NUMENON |
PONDERING CORE ESSENCE
NUMENON |
On June 4, 2024, I became Maine's newest Registered Guide! Something of a daydream of mine for many years, this became my 2024 Winter's Quest when the long-term forecast in December looked bleak for ice-fishing prospects. Rather than frustrate myself with uncertain conditions, I decided to dedicate my efforts and time to capture some desired credentials and build a potentially interesting future. I enrolled in courses with the Maine Outdoor Learning Center (for Registered Maine Guide certification prep) and the Atlantic Captain's Academy (for required U.S. Coast Guard endorsement as a Six-Pack Captain/Operator of an Uninspected Passenger Vessel (OUPV)). I enjoyed the course-work, have passed all the tests, and now am free-and-clear to charter clients for freshwater adventures in Maine! Meanwhile, my OUPV application is basically complete (one more simple box to check); when that is submitted and approved, I will return to Maine's Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to sit for Tidewater examinations. Then, I'll have accomplished my true goal of being a guide for stripers on Casco Bay. In the meantime, I will simply enjoy my time out there fishing! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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After a tough day searching for striped bass in the boat, we returned to the float just before predicted slack low tide. This had been both my insurance policy and safety blanket for the day's catching success. So far, it had been a beautiful day, but I really wanted both of my friends to each catch a nice striper, and only N had scored during our five hours on Casco Bay in the boat. We suspended large, juicy sand-worms beneath floats and enjoyed almost instantaneous action! J landed a nice bass in the mid-20-inches range; it wasn't as large as N's 27 from the flats earlier in the day, but was still a nice fish. The day was now complete but we had some more fishing time in front of us. We alternated through a series of bites. N landed another mid-20-incher, while mine was only about 13 inches! After a short lull, we cycled through our chances again, and in a quick flurry, both N and J landed similar middle-20s fish. At this point, it had been a really good day! I was tending the rod when the float jiggled and plunged; I got tight to a good fish (it was now a little more than an hour after predicted low tide). This turned precarious when there was no stopping this fish's first run. It was well beyond the first line of mooring buoys and I was very low on line when I finally turned her. I was concerned about the angle of the fish and rubbing off on my mooring chain; so N prepped the Portland Pudgy dinghy and donned a life jacket while I carefully guided the fish away from the obvious obstructions. Soon, we were afloat and I was able to gain some line as N rowed us out. Most of the remaining fight played out between the first and second rows of moorings. N was able to keep us in the clear as I wore the fish down in a safe gap. We rested against amybaby22's mooring as I grasped the striper's lower jaw; this fish was finally subdued! N rowed us back towards the float while I revived the fish. A quick measurement against the Pudgy's gunwales indicated a conservative 41 inches; clearly my biggest ever from the float. Or was it my first from the Pudgy? The circle hook had found the corner of her jaw, and the water was a cool 60. After a few moments and with a slight spank to her tail, she swam away, energetically and seemingly none the worse for the wear. We ended the session having gone 7 for 9 with my second-biggest ever Maine striper. Not bad! There were smiles all around, and we were already looking forward to our next trip. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Such good luck! D&JC reached out to us after three moves and a hiatus of too many years and invited us to join them in Southwest Florida. There would be sun, beaches, warmth and fishing; and within a few hours, our schedules were cleared (if only for a long weekend) and airline tickets purchased! Finally, the hour was at hand and we were on our way. We travelled timely and without trouble, and our hosts were so kind to us, they picked us up at the airport! DC and I would fish together the next two days, but this afternoon was about relaxation and catching up. This was easy and pleasant! DC and I shared two days of guided snook fishing in the back-country while our spouses enjoyed the beach and the house's screened-in pool. All in all, things couldn't have gone better. Somewhere along the line, I did get referred to as "The Worst Kind of Person"! This hurt more than being called an "A**h*le", but since it was directed towards me for simply preferring my sandwiches "dry", i.e. without mayonnaise when on a boat in the semi-tropical Florida sun for a full day... I guess I can handle it. And, if that's the worst they can come up with in 96 hours... that's not too bad! Meanwhile, maybe I'll lean towards PB&J on unfamiliar boats in the future. (Let's face it, the jelly serves as a condiment in this situation.) And, I'm proud of my non-judgmental approach to others and their sandwich habits and shall continue (or at least try) to practice such patience with others. Darn, it was good to be warm and go fishing again! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways While I didn't publish a specific set of fishing goals for 2023, the season has ended and I can't help but reflect back on what was a fantastic fishing year. I could easily start and end my summary with a simple reference to capturing my largest-ever striper on July 6; but there were so many other good aspects to the season! For instance:
While I missed out on the perennial goals of catching a false albacore and landing a four-pound bass, I have to admit that I didn't even attempt to fulfill these. I was too busy chasing other dreams. I did fulfill the following typical goals:
These last five are less empirical, but certainly more meaningful. "New water" was a primary focus for the entire season. I greatly expanded my reach within Casco Bay and found many new, productive nooks and crannies. I am now pretty comfortable from Portland Head Light to the Bustins outside of Freeport. I also had some success on Square Pond, different parts of Sebago, and Narragansett Bay! I was perhaps light on new techniques, but the Minn Kota trolling motor added new dimensions to my fishing and presentations. I also captured a Personal Best Striper on the Fly in very shallow water on a shrimp pattern; this general experience, and this particular fish were highlights of the season! I also introduced the frantic "Bayman Bounce" to Broad Cove and turned some difficult fish into biters! Finally, I resurrected Great Lakes gear and techniques (long cores, copper lines and downriggers) to successfully contact Sebago's lakers. New buddies PP, CG and nephew J all joined me for pleasant sessions and stripers landed. I was also happy to host the next generation of striper stewards on both sides of my family. My travel within Maine was limited, but I found new water and lost memorable fish in both fresh and salt water across the lower part of the state. And, A and I enjoyed a non-fishing long weekend Down East and somehow landed at the Fryeburg Fair, too! My (fishing) travel outside the state was even more limited, but I was very pleased with my targeted day-trip to Narragansett Bay. I didn't find the big bait and fish I'd expected and hoped for, but fell back on small baits and estuaries to make the day and find my first stripers of the year. I'd even consider starting future seasons in Little Rhody, if only as a salute to my youth. Finally, if I award myself the extra point for NOT falling overboard (not once, all season!), I feel pretty comfortable rating this season at 9 out of 10 possible points. Overall improvement is still possible; just not especially likely! I am especially grateful for the support I've received from loved ones. Even if they cannot understand how important this is to me, they somehow still afford me the opportunity to fully participate in these pursuits. 2024 awaits; I have plans and ideas... Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways With Hurricane/Tropical Storm Lee behind us (thankfully, with no real associated problems, locally) and access to the water fully restored, the final push of the 2023 Striper Season lies before me. It's been a great season to date, but I wouldn't mind some extra icing for the cake! It's been a fulfilling season with good numbers of fish landed, way more fish longer than 28 inches than I could have ever expected, and a Personal Best. These experiences have been seasoned with plenty of missed opportunities, too, that somehow linger in my thoughts more strongly than many of the season's supposed "accomplishments". ... This was the second time in three seasons that I chose to pull amybaby22 from her mooring due to forecasted tropical storms. In both cases, nothing of consequential danger or damage happened, but one never knows. ... Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways The goals for the day included landing my 200th striper of 2023. It could have happened earlier in the day, but I'd pulled the hooks on a couple of bass while floating worms from the landing. (That was okay, I'd caught a few, too, including a fit and sassy 32-incher). Still a couple shy, and with only a single mack in the livewell, I was exploring some new-to-me water when a subtle seam-and-riplet off the southwest corner of Moshier Island caught my eye. On my first pass, my tired bait suddenly woke up. It got popped and pushed to the surface. After a few more splashes, the bass lost interest, and I reeled in a dead bait. But the bass had revealed themselves, and so I quickly set up in about 15 feet of water with Spot-Lock for a chunking session. I'd retained the fresh dead bait and still had a few small mackerel left over from the previous day. I minced a couple of frozen baits while saving choice tail sections for free-drifted baits. I started a light drizzle of chum bits while drifting my hooked chunk behind the boat. It took about 15 minutes for the first bass to show up; a fine 30-incher came aboard. And just a couple of drifts later, I wound down on No. 200! There was nothing otherwise grand about this fish, a typical-if-not-smallish striped bass of 23 inches. But it was from a new spot under difficult conditions and captured with a favored technique made possible by the addition of the electric motor for 2023. So maybe No. 200 wasn't grand, but it was special! While special, this "accomplishment" doesn't really matter, either. I try to appreciate every fish I touch; I've just been fortunate to be on the water quite a bit this year. The final numbers don't matter a bit, so long as I've enjoyed the journey. But once you start counting... it's tough to stop! So while I've caught more than 200 stripers in certain previous seasons, and I don't know where I'll end by mid-October, I can say that I've never accumulated so many bass this early in the season. Plus, I've got a choice "chunk" of the season left, so I am, at the very least, optimistic about where this excellent season can take me. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways The strike was sharp and sudden, but my line just went slack; there was no run. I cautiously wound down and came tight to a fish. Did I? Or had the bait pulled it's mouth? No, there it was again; seemingly just a small bass. But there was a sudden frenetic energy to the fight, even from this smallish fish. And my first sighting wasn't of the expected solitary bass, but rather a small school of bluefish. I quickly landed the fish and threw a top-water bait for a few casts, but there was no evidence that they had remained anywhere close. It's been over 15 years since I've landed a blue in Maine. This little guy was a welcomed addition to the day's catch, and I guess it's time to keep a popper rigged on a stout rod with a heavy leader. Will I come across them, again? Or will I have another 15-year wait? Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways I gave Dr. C about a week before claiming amybaby22''s record striper for myself. I smashed both the recently-established boat record and my personal best striper with a 43-inch behemoth from out of the blue. When shall I experience such good (or better?) fortune again? Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways A real benefit of living in Maine is that any vacation can now be a "Staycation". That's a lot easier on an aging gent with little time to spare. After a weekend visit from an old friend, family (immediate and extended) arrived. There was lots to do, and I entertained various guests from 4 to 64 aboard amybaby22. Each session was a good experience for all involved! Let me celebrate simply with some pictures acquired over the course of the week or 10 days. They are presented in no particular order. Enjoy! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Guest Dr. RC recently set amybaby22's current record for largest striped bass! This 38-incher easily slurped down a mackerel and provided a strong fight. I'm searching hard for an honest 40-incher, but making steady progress with 36- and 38-inchers in the last week. Right now, bait is abundant, bass are on the rocks, I'm on vacation, the family's in town, and life is good! 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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