|
Date: February 6, 2021 Body of Water: Newfound Lake - Bristol, New Hampshire Moon Phase: Waning crescent; New - five days Tides: N/A Boat: none, ice fishing With: A Target: Lake Trout Time: 11:30 AM - 3 PM Conditions: 32+/- degrees; mixed sun and clouds; northwesterly, gusty breeze; 7 inches of new, hard ice with a couple of inches of snow cover A and I left the house, Ollie comfy in the back seat, at about 8:30 AM. We were looking for a change of pace from our house-turned-office and the general bustle of Arlington. I felt confident that the ice would be safe and we could enjoy ourselves without dealing with others at quiet Newfound Lake, about 100 miles to the north. Our first and only stop was at Newfound Country Store ( newfoundcountrystore.net ) in Bridgewater on the lake's east side. I was happy to see snow machines and shelters on the ice throughout the southern portion of the lake as we approached, and doubly happy to learn they had live smelt in stock! I left with a dozen baits in the bucket, and I was on the ice via the boat ramp at Wellington State Park ( www.nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/wellington-state-park ) as quickly as possible. I trudged north, hoping to set up on the same end-of-point structure that I had successfully fished in 2020. I passed several groups targeting lakers and cusk, and was only mildly dismayed to see the last visible fisherman ostensibly parked on my destination. Not really a big deal; I continued my walk for another hundred yards and used my GPS to target the locally abundant flats, breaks and turns. I punched my first hole at the base of a break in about 65 feet of water. This is when I learned that I'd been given shiners instead of smelt. I did not appreciate this, but it turned out to be the worst set-back for the day. I couldn't do much about it; I soon had our allotment of four traps set at depths between 35 and 93 feet. Each was placed with some thought as informed by the GPS mapping, and I had some confidence. After a bit, I replaced one of the mid-depth traps for a sonar/jigging hole. I also raised the shallowest bait from the bottom to mid-depth, hoping to find a rainbow or brown trout cruising by. The first flag flew at about 12:30, from the deepest bait at 93 feet. I'd seen a fish on the sonar as I was setting the bait, and all my 2020 lakers had come from a similar depth. As such, this was my highest confidence location, and I was excited about the prospect of my First Fish of 2021! Unfortunately, no line was run out, and the bait was resting on the bottom. Retrieval and inspection of the shiner showed no real damage; this was an improbable wind flag, perhaps. A's interest flagged after a couple of hours and I was limited to pair of lines. I settled on my two deepest sets while I just watched the sonar in about 90 feet of water to be aware of any passing fish. I saw just a couple of marks over the course of my remaining time. It was turning out to be a not-great fishing day, although it was awesome to be out in the fresh air in a peaceful setting. My last excitement of the day was a second flag from my shallow trap, now in 80 feet. But this was an obvious wind flag, as the gusting winds were now occasionally swirling from all directions. At about 3 PM, I pulled lines, donated my leftover shiners to group of young cusk fishermen, and walked back to the truck. We were back in Arlington by 5:30 PM, feeling good, but pretty worn out by the day's efforts! What do I have to say about this? I had waffled on even attempting this; I wasn't sure about conditions, my state of equipment, COVID responsibilities, my energy or mood. But I am glad to have done so. Even without any fishing success, this day was restorative. It wore me out. provided plenty of exercise and led to a great night's sleep! And, I got exposed to the possibilities of cusk fishing!?! I've been aware of cusk fisheries but had never seen any natives participating. I'd unwittingly set my traps in the vicinity of a group with their overnight cusk lines. Of their four lines in place, they'd harvested a cusk and broke off another. When I walked off the ice, I noted that several groups had set their lines for an overnight soak, and I exchanged pleasantries with a father-son duo actively and hopefully setting their lines. Back at home last evening, I researched New Hampshire regulations and techniques. A few informative sites include: www.wildlife.state.nh.us/fishing/cusk-fishing.html www.wildlife.state.nh.us/fishing/cusk-line.html www.wildlife.state.nh.us/pubs/documents/samples/winter-cusk.pdf If I return for an overnight at some point, I might give it a shot; especially since the six lines allowed are in addition to the two I am allowed for trout. Why not? At the very least, a cusk would be a new species for me, might be a candidate for some excellent gyotaku, and is supposedly the sweetest of freshwater fish flesh. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
0 Comments
|
Steve LachanceRI --> NH --> MI-->MA-->ME Archives
June 2024
Categories
All
|
Proudly powered by Weebly