-- he would've been more bother to clean than there would be of meat left to eat! That was the only significant hit we got that first day out. On Monday, we would get our bait nibbled on but nothing would come of it. Brian talked with one of the other campers in the park and was told that if we felt nudges and nibbles it was probably just the crawdads hitting on our bait. It didn't matter to them what we used . . . the crawdads would try to steal it! I didn't believe him until I actually almost pulled one all the way in! After going through a pound and a half of anchovies, we called it a night and had the steak that we'd brought with us for dinner.
Tuesday morning, we went out to try again and were a little more successful . . . or at least it seemed like it at the time . . . I pulled in a 6-inch striper, then a 9-incher . . . a little later on, Brian finally pulled in a significant fish-- at least 15 inches in length. (We have pictures but they aren't developed yet-- heck, the pictures were just taken last week!!) I caught another 12-incher later in the afternoon and, after fighting off the bees for the last of the anchovies, we called it a day. We noticed that the bees were getting increasingly agressive as the days went on . . . at one point, I picked up a half-anchovie to bait my hook with and Brian had to caution me about the bee that was on my finger! (BTW, in case you're wondering, I used a rubber glove when handling the bait-- that's another of those "YECH!!!" things for me!)
Anyway, back home again and on Friday, we went fishing at Lake Chabot . . . after all, it was still our vacation! By comparison to the stripers on the Stanislaus, they don't fight much but they are sure fun to catch. We're taking a friend of mine fishing there in a few weeks-- she hasn't been fishing in quite a long time from what we understand so a good time should be had by all!
Domain
I am my own domain now . . . a "gift" from Brian. If you're still looking for us by using the number, go ahead but, if you want to see the same thing using a real URL, look for http://www.dutchgirl.net. There we are . . . big as life! Kewl, huh? For sure!!
Recommendations
DO use Reserve America (http://www.reserveamerica.com)-- I was really surprised and pleased by the level of customer service we received with our reservations both by email and telephone.
DO give me a chance to find the full address and phone number of the Fisherman's Warehouse in Cupertino. They were great and are highly recommended!
COME OUT to Lake Chabot with us sometime-- the more the merrier!!
All Content Copyright © 2000 Marcia L. Dykstra. All Rights Reserved.