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PONDERING CORE ESSENCE
NUMENON |
It turns out that one of A's favorite things to do is just explore a new area for the day and share a good meal along the way. With a beautiful day on our hands, we recently tackled the Moosehead Lake Region (or at least a portion of it). This is about three hours from our home, and was new to both of us. My interest was largely in getting oriented to the available fishing for world-class brook trout and landlocked salmon, while A's was a bit broader and healthier to include scenery, camping, accommodations, etc. We drove straight to Greenville at the base of the lake. It was sleepy and slow before noon on a Sunday. We scoped out a potential lunch spot right on the lake, poked around the waterfront, and picked up some literature for Reel Moosehead Guide Service. I'd told A that I wanted to see a seven-pound brook trout ... and there might be one on the cover of their literature. Per their website reelmoosehead.com , a day of guided ice fishing for brook trout sounds like a good deal and certainly could happen in the future. We went up the lake's eastern shore to Lily Bay State Park. Here we found a couple of nice boat ramps and quiet tent-camping sites. It wasn't very busy, either, although we were probably in the hours between check-out and check-in. Still, it appeared to be spacious and rustic compared to other state's camping opportunities. I suspect we'll be back! From here it was about a 10 mile drive north to the Roach River and First Roach Pond. I've seen some beautiful pictures from this area, and the river seems to be about the "right" size for me. With restricted methods and seasons, as well as a big spawning push of Moosehead Lake fish in the fall, I definitely have some interest in returning here. Plus, I confirmed the First Pond boat ramp is functional, at least for amybaby22! I was a bit confused by access to the river; the lone, obvious public access point leads to a deep hole and appears to be unwadeable. But I think there might be a road/path behind the main "store" in Kokadjo on the north side of the river. We'll find out! This stretch also offered side trips to other bodies of water with some potential, including Sawyer Pond, Upper and Lower Wilson Ponds, and Prong Pond. Prong reportedly has brook trout, white perch and smallmouth bass, while Sawyer is shallow and stocked with brookies. I'm still looking for information on the Wilson chain of lakes. Maybe I'll have to rely on my own efforts to figure that out. I need to verify GPS coordinates to make sure my info is referring to this same Wilson Pond, but I found a blurb regarding the outlet, which reportedly features my style of fly fishing; swinging streamers. The source of the Kennebeck River from Moosehead's East Outlet has a mammoth reputation. The river here is broad and shallow, but with many rocks and rapids a few hundred yards downstream, moving around might be tougher than it looks. Still, this section reportedly offers room to move about and find one's own water during normal flow levels. Here, I also noted Wilson's on Moosehead Lake. Their website ( wilsonsonmooseheadlake.com ) provides a nice summary of lodging, fishing and accommodations. I've also picked up more than a few hints that the fishing in Indian Pond (downstream and fed by both the East and West Outlets) can be special, including for trophy smallmouth bass and fall-back trout. It looks like there are a couple of boat ramps on this long lake, too, that I will have to check out. West Outlet presented itself as deeper, and the braided channels form a pond not too far downstream from the access. The hole at the base of the dam is "famous" and while I'm not scaring up a lot of specific information for this access point, this area does generate a lot of attention. We proceeded north to the Rockwood boat launch facility and the view of Kineo Rock. This looked like an appealing trolling area to me! Our last stop was at the lower Moose River, near where it floes into Moosehead Lake. This was clearly boating water, but the area further upstream is a good tailwater fishery, and the trout and salmon here are described as "meat eaters". Again, that's my style; and if this stretch is wadeable, I'll have to give it a shot. In one short day, I discovered a lifetime of potential fishing. I'm sure I overlooked many opportunities, too. With the skiff, the Lund, some waders or a hired guide, I could spend any amount of time (a day or a week or more) trying to find a worthy brookie, salmon or togue. With A by my side keeping me grounded, the search will be more rewarding than any particular result. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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I had selected Megunticook Lake near Camden, Maine for the day's explorations with A. My intel was limited, but this certainly seemed to be a promising bass lake, while also offering a potential seasonal fishery for trout. Early in the season and with water temperatures in the low-to-mid forties, we targeted trout by trolling the shoreline break. After a quick start in which A's tandem trolling fly got grabbed and dropped by a drive-by, the "action" slowed to a crawl as we expanded our range in this totally new-to-us lake. Other than the lack of productive fishing action, all had gone well for the day. Nothing had been lost or broken, and nobody had been hurt. But the southerly wind was picking up, I was starting to struggle with boat control (keeping our speed down), and I was paying close attention to my GPS mapping. I was on unfamiliar water, and this rocky lake had plenty of navigational hazards. All seemed to be marked, either on the surface with buoys or labelled on my electronic map. I was amused that the labelled hazard we were approaching also had a name. Everything else on my map simply appeared as "Hazard", but this one was "The Fang". In my amusement, I mentioned this to A, and this released her quiet insecurities. We were never within a hundred yards of The Fang, and I had no intention of exploring water in its vicinity. We were still on the break and had an island between us and The Fang. But A, quite vocally, wanted to get further away from this and any other hazards. I, on the other hand, wanted to fish where I felt both safe and confident. A moment later, I tangled lines as I tried to add a short lead-core line to our presentation. I was also struggling with boat control while acknowledging that our weather window might close unexpectedly early. I was hangry to boot, and these frustrations all came out in an expression of anger. The day had taken a sour turn, and we both knew it. I did what I could; we pulled lines and relocated to a lee shoreline to explore another part of the lake. We did so for an hour or so, and A even had another pull on her fly. But when we were approaching a structure-choked narrows as the sky darkened and a cold rain was clearly imminent, we called for a premature end to the day's fishing. The rest of the day was pretty much fine, but A and I are best friends, and any friction between us is uncomfortable. We talked the day through the next morning, and we realized we both suffered from the same affliction, but from different perspectives. Simply put, by the time we approached The Fang, neither was totally present. I was already fretting about our lack of fishing success. That displeasure was exacerbated by my realization of a likely early end to our effort. I'd waited a long time for my chance at this lake, and it wasn't going to pan out the way I wanted. In my mind, this was yet another opportunity lost, and I resented the time it was going to take to capitalize on a future chance. I was feeling my mortality more than the moment at hand, and I was missing out. I was focused on good things, but specifically on their absence. I was neglecting to enjoy what the lake and A's company currently offered. Meanwhile, A was more concerned with any bad things that might possibly happen, as opposed to the current reality. Our collective experience and equipment was trumped, in her mind, by the potential tragedies associated with The Fang and other hazards. She too was dealing with imaginary negative events instead of the secure present, and her future focus precluded her current enjoyment. Well, at least we talked it out. And I'm glad we are smart enough to recognize the source of our tension. We have at least a chance of recognizing this more contemporaneously in the future, and maybe with a little practice, we can each get better at staying in the moment. Because that's where happiness can be found. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Yes, this is a gratuitous exercise. I recently found some older pictures of memorable catches. I've reclaimed them here, where they might be found again. In aproximate chronological order, these extend from Spring of 2013 or 2014 through Summer, 2020. Not much else to say about these; I've had a lot of fun. A new season will arrive soon, and I hope to add to the memories. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways While most of my fishing effort over the recent long weekend at New Hampshire's Newfound Lake went towards chasing lake trout, my secondary, simple approach and Caveman Techniques produced the only action. Over the course of two nights with my legal allotment of six cusk sticks set each night, I captured (and released) four freshwater cod, i.e., cusk, aka lawyer, ling, burbot or eelpout. This was my first attempt at these fish, and my first use of cusk "sticks" deploying baits pinned to the bottom and soaking overnight. This was fishing at its most primitive level! It's always fun to try new techniques and catch new species. I won't admit that this was a thrilling chain of events, but it was fun and satisfying, and certainly out-shined the (very slow/non-existent) lake trout fishing! With a 4-fish-for-12-sets average of 0.333, that's worthy of some Hall of Fame. And, since several other baits (cut, dead and live shiners) had gone missing overnight, I think I was around a concentration of these mysterious fish. I left empty-handed, though, because while A likes to eat cod... she found these odd but reportedly delectable fish to be repulsive. Also, my plan to try to print a specimen for gyotaku was aborted because they are so finely scaled; I doubt my ability to get a nice print. Plus, each one I caught was hardly a trophy, so why not let them go to grow? What will be my next "new" fish? I don't know, but I am sure it will be fun to find! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Happy New Year! In no particular order, may I offer my modest 2022 Goals and Daydreams: 1. 250 Stripers for the season 2. Catch my biggest ever striper 3. Catch a false albacore! 4. Catch a 4-pound "bass" (green, brown or sea-) 5. Catch a 20-inch trout! 6. Successfully fish new water 7. Successfully implement a new technique 8. Somebody new in the boat 9. Fishing Travel - Maine 10. Fishing Travel - Elsewhere *** 250 Stripers for the season This is my revised benchmark for a season of chasing stripers. Given enough time on the water, it's doable. Plus, if I've landed 250 stripers, I have certainly experienced many more strikes, splashes, follows and misses. I'll probably have enjoyed considerable by-catch along the way. And, I know I'll have had a lot of fun! Catch my biggest ever striper This is a standing goal for every trip and every season. If I catch it while actually hunting big fish, something I hope to do more of in 2022, that will be even more satisfying. Catch a false albacore! There's no magic to this; it's a matter of patience and opportunity. But, I will gladly accept a little good luck, too. If I stumble into good fishing for other species along the way, I am fine with that. I am seriously considering a change to my timing/calendar in this pursuit to help hedge my luck. Catch a 4-pound "bass" (green, brown or sea-) I've had to revise this goal to account for reality; time is limited, and I have no local edge. Still, a 4-pounder for any of these, while not necessarily a true trophy, is a really nice, day-capping fish. I'd like to think that I might chase freshwater bass on some quality water this season, but if I am unable to do so, the idea of landing a trophy Cape Cod sea bass (on purpose) is an appealing alternative. Catch a 20-inch trout! Whether caught through the ice, from the sea, casting or trolling, any 20-inch trout is a beautiful, worthy goal. Successfully fish new water Kaizen! The pursuit of continuous improvement and growth in my collective fishing endeavors is one reason why I like it so much. A quality experience on unfamiliar water pulls it all together and validates the effort; but it also unlocks unknown potential for the future. This positive feedback loop can be a powerful agent of beneficial change. I know I'll build on previous seasons, while staging myself for success in future seasons. Successfully implement a new technique This is always a worthwhile goal for the same arguments as presented above. Plus, it might involve fun new stuff or shiney new things, for which I am sometimes a bit of a sucker. In many ways it offers a chance to practice my model of Anticipation! Participation! and Elaboration! repeatedly, so whatever success I might encounter, I can enjoy it many times over. Plus, keeping flexible on the water can open one's eyes to potential opportunities, and sometimes these even get actualized into tangible success! Somebody new in the boat For many reasons, too much of my New England fishing has been solitary. I enjoy the freedom and flexibility of this, and I likely fish best alone, but I miss my Michigan friends and hosting others on my boat(s). It's always nice to share a good experience, and it can be a nice reminder to see familiar things through new eyes. Plus, I've got a bunch of possibilities here, it's really just a matter of execution. Fishing Travel - Maine My new home state offers unique and diverse opportunities. The Royal River is almost at my doorstep and might have fishable sea-run browns. Landlocked salmon and brook trout should be readily available, and up to true trophy size if I put in the effort and miles. Trophy trout, togue and bass are here too; I just have to carve out the time and keep trying! Fishing Travel - Elsewhere We're already talking about a Winter trip to Florida; New Jersey in the spring or fall sounds good; and maybe I should try a trip to the Connecticut River or Little Rhody. Of course, there will likely be some Cape Cod activity, but I am thinking about something beyond the familiar. Let's see how the year pans out along these lines... *** Of course, I continue to reserve the right to amend or append; I always have a number of ideas rattling around in the back of my subconscious. Regardless, here's to an Excellent 2022! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Back on January 1 (which seems like several lifetimes ago), I offered my modest Fishing Goals for 2021. You can find them at www.numenonfunfishing.com/numenon-home/2021-fishing-goals. So, How'd I do? (First, please accept my apologies for the rampant font issues within this post!) 1. 200 Stripers for the season. In short, I crushed it. I ended up with 284 stripers landed, from three states. I missed a few along the way, too! While my best fish typically came aboard the Maritime skiff, the numbers from shore added up to just about half of my fish landed. My biggest striper of the year came from shore, too, so I have to keep plugging away, regardless of the platform. 2. Share a fresh fish meal with Uncle M This certainly could have happened, and probably should have. But pandemic visitation protocols, logistical preparation, and coordination all interfered with this. When my brief time on Cape Cod in the Spring ran out, I had to look to the Fall Run. But with just a single Woods Hole session and three hours together, this didn't materialize. I did, however, catch a pile of legal keepers this year, so it could have happened. Plus, we both prefer steak or chicken to fish, so maybe it's time to drop this idea. 3. Catch my biggest ever striper. Nope. But, did I encounter a qualifying fish? Perhaps; I sighted a single trophy in Duxbury. That bass got beaten to my bait by a quicker blue. I lost a very nice fish to seals by Clapboard Island. And I vividly recall a couple of isolated, exceptionally violent topwater, bait-stealing smashes. My largest striper was 33 inches or so, my biggest in several seasons. That's got to be big enough for 2021! Still, some truly large fish were caught in Maine this year, and perhaps I should spend more time with big(ger) fish tactics and settings. 4. Catch a false albacore! I failed in my single, short, late-September attempt at Woods Hole. I think I need to execute a late-August/early-September trip next year to change my luck. Of course, it could be difficult to leave Maine at that time of the season... 5. Catch a 6-pound "bass" (green, brown or sea-). Ugh... I didn't even try. I do need to integrate myself in some way into Maine bass fishing. The cold-water pre-spawn period might provide my most feasible window into this local fishery. 6. Catch a 20-inch trout! Yes! a beautiful brown from Cape Cod fulfilled this desire. A nice rainbow (19 inches) from Maine's Upper Range Pond capped off my fall freshwater efforts. I miss the Great Lakes trout and salmon, but fish like these, on light tackle and in uncrowded settings, still provide a lot of satisfaction. 7. Successfully fish new water. In certain ways, this was the defining aspect of my 2021 season. From my early Spring Cape Cod explorations through the end of my season in New Jersey's surf, much of my time was spent in new-to-me water. Sometimes I was on a new body of water; and sometimes I was simply stretching my boundaries on more familiar waters. I found a lot of new spots, and I caught my share of fish along the way; all without any real problems on the water. That sounds like success to me! 8. Successfully implement a new technique I did nothing radically different, but I did incorporate many variations on existing themes. Presenting a popper to stripers with the fly rod and swimming a Danny in November's New Jersey surf both qualify, and I hope to incorporate such experiences into future seasons. But I also deployed tiny spoons on very light lead-core setups for inland trout, I slow-trolled mackerel for many miles, I stemmed the tide in Vineyard Sound, and I presented a tube-and-worm on braided line in very shallow water. Finding fish on any local Maine fishery was also new-to-me, and I know I'll be confronted with the need to continue and expand such efforts in all future seasons. 9. Somebody new in the boat Again, I'll have to incorporate variations on themes, but I did lead M to her first striper aboard amybaby22. It was quick and easy, too! What a pic! That was a seasonal highlight. M was "there' , too, via live-stream for one of the last Maritime keepers of the season! 10. Launch Numenon. YES! After a couple of faltering attempts in which maintenance issues were revealed, I finally got her back afloat for a few freshwater sessions. She's aged mightily in the last couple of years, for which I feel badly, but she's certainly worth more to me than anybody else... so I guess we're stuck with each other. Informally Append as invoked on January 1 I hung my mounted walleye and brown trout in my new Maine home office and realized that any right-facing 30-incher (bass, blue, togue... whatever!) would be a cool addition. I caught that fish several times over this season, but all were released. I'll probably just save the money for other, more sensible purposes, but I'll keep half an eye out for the right combination of fish, meaning of experience, aesthetics and opportunity. By my estimation, I had a 60% achievement rate for my stated 2021 Fishing Goals. That's satisfying enough while still providing legitimate challenge. At least with fishing, I'll hereby declare 2021 to have been a success. Now, it's time to start dreaming about 2022! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways I am too tired to write; I've got a lot going on! But, I do want to celebrate this fishing season. Here's a picture from each month of 2021 (so far; I may choose to update for November and December if anything noteworthy happens). It was difficult to choose a single "best" picture to represent a given month. I tried to balance the quality of the fish, picture composition and sharpness of the memory invoked. Others might have chosen differently. Oh, well. And, it's obvious to me that too many of my pictures look too similar, and that I need to get more people out there! It was a good season; while I didn't catch any truly large fish, I did catch piles of quality fish. Much of my time was spent on new-to-me water or learning new spots and techniques. I was outside a lot, and I had many encounters with wild creatures beyond fish; seals, eagles, dolphins, coyotes, foxes and more. Thank goodness for my ability to do so; and for those who support these efforts! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways 2021 has been a season of recovery... from the pandemic, the associated isolation, the generally "down" nature of 2020 and more. While virtually all of my 2021 fishing has been solo, I have gotten out a fair amount, and my recent relocation to Maine has reunited me with extended family, both boats and all my gear. I can be fishing within 15 minutes from my desk or bed; and that fishing has a lot of potential for me to unlock. I couldn't ask for more. Here, I'm just taking a breather and collecting some photos. Nothing outrageous (either good or bad) has happened in my 2021 fishing season so far, but I've had a lot of pleasant success. I've enjoyed just about every moment on the water and each and every fish I've encountered. Who knows what the second half of the season will bring; bigger stripers? Blues? Thirty-inch togue? An albie? I look forward to finding out! Enjoy! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Based on the day's sunny and warm forecast, I expected them to arrive in the afternoon, but some scout herring were already in Mill Brook's Cooke's Hollow run on the morning of May 9, 2021. I expected to find more later that afternoon; conditions were sunny and approaching 70 degrees. I was surprised to find just a handful, including a couple of groups of active spawners, when I returned with Ollie. After a few days of absence, about a dozen were viewed in the upper reaches of this stretch on the afternoon of May 12. The big influx I anticipated with the New Moon didn't materialize here. Regardless of what I know or don't know about River Herring, I am glad to see them and welcome them to their home waters. I'll continue to keep tabs on them, and I may even check to see if their presence has attracted any striped bass. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Queen once sang "Nothing really matters...anyone can see. Nothing really matters... to me", but maybe I can claim to be a Tiger (Trout) King. The crowning glory of a recent day on Cape Cod's Peters Pond was the nice, 21-inch trout pictured below. It could be a brown trout, but it could also be a hybridized brown-cross-brook trout, a.k.a. Tiger Trout. They're known to be present in this pond and the wormy vermiculations around the spots are indicative of a tiger. It's not clear-cut, though, and I'll never know for sure. Still, this trout capped off a nice day of fishing and completed a Cape Cod Grand or Cape Cod Super Grand Slam. I certainly checked off four goals for the day, and possibly all five!
More details are available at: www.numenonfunfishing.com/numenonfunfishing/cape-cod-trout-slam if they are of interest! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways |
Steve LachanceVia Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Michigan and now, back to New England! Archives
June 2024
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