So I had a pretty good trip. 2 hours up from Salem to find very few skeeters. Yes, the wind was blowing but it was more of a breeze than anything else. A few buzzed around in the evening but that was it. We stayed the first night at Peninsula CG. The weather was great, but our campsite (13) had a strip of sunlight that the sun followed from AM to PM, giving us very little shade. I fished from the bank and my tube here at the south end. Not a bump. Tried worms, PB, kastmasters, and trolled a Spruce fly, Nobody else was catching fish either.
Then on Wed we drove through Big Ten CG and there was an opening on the water (#3) so in 2 loads I moved our gear. Great location, lots of shade, steady but not annoying breeze. Again very few mosquitoes. By now we were hot & dusty. Quick trip up to Head Lake(?) for a swim and back to camp. Then I finally got my first bite right there in front of our camp. Pulled in a 13 inch rainbow.
Next AM, up early, ready to go out in my tube. gear - check. rods - check. waders on, tube in the water - oh #%@!. Where's my stabilizer bar/ stripping skirt. I have a Caddis tube, the kind of bar that velcros in between the two sides. Back up to camp, looked all over, all over the car - nothing. Between the moves it must've gotten lost. So options (at 5:00 am). Fire up my noisy car and wake up everyone, drive over to Peninsula, hope there's no-one in our previous spot, find the thing. Option two is walk. Nah - too far. So I get in the tube, no gear cause I'd probably drop it in the water, and finkick over to look for it.
30 minutes later - nothing there aarrggg. Back across the lake. Looks like I'll be bankin it. Nothing else. No bites, bumps, hits. Talked to a few guys. Slow fishing.
Came back late afternoon Thursday.
In conclusion, I think I left it somewhere around Peninsula CG and someone thought it would be a cool thing to have. Anyone have an idea how to replace that bar/skirt piece. I only paid $25 at a garage sale for the whole float tube, and it's in pristine condition. Caddis website doesn't show it as something that can be bought separately.
Overall a good trip, warm weather, no bites by flying things, but just the one bite from a swimming thing.
oh yeah, saw a long garter snake right there on the bank in front of our Camp Ten CG. Cool.