Can you have fun fishing and not catch fish?  I say, “Hell Yeah!”  All you have to do is head to Lake Wissota, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.  It can be a busy place, especially in the summertime on the weekends.  But, if you’re like me and enjoy the lake when there’s less traffic on it, try heading there on a Thursday afternoon instead.

It is a perfect time to check out a slower paced adventure on the lake.

Pure enjoyment of being in the boat, catching views, not necessarily fish, can be found on our favorite spots on Small Lake Wissota.

Rumor has it, “Lake Wissota is notorious for being a tough lake to fish.”

With our boat sloshing up and down in waves from the nice warm breeze and those sent our way by watercraft of all shapes and sizes that passed us by, we gave our favorite fishing spots our bests casts.  We dodged a few logs and tree branches while we were at it.  I spent the afternoon casting & reeling in, casting & reeling in, casting & reeling in…each time the worm got smaller but no fish caught for me this trip.

I did land a shot of a mallard duck sitting on a dock, though.

I can’t tell a fishing tale like the last trip, this time I didn’t catch a damn fish.  But I’m sure I had one big fish bite, it took most of my worm.  Maybe it was because I had a hard time putting one of these worms on the hook…or maybe Canadian worms are tasty to the fish here on Lake Wissota?

We weren’t completely skunked.  Out of the four of us, the Mr. did catch about a half-dozen or so…we’re not sure?  As Mr. caught and released each time, he said, “This sure looks like the one I caught last time.”

Alright, I’ll confess, I was a tad jealous at the action Mr. was seeing on his pole.  But, not catching any fish is fine with me.  I like to chill and relax when the fishing is slow.

As we moved the boat along the shoreline, no matter where we stopped our poles looked much the same.  Straight as a board – no fish bending on our poles…except for when we snagged a Lilly pad, or a weed bed, or a tree branch with an overzealous cast.

It added entertainment to the lack of fish catching action.

At our last fishing spot, in unison, my father-in-law and I both said, “If this is such a great spot to catch fish, why isn’t the owner out here fishing?  Oh yeah…because it’s Thursday and they are probably at work.”

Me: “Speaking of work, isn’t it about quitting time for our fishing adventure?  Anybody else ready to head to the bar for a beer to celebrate our afternoon of fun?”

“Hell Yeah!”

Thursday afternoon, around 3:15 PM, is a quiet time to find a spot at the Sand Bar dock.  We parked the boat, climbed the hill and headed in for a late lunch.  As we walked around to the front door, in the distance, we even caught sights of the Blue Angels practicing for the air show.

 

My father-in-law:  “The rumbles of the Blue Angels in the sky must’ve scared off all the fish.”

Me chuckling:  “Um, yeah…I’m sure that was the problem…I think we’re all dehydrated or famished…we better head into the bar to fix both problems.”

We didn’t go home empty-handed, we scored a delicious meal at our favorite spot to eat on the lake.

The Sand Bar serves great food and their wait staff shines with excellent customer service and friendly smiles.  The fries are tasty and we love the burgers.

I ordered a Gyro basket this time and wasn’t disappointed.  Mr. had the newly added Big Jim’s Bourbon burger – he likes it so much, he’s even attempted to replicate the recipe at home.  Each bite is a mouth-drooling, napkin wiping experience.  It’s a juicy burger you can’t set down.

After finishing our meal, we stopped quickly to admire the view from the new addition on the back side of the bar.  The construction crew shared a rumor it will be opening up on June 22nd.  We’ll be back to check it out!

We hopped back into our boat and headed home.  It was a nice slow ride on the way back to the boat landing.

We waited patiently for other boats to come and go.

The new shoreline area for fishing is a nice spot to fish if you don’t have a boat.  Across the lake at The View, they have a top deck for patrons to sit and enjoy the scenery.

Hell yeah – Lake Wissota may be a tough lake to fish, but it does have many places where you can have fun without catching fish!

Me…with my usual amateur photography fervor, played around with my camera while I watched the guys do the heavy work of landing the boat onto the trailer.

No fish, no worries…I had fun being keen on a fish-free Thursday afternoon exploration of Lake Wissota.

I even scored a photo of a lilac-colored Lilly.  It added a splendid splash of color to the day and made me smile, too.

PS – Do you enjoy fishing trips that end without catching any fish?  Have you been to the Sand Bar – what’s your favorite dish?  Have you been to Lake Wissota and have a great fishing tale to tell?  

Post Inspiration thanks to Word of the Day Challenge Fervor and One Daily Prompt: Benevolent

#GoChippewaFalls