NUMENON |
PONDERING CORE ESSENCE
NUMENON |
Back in January, I shared my Fishing Goals for 2020: 1. Catch a legal-sized striper (28 inches) from amybaby22 2. Share a fresh fish meal with Uncle M 3. Catch my biggest ever striper 4. Catch a false albacore! 5. Catch a 6-pound "bass" (green, brown or sea-) 6. Catch a 16-inch trout! How'd I do? 1. Catch a legal-sized striper (28 inches) from amybaby22 Success! While only about 2% of my stripers stretched beyond 28 inches this season, three of these were slung over amybaby22's gunwales, including two on the penultimate trip of the season. Birds, bait, bass, light tackle and clear, shallow water add up to fun! And if the bass can be more sizable as opposed to less, I think that's better! 2. Share a fresh fish meal with Uncle M I could claim that the whole COVID-thing interfered with this goal. Perhaps M's preference for bass over scup or sea bass made this less likely. Or, perhaps it was my unpreparedness on the day I encountered multiple keeper bass; I found myself with no cooler and no ice. In lieu of fresh fish, we had to settle for sharing a couple of socially-distanced, land-based meals. Oh well, I will simply carry this goal forward to 2021. I'm okay with the delay regardless, since I don't really care too much for fish as my entree of choice. 3. Catch my biggest ever striper Success! But with an asterisk! I was fortunate to catch one "big" bass this season. While I have caught a couple of longer stripers from Lake Lanier, they were skinny, and I doubt that they weighed as much as my 37-incher from Maine this season. This was certainly my biggest ever striper on a sand-worm, and tied for my longest, documented striper from the salt. This goal is perennial, though, and so will also be carried over to 2021 and beyond. 4. Catch a false albacore! What can I say? For the third straight year, I struck out. On three separate occasions, I was very briefly "in range" of these funny fish, and I am not convinced that any saw my lures. Wind was certainly a factor against me in their pursuit, and I was unexpectedly distracted by the quality of the bass fishing that coincided with most of my Albie Season efforts. This, too, will be carried forward to 2021, and I know this will just happen at some point. If I need to, I could always choose to target them on a trip to Florida or North Carolina, where they seem to be less finicky, if less appreciated. 5. Catch a 6-pound "bass" (green, brown or sea-) Another perennial goal in which I fell short; my move to Massachusetts and the State of Things in 2020 conspired against me. I never even made a cast at freshwater bass, and I spent little time targeting sea bass. I did find some really nice ones (not 6-pounders, though) on a rip-and-shoal in Vineyard Sound, and their known presence in such habitat makes them a viable target for me for a longer portion of the season. I'll just have to keep trying. 6. Catch a 16-inch trout! Surprising, Salty Success! This was the first goal I achieved in 2020, when I landed four lakers beyond this mark through the ice of Newfound Lake, New Hampshire. While I caught a few stunningly beautiful trout in local Massachusetts ponds in the spring, none reached this arbitrary mark. The surprise fish of the season, though, smashed this goal when a salty brown ate my Kastmaster spoon in Casco Bay. While I can't rely on that ever happening again, I did hear a half-dozen reports or so of similar mid-summer catches from the region. So, maybe? Regardless, on the hopeful assumption that perhaps there will be more opportunities to ice fish or troll in 2021, I expect to "up" my expectations to "20 inches" in the future. I also shared this in my January post: "I don't see how a season could not be viewed as a success if it includes the accomplishment of just about any subset of these goals!" What a prescient statement! Of course, I did not foresee the pandemic, but having scored a decently solid 0.500 for the season, I have to admit that it was full and satisfying; with the caveat that there will hopefully be better opportunities and fuller seasons ahead! Beyond These Goals I was able to experience and enjoy many new places, techniques and species this season, while continuing to hone some of what I think I "know". The season offered a nice balance of comfort, discovery and excitement. So, by category, let me at least acknowledge the following: New Places
New Techniques
New Species
And Finally Success! In that same January post, I voiced my intent to share some quality time with each of my girls. While our shared time was limited and our experiences were more modest than originally envisioned, I am thankful to know that this most important goal was fully achieved. The rest of all this; simply icing on the cake! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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Steve LachanceVia Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Michigan and now, back to New England! Archives
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