NUMENON |
PONDERING CORE ESSENCE
NUMENON |
So much has changed for me in the last few years. The kids are away at school, and I've got a new and different job with a new home in a new city. With the help of others, I've managed my way through a long period of chronic pain and mental lows. I now find myself in a very pleasant, sustainable situation with my best friend. For the first time (?), or at least for the first time in a long time, we currently share adequate time, health, money and interest. Things are good! Of course, I want to understand how and why my personal situation is currently so good. Since my fishing is part of this successful equation, I've been thinking, in part, about how and why my modest fishing has contributed to my current well-being. In this post, I think I'll focus on the "How?" of this. First, I have to give The Man some credit. My time served as "The World's Foremost" outfitter at C's (2013-2015) was truly beneficial to me. I found my service there to be surprisingly enjoyable; I made a couple of new friends, picked up some new techniques, lots of new tackle and a little extra money for a couple of fishing trips. It expanded my horizon as a fisherman, and it helped me recognize my fishing passion as a valid and valued component of my persona. The physical activities of retailing turned out to be "just right" for my continued physical recovery from back surgery. But most importantly, my time on the floor let me utilize soft skill sets (communication, active listening, problem solving and supporting others in their quests all come to mind) in a fun, dynamic environment that I found to be personally rewarding. All in all, I know that I am better off now than I was in 2012! But, let's face it. C's absorbed a lot of my time for (actually) very little money. When family events of early 2015 threatened to interfere with my perceived, continued value to the store, it was easy for me to say goodbye. Plus, starting in March 2015, I then had time to actually fish! And I did! 2015 was filled with some really nice fish and some new adventures. As detailed in my original blogging posts, above, I chased many species, I added new waters (Lake St. Clair and Traverse Bay most conspicuously), and I caught my share. And yet, it was not until the Spring of 2016 that I felt something change. Sure, I'd fully participated in 2015's fishing effort; but I wanted to make something happen in 2016. And, the first full year of Michigan's Catch-and-Immediate-Release season for bass was in effect. With Reeds Lake so close to home, Michigan's spring weather so fickle and Lake Michigan's salmon apparently on the down-slide, ardent pursuit of pre-spawn giant bass was not only legal, it was logical! It didn't happen right away, but soon enough, conditions aligned and I tasted success. The actual fishing details are available here: numenonthewater.blogspot.com/2016/03/easter-day-bass-fishing.html I think this quote sums it up: "At this point I'd been fishing for quite awhile over the course of three trips without having touched a bass. That could be discouraging, but it was so pleasant out, and I knew that any bass I encountered would likely be fat pre-spawn sows, so I kept at it. Several casts in at my new spot (which just happened to be very close to where I caught my largest Reeds Lake bass ever a few falls ago), just as I watched my bait approach the boat I paused the bait at my feet, and a muskie-like bass swept up and ate it! She wasn't a giant, but she was what I was hoping for, and my day was now made." She was just a nice, 2.5-pound bass. She was like one of hundreds; I hope there are hundreds more. I didn't even have that much to say about her at the time. I'm surprised this particular bass has turned out to be so important. After a dry spell, she was welcomed aboard. But, in a moment of potential darkness, she kept me out on the water, and I enjoyed some additional, even bigger bass that day. She'd taught me something meaningful. I was on to something! Just like there was more to that particular Easter Sunday, there was so much more to the season and beyond! A full two years later I am still enjoying this quest for trophy bass as my primary fishing. Most of my largest bass (over five pounds) have come since this particular day. Given a fishing career stretching at least 45 years, that's significant! Perhaps even more significantly, I think I've enjoyed them more than I had previously. I have actively intended to catch them! Starting with choice of water, down to the last terminal tackle detail; this has been a deliberate journey on my part. While trout, salmon and muskies have, to a certain degree, fallen off my radar (at least with respect to effort), I recognize this as the simple opportunity cost of my choices. Part of this is simple geography (choice of job, choice of home, etc.), but partly it is due to my appreciation and enjoyment of the state of my current bassing endeavors. I know (from experience!) that I can't do all things well all the time; I also know that there is now room in my current life for trips to New England, Sweden and Costa Rica. So, even when I get caught in a bit of a slump (such as right now!), I know there will be fish. I might as well relax and enjoy what I have, and not worry about what I might be missing out on. Meanwhile, and along the way, I have chosen to appreciate any selected facet of each trip or catch. Whether it's observing a natural moment; enjoying an interesting story on the radio while towing; noting the fine and purposed performance of a particular item of tackle; recognition of the proper lure or knot; experiencing the first, last, biggest, most beautiful or most unexpected fish of the day; or recognizing an ephemeral sense of personal ease on the water, I can benefit from harvesting the best of what happens to me while I'm fishing. That's "How?" my modest fishing efforts have contributed to a better version of myself. I've surprised myself. I kind of thought this discussion might have started with this story: numenonthewater.blogspot.com/2015/04/new-cir-bass-season.html About this fish: It could have, and the story would have been substantially the same. But 2015 was, in some way, about decompression, while 2016 was about mounting an effort towards managed, directed change. I certainly needed 2015 to be ready for 2016. But I needed to act for the changes of 2016 to bear meaningful fruit. Certainly my bass fishing has demonstrably improved; but even I know that is just a metaphor. This is about recognizing the effort that has made these changes for the better, possible. Not just with fishing, but rather with many aspects of life. That first modest bass from Easter Sunday, 2016; This Was the Fish that kept me in the game at what was, in perfect hindsight, a crucial moment for me. Now, in 2018, I expect things to get even better; I intend to continue using my fishing as a vehicle for this continuous self-improvement. I hope I drag some other aspects of life along with me! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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(I hate to admit this, but I can't seem to manage the font appearance in this entry!) I can't claim to have captured any Giants or to have shattered any records, personal or otherwise. But this has still been a fine season, peppered with challenges, fine friends in the boat and a good number of beautiful and sizable bass! Couple that with no real problems, and it's easy to see why I am reluctant to see this season pass. But it's also easy to understand my excited anticipation for whatever lies ahead. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Regardless of weather, water body, water clarity or species, I've had a pretty solid season for nice fish! The fishing's not yet been easy or fast, and I have endured a couple of skunks; but, for the most part, I have found the fish I am looking for. Jerk-baits and cranks have dominated the catching, but I've had to be very flexible with location and presentation. Spring is transitioning into Summer; I suspect that my LSC smallmouth are spawning right now. The search for quality fish will resume; I'll likely be searching different waters for additional species. I can only hope for similar results. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways My "Muse" has been silent, most likely because of Winter's tenacious grip on Michigan. But finally, Spring seems to have actually sprung, and this Earth Day Weekend accommodated some pleasant time outside. From the frog choruses around our home, to the loons on both Reeds and Kent Lakes, not to mention the various other waterfowl, kingfishers, herons, deer and strutting turkey toms that I encountered all weekend; all natural signs pointed to the final arrival of Spring. These signs included the movements and behavior of the largemouth bass; fortunately, they were right where I expected them to be, and still vulnerable to a properly presented jerk-bait! Well, at least on Friday! I challenged myself with a new lake on Saturday. The fishing wasn't as good, but I was heavily engaged with the process of trying. In addition to the couple of smaller fish I ended up catching, I was able to anticipate the prospect of returning to Reeds Lake for a Sunday session with good fishing friend, DC; catching fish on Saturday didn't seem so important. And conditions on Sunday seemed prime! We fished with great confidence and anticipation, but after a couple of hours of virtually no action (even in my best water), I had reason to question myself and our approach. We covered a lot of water and tried many presentations, both shallow and deep. As the sun and temperatures climbed, we saw hundreds of bass staging and sunning in about 3.5 feet of water. We also witnessed hundreds of disinterested bass and many active rejections. It's hard not to continue fishing over these fish with a variety of techniques; but at a certain point, it seemed wise to target unseen potential biters, instead. By 1 PM, the lake was getting a bit busy, my bladder was full, and there seemed to better uses for the remainder of our day. It was time to go; but DC's wife was momentarily unable to pick him up. And so we continued to fish. With a radical relocation and a determination to make the most of our bonus time, DC hung a fine bass from just a few feet of water on a spy-bait. There's a tremendous difference between being skunked and converting a lone bite into a beautiful fish. While the catching wasn't as good as I'd like, it was, once again, a really nice fishing session. I don't think I like that the fishing was unexpectedly tough; but I do appreciate that it is days like this that can keep things interesting. Despite high expectations, reality is reality; and looking back through my journal entries, I do see a pattern on seemingly inexplicable skunks at this time of year. I'm still learning, and that helps me believe that I might learn enough to make even the tough days more productive. There are plenty of bass and days to look forward to; I don't to catch them all, every day. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways After a long winter, our Michigan open water fishing season has started, and after a few small starter fish, I finally got to use the landing net again! My first "big" bass hit the deck this weekend. I'll take a 19-inch/4-pound bass any day, but I am especially pleased with catching her under such adverse conditions; a temporarily ice-covered lake, cold, stained water, and deep! Furthermore, on a newish technique in a deduced location; and with generally easterly winds, to boot! I learned a bit from her and a few of her friends, and she helped make it a really fine day on the water. Of course, she seduced me to return the next day, if only so I could endure a harsh skunking. It now feels as if the season has started, though. Here's to some more good experiences in 2018! 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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