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PONDERING CORE ESSENCE
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Such a lucky guy to have a daughter like K! (For so many reasons, beyond but including the particulars of this account). She'd arranged a trip for me to visit her in the San Francisco area and share some camping and fishing. After a long Maine Winter, I was more than ready to do so! After just a bit of back and forth, we settled on an itinerary that offered convenient and pleasant fun. We could relax and enjoy each other's company for a few days within an easy drive from her Bay-area home, with the prospect of catching some nice trout! And that we did! Lodging and fishing were available at Collins Lake, and Captains CK and W at FHS.com provided a stable and comfortable platform in our quest for some trout. It was a low-stress approach all the way around, and we appreciated it! Campfires, eagles, ospreys, blacktail deer, nice gear, clean beds, hot showers, ice cream and each other's company; all enhanced by plenty of trout reaching six pounds. It was a "hella" long weekend! Such a lucky guy to have shared not just this, but several decades of shared outdoor experiences with my kids. Somehow, I thought K was all grown up and ready to serve as First Mate aboard Mrs. Paul, my first vessel, 25 years ago. I wasn't quite right about that, but we still spent plenty of time on the water and we had more than our share of fun and success. We got safely home every time, too! It was an awesome gift to share these current moments, but especially so in the reflection of our previously shared experiences. Thanks, K! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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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 It was quite a day-trip from Maine, and I put a lot of miles on the skiff, too, but I recently targeted, chased and caught my first striped bass of 2023. Upper Narragansett Bay treated me well enough, and I saw a lot of Rhode Island like I'd never seen it before. I encountered no real issues, and even caught some drag pullers! And these were my first-ever self-guided Rhode Island striped bass! When I didn't find what I expected (open water bass busting on big baits), I went to back to basics, and relied on moving water to concentrate any present bass. This worked in multiple locations and validated my approaches on some new water. The skiff was awesome! I covered a record number of miles in a day while staying comfortable and dry, and when I chose my location, I used the new trolling motor's "Spot-Lock" feature to effectively and efficiently hold me in place. The season has started auspiciously, and I know there are plenty of good things ahead. Let's go find out! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways A was traveling for work; I could telecommute for a few days, and then we could enjoy a few days together in a new region, for us; Arizona! After a few days of making our living from Phoenix, we were able to explore the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and connecting areas. We started with an open day on Sunday. We Ubered to the local aquarium, SEA LIFE Arizona, where we also tacked on tickets to the adjacent conservatory Butterfly Wonderland. I was reasonably impressed by both, but especially enjoyed the first aquarium exhibit of Colorado River Basin native fishes. The native fishes were different and unfamiliar to me, and I have to believe that the Colorado Pikeminnows are excellent fighters if hooked! They get to nearly six feet long!?! Because of the 3-hour time difference, baseball was more accessible to me, and I watched several playoff games over the course of the week. I was happy enough in the hotel room while A tended to her conference duties. My work days began at 5 AM, and so I was "done" in the early afternoons, local time. I had plenty of time to relax and walk about. I headed straight to the water on my first walk. An aqueduct ran through town a bit to the east. I picked up the local walk and bike trail and headed upstream. I found a pile of common carp beneath a sluice gate on each visit. Further north, I was treated to a run of cichlids (?) up an ephemeral stream into a golf-course pond. A couple of days later, this stream was dry, and any fish that hadn't made it to the pond were heron fodder. There were plenty of carp in these ponds, too, and I suspect there could be some large bass present, also. On Thursday morning, we hit the road and travelled north towards the Grand Canyon. We enjoyed the changing light, landscapes and biomes as we gained elevation and eventually entered the Colorado Plateau. The Grand Canyon was literally awesome; I was stricken with scope and my insignificance. We enjoyed a pleasant afternoon walking the South Rim Trail and scoping out the geological museum. I was impressed by how our perspective changed with position and lighting. I was also surprised to catch just a couple of tiny glimpses of the Colorado River itself. From the National Park, we headed south and turned off the road for a night of glamping at Clear Sky Resorts. We were here for the clear, protected night skies and we were not disappointed. Our views of the Milky Way and visible planets were the best I've enjoyed since the late 1980's in Montana. The evening's predicted meteor shower never materialized, but that was okay. My disappointment was offset by clearly viewing Jupiter and its moons through a telescope and enjoying the choruses of multiple coyote packs at 4 AM. This place was cool and had a fun and casual ambiance. The meals from the food truck here were great, too! Friday morning found us on the road again, headed for Sedona. Turning off the highway around Scottsdale, we travelled along Oak Creek and down Oak Creek Canyon to Sedona. We enjoyed Slide Rock State Park for a different perspective of the Grand Canyon rocks. We were now beneath the capping limestone and walking along the red sandstone. Oak Creek looked fishy, too, and I found the hole housing most of the resident big trout. I was glad to see them! Sedona itself was a little too crowded and kitschy for my taste, but we enjoyed the afternoon there with a low-key bus tour. It is a beautiful landscape, but I think I'd rather live in the nearby and much quieter Village of Oak Creek to the south. We found good food and accommodations for the evening, here. Saturday was all about travel. It all went well enough for us, but take it from me; when in Phoenix, consider getting an Uber arranged for the trip from the rental car drop-off area to the flight terminals. The buses were few and far between, and I am sure quite a few folks missed their flights. "Being early for being early" paid off again, as A and I enjoyed a cool 20 minutes of relaxation between arriving at our gate and boarding our flight. With neither my side gig nor fishing concerns demanding my time and energy, I had more opportunity than usual to relax and think. While my body gladly absorbed the rare dry heat, my mind wandered. Had I grown up here, what would my interests be? Perhaps not fishing, but I know I'd still be connected to the outdoors. Would it be hiking, hunting, or lepidoptery? Photography, astronomy, or golf? I don't know, but something would have caught my attention. At this time, I can only conclude that with the sparse, open landscape and easy views without human influence, it was natural to feel small and humble here. Unlike overgrown or overdeveloped New England, I could see and feel that this was a large but tough place to make one's life, and that there would be little at hand to easily accommodate basic needs or wants. To survive here, one would have to be a part of the land. And one should best know and accept that realization. I was reminded that Aldo Leopold had written about his youthful Arizona experiences. These have not stuck with me to the same degree as his Almanac, but a quick search found a concise article at www.arizonahighways.com/classroom/aldo-leopold. Having just shot a wolf as a young man, Leopold states: "We reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her eyes. I thought that because fewer wolves meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunters' paradise. But after seeing the green fire die, I sensed that neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a view." I am certain that same green fire resides in the eyes of the coyotes I heard singing at 6000 feet. I am glad it is still out there. Finally, Sedona is famous for its supposed spiritual energy and vortices. I largely missed out on these, but am more than willing to simply attribute these phenomena to folks simply being outside with enhanced awareness. I did feel that spark of awareness, in Sedona and throughout the trip. Maybe Sedona's environs make that awareness come more easily, but I suspect it is anywhere you need it, or want it, to be. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Birds and bait were abundant, and the New Moon current was ripping. I was presented with different conditions on my two mornings, and good things could have happened. Still, false albacore action was limited and I had only a few casts over two days anywhere close to working tunoids. Another year shall likely pass without me connecting with one of Fall's funny fish. Oh well, I learned a bit and there's always 2023. Of course I knew that tangible success during this annual Albie run was something of a shot in the dark. I was dependent on fish presenting themselves to me at a given, fixed location and on my schedule. Plus, they'd have to be inclined to eat, and I'd have to execute. This just didn't pull itself entirely together, once again, for me in 2022. Still, I'll call this a good effort and I did learn a bit. I arrived, armed with three rigs in hand; the universal epoxy jig, an Albie Snax soft bait, and a Pop-and-Fly for finicky fish. This had been confirmed for me as the go-to trio by an article earlier in the week. On Saturday, all three baits swam for me quite a bit. Thick "rain" bait was obvious; snagged silversides were common, and I'd see rivers of peanut bunker later in the day. Fiona-related winds diminished over the course of the morning from well over 20 mph from the north, to a mere 15+ mph. From daylight to slack high tide, there were constant tornados of birds over bait, but always well out of reach. A single small pod of fish (7:20 AM and about half an hour before high tide) gave me hope when it chased bait on the surface within casting range for perhaps 15 seconds. I got a couple of casts in, but my smallish, natural-colored epoxy jig was ignored. I was joined on the stubby pier by a vacationer from Colorado. He reported good albie and bass action from this location before the blow. For the most part, he only would cast to visible fish, but given their prolonged absence, he made a few blind casts before searching for greener pastures on Martha's Vineyard. He also preferred the afternoon dropping tide at this location. After 300 or more minutes of casting while standing on the concrete, my body told me to pace myself. I'd not seen a shot for about four hours; I saved my luck and energy for the following day. I was a bit peeved to find a pair of anglers already in position when I returned in the dark at 5:40 the next morning. I was blocked from my preferred position at the pier's end. But conditions remained fishy (overcast and now with a more manageable westerly breeze) and there was plenty of room. Plus, the water was moving hard and there was still lot of bait around. Things got very fishy at about 6:45 AM. Bass blitzed bait trapped against the rocks and nearby seawalls for about 20 minutes. Amazingly, I never got touched. I knew these fish were on peanuts, but they were selective! They ignored my Albie Snax, Hogy Slow-tails, Crippled Herring, and even the Popper-and-Fly. I did note, however, the guy at the end scoring a few bass on a small white swim-bait retrieved at Albie Speed through the mayhem. I'd later learn that this was a 3-inch Al Gags', and he was hoping to find an Albie mixed in with the feeding bass. Lesson learned! Once these feeds thinned out, this same tactic produced three Albies for that same gentleman. I'd switched to my closest approximation, a 4-inch thin Hogy on a jig-head. This never got touched, the albacore seemed to need that thumping Al Gags tail. Another lesson learned! A few local fishing celebrities showed up, and one caught a decent bass on a float-and-fly. Another interesting rig I noticed was a large hookless epoxy jig with a RonZ sand eel trailer. Folks were getting more creative at imitating the small bait in place. I got knocked out of the action for a couple of hours with sudden onset stomach illness, but when I returned later in the morning, the crowd had thinned and the rest were giving up. The fish were still feeding, but very sporadically and usually out of reach. Only a single small bluefish had been landed by my new friend from Colorado. He'd been totally skunked on the Vineyard the previous day; it had just been a tough day for fishing. I casted for another fruitless hour before heading home. I couldn't help but feel dejected, and I was angry about not being able to make my best sustained effort. But I'm already thinking about 2023. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways 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 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 The excruciating details of the fishing portion of the trip are available in NumenonFunFishing, above, and specifically at www.numenonfunfishing.com/numenonfunfishing . That's just a part of the value of the trip, though, as I spent lots of time with family (near and extended) and local friends. Unmarred by even a single problem, it was a great trip! Other than acknowledging my good fortune - I have sufficient means and am surrounded by supportive people - I cannot express what such shared time and experience mean to me. So'll just leave that up to a few of my favorite pictures of the trip. Enjoy! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways What a month! Well, at least for my fishing. Each and every trip produced fine fishing for the targeted quarry, whether it was trophy smallmouth bass on Lake St. Clair or the early-season stripers of Cape Cod. I caught fish in new water and with new techniques. I netted a 6-pound smallie for my best friend and another day's Big Bass earned me a cold beverage from another. I wore my hands and thumbs out with dozens of stripers in a few days. I scored bonus fishing days on the water with loved ones. I planned, adjusted, persevered and executed. I launched a new boat! I enjoyed (pretty much) every minute on the water. I am at least willing to consider the nomination of May 2019 as my Best Fishing Month, ever. In terms of consistency, quality of experience, big fish, action and fulfillment, I cannot recall a better 30-day stretch. I'll do my best to develop future nominees, but I will also recall this past month's efforts with gratification and satisfaction. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways I'd not gone 15 miles into the trip when a deer appeared at the edge of my headlight's illumination and we collided. After 34 years in Michigan, I'd finally claimed my deer. I had no chance to react, and I was lucky that it was a somewhat glancing blow that spun her off my left front fender and into my left passenger door. Not an auspicious start to this long-anticipated trip; but I pulled my old truck over to the side of the highway. She seemed to be drivable; the damage was mostly cosmetic. After a day-stop at Lake St. Clair for some more smallmouth bass with good friend BL, my destination was Falmouth, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. My new Maritime skiff awaited me there, and I suspected there were a number of stripers and sea bass available for my long weekend visit. The day's bass fishing on Lake St. Clair was good (feel free to check out the details at www.numenonfunfishing.com/numenonfunfishing/lsc_201905-guided-trip ), and the rest of my travels were trouble-free. By Friday evening, I had the skiff rigged and ready! While the persistent wind kept me inshore and limited my options, I found fish almost immediately; and I relied on this group of fish for most of my fishing action over the course of the next several days. These stripers were just about always willing to eat a jig/fluke combination, and sometimes even preferred a topwater popper. While this wasn't the grand, adventurous fishing for 30-pounders that I'd envisioned, it certainly was calm, peaceful and relaxing. And, I did get a taste of other places and other fisheries (Buzzards Bay bottom fishing, tracking down birds and bait in Vineyard Sound, and targeting the salt pond outlets) to spice things up over the course of my stay. Details are available under the NumenonFunFishing header, above. The Maritime Skiff 1480 proved seaworthy and stable. She exceeded my expectations. With 107 stripers over her gunnels for the trip, she earned her first striper decal. I expect I'll be able to festoon her with many more in the future. She's fishy, for sure! I was fortunate to have acquired this new boat and to have taken this trip. I was hosted very nicely by my Uncle M and his wife, N. We caught some fish and shared several fine meals. I got a bonus visit from my Boston daughter, K! I caught piles of fish with fine, well-matched tackle. Even with the ill-gotten beginning, this was a fine trip! 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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