NUMENON |
PONDERING CORE ESSENCE
NUMENON |
With the scheduled removal of the landing float for the season, I was forced to conclude the saltwater boating season. I pulled amybaby22 from the water on Monday, October 10, 2022. But, I made the most of my last weekend on Casco Bay! I fished earnestly and with intent on each day, and I executed pretty well. I landed 16 striped bass to 30 inches on 19 hookups, bringing my season's total to 203 stripers landed. While I didn't catch a truly large striped bass (by local measure and experience, let's say 40 inches), I sure caught a lot of really nice ones, including two 36-inchers and more "keepers" above 28 inches than I've probably handled in the rest of my life. I didn't encounter any real issues while out on the water this year, so I'd have to say my season was a success! Of course, my season is not necessarily over; I can always hit the beaches (near or far) and follow the annual run down the coast in pursuit of either big fish or numbers. I expect that amybaby22 will hit the sweet water in pursuit of trout before winter arrives, too, so there's still plenty of opportunity for good things to happen. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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It took a little longer than I had expected, but I recently landed my 1500th documented striper. It's not exactly Hall of Fame material like 3000 career base hits, but... Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways So much happened in May! This favorite month of mine passed by in a blink of the eye, but lots of good things were packed in. My oldest daughter got married in San Francisco. That is her story to tell, but it was a simple joy to be a part of her happiness. I found San Francisco to be an interesting city, we had a great time together, the food was consistently excellent, I reconnected with all my girls and I decompressed for the first time in a long while. It was a truly happy event and a great break from my daily grind. From there, A, M and I drove to Yosemite National Park. I'd never been, and it did not disappoint. Our stay was short, but I fished hard and intently. The surroundings were stunning. Work seemed very remote, and I caught many positive glimpses of what retirement might offer. Returning to Maine, it was finally time to get amybaby22 moored and start the striped bass season. While my season got off to a slow start, more fish continued to arrive in the last week of the month, and I took advantage of the long Memorial Day weekend to chase them in earnest. I caught some really nice stripers to 32 inches (which in my experience is an approximate 98th percentile specimen) and many solid fish on light tackle. I'm catching them in a variety of manners, including on the fly. They've afforded some quality experiences already, and I still have four months of season ahead! We've been in Maine for almost a year now. It's not quite "normal" for me, but I am getting used to it! 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 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 Almost exactly 11 years ago, we welcomed a puppy into our home. A mix of Shih Tzu and Japanese Chin breeds, Oliver was the original "Shitty Chin". He was overly territorial and stubborn, had a lot of warts, crooked teeth and bad hair days, and he certainly could be a pest underfoot. Of course, his schedule became our schedule. Despite the flaws, he ingratiated his way into our hearts, and most especially, mine. He lived to eat, sleep and walk. When awake, his primary adopted duty was to scavenge the outdoors for discarded food. He specialized in fast food, and he amazed me with his ability to (fairly consistently) find entire wild burgers and pizza slices in addition to the usual assortment of crusts and crumbs. Walk, we did. I was more than two years into my state of chronic back and leg pain, and almost a year post-surgery when he arrived. He needed to walk, and about all I could do was walk - and so we did. Thrice daily (becoming only twice a day in recent years, but for much longer, paced walks), regardless of weather; we walked. While he became King of his territory (wherever we happened to be), at least in his mind, I walked myself back into a reasonably good, functional state of health. And we continued to walk. I'll dare anybody to watch the short clip below without cracking a smile: Ollie greeted me enthusiastically every time I came home. He would remind me when it was time to walk or go to bed. He loved going out in the truck. He was just as happy to stay home and cuddle on the couch or sleep at my feet. He could be a real butt, but he could, on occasion, be adorably playful. He was really kind of unkempt and ugly, but somehow got by on his looks. He was seemingly always smiling, and that could make me truly smile. This past weekend was beautiful. It included perfect weather, unique family visits and boat rides, a concert and an actual date with A, and a comfortable and productive saltwater fishing excursion. Unfortunately, it suddenly and unexpectedly concluded with me having to choose to have Oliver euthanized. His period of pain was short; his life was long and comfortable. He was calm, and we were together, at the end. Thanks, Ollie. You really were a good boy! You did so much for me! Don't worry; I went for my walk this morning! 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 This is borrowed from the "fishing side" of my blog, above and posted at the December 12, 2020 entry at www.numenonfunfishing.com/numenonfunfishing. I don't like to double-dip content, but it's as useful here as it is there, and it's as powerful a way to wrap up my 2020 Fishing Season Experience as any. See you in 2021! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways 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 |
Steve LachanceVia Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Michigan and now, back to New England! Archives
June 2024
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