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Date: May 7, 2021 Body of Water: Waquoit Bay - Falmouth/Mashpee, Massachusetts Moon Phase: New Moon minus four days; waning crescent Tides: High at 10:06 AM Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 8 AM - 2:30 PM Conditions: About 50 - 60 degrees; full sun; steady easterly winds (10-12 mph); water was clear, slightly green and 52 - 58 degrees F. (Woods Hole temperatures recorded at 51 degrees, +/-) Hoping to find my first stripers of the season, I chose to take the day off work. When I arrived at an empty ramp lot, I was okay, since this particular ramp can suffer from overcrowded and dysfunctional conditions. On the other hand, I now suspected that I was in for some tough fishing conditions. Surely, if the stripers were abundantly available, others would be in pursuit, even on a weekday. Still, I was encouraged by the slightly elevated water temperature at the ramp; almost 54 degrees F, even after a cool night and with a rising tide. But I saw no signs of birds, bait or life, and when I graphed my favored downriver deep hole, I revealed nothing. After a few casts with a small Keitech-style swimbait over this deeper holding water, my attention wandered to the nearby, sun-soaked shallows. My second or third cast onto the flat resulted in several bass showing themselves and following the lure intently, but none seemed inclined to strike before they peeled off. So, I now knew there were some fish around, but they might be difficult to get to bite in the "cold" water. I saw several other groups of fish (from singles to a herd of what I suspected to be bluefish) in waters less than four or five feet deep. I think they were drawn in by the sun, but wary of the shallow, bright conditions in such clear water. Other than a couple of lethargic, dime-sized crabs, I saw no signs of bait as I prospected this wide spot in the river at the head of Waquoit Bay. I mostly threw my 3.8-inch swimbait, but I also incorporated a small popper, a Rapala Twitching Mullet, and a Husky Jerk minnow bait to keep everybody honest. I had one slight touch on the swimbait in about six feet of water, but did not hook up. Otherwise, the only "contacts" I had were paralyzing follows on the swimmer and a couple of disinterested passes on the mullet. Still, it was nice to know there were some stripers available, and I thought the action might pick up if the waters warmed in the day's sun. I expanded my search areas, trolled to Menauhant outlet, and prospected the deeper, incoming water there at the height of the tide. I couldn't get anything to bite, and as I had approached Menauhant, I had seen fewer fish. So, I relocated to the head of the Bay, hoping to find something sunning itself on the flats outside Caleb Pond or in the deeper waters nearby. When I noticed a surf fisherman here, I veered off towards the mouth of the Quashnet River. I found the warmest water of the day, so far, here at 57 degrees. I started seeing more bass, but they also would not bite! The beautiful day, the bright sun, the clear water and a visibly pronounced bottom/color change reminded me of smallmouth fishing in Northern Michigan. I picked up a line of obvious bottom transition and started following it to the north. This led me directly to a group of cruising schoolies, which immediately ignored my lures and dispersed to nearby deeper waters. Encouraged by the presence of my targeted quarry, I casted the swimbait blindly into six or eight feet of water and retrieved the lure as slowly as possible while still maintaining contact with it. Thunk! Fish on! But after a brief, surging run and head shake, my line went slack; the hook was thrown. That had felt like a nice fish! I was disappointed at the loss, but still, after 4.5 hours of fishing, I'd made my first real contact with a striper! Just a cast or two later, I swung on a slight "tick" and the rod loaded; soon, Striper No. 1 of 2021 (all 16 inches of it!) was in the boat! I'd avoided a skunk, broken the ice, and had accomplished my primary goal for the day! The 2021 Fishing Season had officially begun! I caught two more stripers in the next half hour or so. Each was 15 or 16 inches, and each fell to the same 3.8-inch swimbait on a 1/8-ounce jighead. Each strike came during blind casts into this "deeper" water, all on a painfully slow retrieve. My secondary goal of the day (three photographed stripers for Week One of the 2021 Striper Cup) was now in the can! I missed a couple of strikes, too. I decided to try my original spots in the sun-warmed water. I'd left fish to find fish, and I paid the price. I saw a couple, but once again, I could not get them to bite. I pulled the plug, was off the water at 2:30 PM, and home just after 5 PM! What do I have to say about this? I'd struggled with the idea of taking the day off, when I knew the fishing might be marginal. I could save the time for some better, more productive day. Still, it was a beautiful day, any stripers caught would be my earliest salties ever, and I needed a break. Once I'd had the thought, the deed was virtually done. While the fishing was a grind, I really was served well by my Michigan smallmouth experience. I knew the rewards were there, if I could execute well and keep grinding. In fact, I might be at my best under such conditions; I am focused and present. Three tiny stripers are nothing to write home about; but working hard to make something positive happen, might be. The day's catch wasn't the real benefit of the day; I'd learned some new spots and presentations, had started the success part of my saltwater season earlier than ever, and had both relaxed but also challenged myself and focused on matters of importance to me. It had been a good day! This was my first trip really using the new Shimano Vanford 4000, and I was impressed. Light, smooth, and with good line lay and an infinitely adjustable drag, it's certainly a pleasure to fish with. If this reel holds up to the salt, it will definitely be a favorite of mine. It's now paired with a suiting new arrow in my quiver, a St. Croix Saltwater Avid in medium power. I picked this up, (barely) used at Portland's The Tackle Shop, the day after this trip. This is finer equipment than I am used to, but I look forward to long use and many fish with this combo. Here's to 2021's Striper Season! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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Date: April 24, 2021 Body of Water: Peters Pond - Sandwich, Massachusetts Moon Phase: Full Moon minus two days; waxing gibbous Tides: N/A Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Stocked Trout Time: 7:30 AM - 1:30 PM Conditions: About 50 - 60 degrees; full sun; westerly winds (10-12 mph) swinging to the south with gusts well over 20 mph; water was clear, chalky green and 50 - 51 degrees F While migrating stripers might have used the day's strong wind and warm temperatures to arrive on the Cape's south side, I'd proven to my satisfaction the previous week that I should extend my trout season. I decided to try another local pond, knowing I could always fall back on Ashumet to complete my day if conditions were not to my liking. And they generally were! The ramp was suitable for amybaby22, the lake is not fully developed, bald eagles, loons and ducks were present, the water was clear, and the trout were biting pretty well. Peters Pond shined on my inaugural visit, and I'll likely return by choice. My initial spread included an S7 Rapala in black/gold, 80 feet back; and an S7 Rapala in blue/silver, 60 feet back. I picked up the shoreline to my left and quickly identified the break into deep water at about 8 feet. I attempted to slowly weave along this break as best able, and within ten minutes the black/gold bait (deep side of boat, perhaps ten feet of water) was eaten by a smallish brown trout. I was off to a good start and was re-establishing a productive pattern for the day. I rounded the bend and lost this favored lure to a hidden snag; fortunately, I had a replica in reserve and was soon back in action. I found nothing in the pond's southern reaches and so turned around and trolled into the eastern arm. My next action occurred on a 9-foot saddle midway down the arm, when both rods jumped. A brook trout ate blue, a rainbow ate gold; each was 14 or 15 inches long and fairly typical for the day. One of the reasons I'd chosen Peters Pond was the potential for variety; that had been realized quickly! The next ninety minutes offered a steady pick of trout on these same baits as I continued to troll as slowly as possible in 8 feet of water (plus/minus). It seemed as though my baits were swimming six or seven feet down, and hedging shallower (but without snagging bottom) seemed to be more productive than my couple of forays into deeper water. The trout of the day (so far) was a fat, 17-inch rainbow, but I'd also picked up another brown and brookie, each about 16 inches. By 10 AM, I'd landed ten trout and had already had a great day. I decided to probe deeper water (of which there is a lot in this pond). I replaced the gold/black S7 with my light-duty lead-core setup, swimming a small gold/black Stinger spoon on two colors of lead. Although I marked a fair amount of fish in the depths, I didn't have a bump for the hour I wandered about; and so by 11, I was re-orienting to the shallows. I chose to explore the northern arm. I also replaced the lead-core/spoon combination for a J9 Rapala in gold/black/orange. I fished this on a spinning rod, presenting the lure a cast "plus one rod sweep" of line back. Wouldn't you know, this imprecisely fished bait caught the only trout of this northern tour; a beautifully bright and spunky rainbow took this new lure in about seven feet of water. By Noon, I was setting up this same spread for a pass or two in the productive eastern arm before calling it a day. The first pass produced a nice rainbow and another brook trout. Of course I need to continue fishing! I ran upwind and past the tip of a prominent point. The wind was pounding into this bank, and I noticed both baits were occasionally ticking bottom as the boat was pushed into the windward shore. Trout 14 of the day hit hard, just as the baits crossed the shoal of a secondary sand/gravel point. I could tell right away this was a trout of a different class and played it carefully. It came to the boat fairly easily, but then bulldogged stubbornly, staying out of reach of the net with short runs against my drag. Soon enough, I scooped up my best Massachusetts trout yet. Beautifully marked and about 21 inches of trout; but what kind? Perhaps a brown, or perhaps a "tiger" (a hybrid of brook and brown trout, known to be stocked in this lake.) It didn't really matter; I'd achieved all of my goals for the day.
I continued to fish for a bit while I watched for an opening at the ramp. I caught three more trout, including a very cool, steel-blue and virtually unspotted brookie. This fish chose to eat the blue S7, like all his brethren this day. The final catch (17 trout including four brookies, two browns, the tiger (?) and ten rainbows) was just about evenly split among the three Rapalas I swam for the day. And, while I very much enjoy precisely replicating productive patterns, I do have to admit, the J9 just tossed behind the boat did as well as anything else... ![]() Brown trout or Tiger trout? The spots blending into vermiculations (especially towards the tail) gave me a Tiger vibe; but I could be wrong! Regardless, this fish completed my Cape Cod Trout Slam either as my fourth trout species of the day or as a qualifying, bonus "large" trout. Or perhaps, as both and therefore part of a Super Slam!?!?! ![]() I do love trolling Rapalas for trout! The J9 (bottom) took the biggest fish of the day, and Old Blue has caught so many fish there's hardly any blue left. But if I could have only one of these baits, it would be the black-and-gold S7. It works over a wide range of conditions, and Brown Trout seem to have an extra special affinity for it. What do I have to say about this? To have such a nice, productive day capped off by such a beautiful fish, and one of size, too, was simply a gift; a gift that I have happily and gratefully accepted! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: April 19, 2021 Body of Water: Ashumet Pond - Falmouth/Mashpee, Massachusetts Moon Phase: Quarter Moon, waxing crescent Tides: N/A Boat: amybaby22 With: A! Target: Trout Time: 11 AM - 2 PM Conditions: About 60 degrees; clear and bright; calm, southerly winds developing to a southwest breeze; water was clear, green, 51 -53 degrees F A joined me on a pleasant Patriots Day excursion. We took things easy and achieved our goals of pleasant enjoyment, catching a fish, and catching multiple fish on top of our initial successes. The water was just a degree or two warmer than during my last visit, but I always get a bit nervous when chasing trout as temperatures edge into the 50s and towards 55. The fish can be anywhere, and the food sources can be more diverse. In fact, the apparent hatch of midges made me wonder if the trout might be overly selective or feeding elsewhere. Still, I set my spread of two S7 Rapalas (one black and gold, the other silver and blue, both set 70 - 80 feet behind the boat) and trolled down my favorite shoreline. Hugging the weed and bottom break at about 8 feet, the rod with the black-and-gold bait jumped and bounced hard in the first couple of hundred yards of trolling. While I missed the fish, this was a good sign! Yet, two more passes through this very productive stretch resulted in nothing. I expanded my trolling area, and across the pond, in about 10 or 11 feet, this same bait was hit hard. The drag slipped, and I was surprised to find that such a small trout had provided that much excitement! And, the skunk was gone for the day! I continued with this program for a while longer, but clearly it was not producing at the expected/required rate. I decided to trade out the blue S7 for a small, Michigan Stinger spoon, also in gold-and-black; served off two colors of lead core. I expected this bait to run 8 or 12 feet deep, and I adjusted my trolling path to cover more than 15 feet of water. For the first time all day, I marked a pile of fish in about 20 feet of water; I paused the boat's trolling momentum and allowed the baits to sink a bit. When I resumed my forward progress, the light rod with the lead-core-presented spoon doubled over. The trout didn't present much of a fight, but it represented success with a new tactic for me on this water, so I was happy enough. I ran upwind a bit to set up my next pass. Before I could deploy the lead, the Rapala was slammed by a nicer rainbow over 18 feet. I was onto something! Each presentation produced another fish in the next half hour, all in this same general area and all in about 20 feet (+/-) of water. What do I have to say about this? A bonus and trouble-free session on the water with my best friend; beautifully pleasant conditions; a 5-for-6 day on my targeted species, involving broadened techniques and experiences; this was a good day! While the individual trout were small (no more than 15 inches, this day), the benefit of this day off was large. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: April 18, 2021 Body of Water: Waquoit Bay - Falmouth, Massachusetts Moon Phase: New Moon plus 6 days; waxing crescent Tides: Low Tide at about 10:30 AM; rising throughout Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 11:15 AM - 3:30 PM Conditions: About 52 - 55 degrees; mixed sun and clouds; northerly winds swinging to a stiff southwest breeze; water was clear and 48 - 52 degrees F I endured this self-imposed skunk in order to try to find my earliest-ever saltwater striper. At the opportunity cost of Ashumet Pond trout, I chose to fish the salt for the first time this year. I thought I was likely too early in my Cape Cod waters of choice, but I also thought there was at least a chance that I'd surprise and prove myself wrong. At the Childs River boat ramp, I was pleased to find 52-degree water. I've heard that 50 degrees is some sort of magic mark for striper activity. While the ocean waters outside the bay were clearly colder (and likely a barrier to the arrival of migrating stripers), perhaps any resident holdovers would be awakened and on the prowl for a good meal. I motored downriver to my favored starting point. My timing was off with respect to tide; I arrived just after slack low, and any incoming water would likely cool off the water here. Still, it maintained a 50-degree surface temperature. Unfortunately, my graph showed that my fishing hole was vacant; and my small swim-bait and Crippled Herring spoons remained untouched. Other than jellyfish, this area was seemingly devoid of life. My next stop was at the top of Waquoit, near the Waquoit Bay Yacht Club and along Caleb Pond's outlet. Here, a sand shelf drops into locally deep water. Water temperatures here were slightly below 50 degrees. Some idle birds (cormorants and gulls) indicated that bait was a possibility, but I saw no sign of such. Ospreys were locally abundant too, but more interested in territories and building nests than fishing. I ran down Waquoit and up Great River. After a few casts along favored sod banks, I entered and explored Jehu Pond. The "deep" water here was my next -best guess as to where stripers could over-winter. Jehu, too, was devoid of fish activity. An extraordinary abundance of ospreys were setting up their homes, though, so I expect that fish will soon arrive. And, while I didn't do too well with stripers inside Jehu last fall, I certainly observed a lot of bait there. Next I returned to my starting spot, if only to keep it honest; still no sign of fish. Before calling it quits, I decided to catch the last of the strong incoming tide at the small outlet at Menauhant. The water here was cooler (48 degrees) and too filled with mung to effectively fish. I scouted instead with my sonar. While I marked no fish of interest, I found some water of surprising depth; this might hold better fish than I've given credit in the past. I thought about pushing as far up Childs River as possible to find the warmest possible water and to continue my quest for a holdover; but by this time, I was pretty cold, myself. I knew I had the next day to explore, too; I called it quits, thereby securing my first Falmouth Skunk with amybaby22, ever. It was bound to happen, especially as I push the boundaries of my experience. What do I have to say about this? You don't really know what you don't know; until you know it! And while I still don't fully know the holdover potential here, I've started to flesh out my understanding. At least I know I am not missing out on something easy and productive! The opportunity cost was relatively small, and I'm glad I invested my day in this endeavor. Plus, I'd not a single real problem for the day! Finally, as I type this, it's an unseasonably warm 75 degrees outside and the wind is howling out of the southwest. Westerlies look to continue all week; maybe the stripers will sail with the wind up the coast and find my estuarine haunts before my next trip! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: April 10, 2021 Body of Water: Ashumet Pond - Mashpee/Falmouth, Massachusetts Moon Phase: Waning crescent; New - two days Tides: N/A Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Trout Time: 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM Conditions: About 45 - 55 degrees; fog and overcast, clearing at about 10 AM to mostly sunny; calm to SW winds at 10 mph; clear green water; 50 - 52 degrees Why not return to Ashumet? Convenient to the boat, mild weather keeping water temperatures preferable to trout, and no realistic prospects for finding the first striper of the year; Ashumet was the wise choice for the day. With foggy and overcast conditions, I switched to a gold/black S7 Rapala on one rod and rotated through a variety of Rapala sticks on the other as I trolled as slowly as possible along the pond's break into 10 or more feet of water. Each rod jumped a couple of times in the fog, but I was a full 90 minutes into the session before I finally hooked up. This nice rainbow had eaten the gold/black classic bait presented 80 feet back in about 8 feet of water, and along my preferred stretch of bank. A stocky 16-incher, this fish had even pulled a bit of drag and had fought vigorously in the slightly warmer waters of the day. Skies were just clearing at this point and a southwesterly wind was stirring. Fifteen minutes later, as I landed my fourth rainbow of the day along this same productive stretch, I noticed that the fog was totally gone and the sky was substantially cleared. Two additional rainbows had eaten the gold and black sinker, while the other had smashed an F9 Rapala in blue and silver, 100 feet back. But given the preference for the S7, I substituted an S7 in blue/silver (remember, the skies were now substantially cleared), set 70 feet behind the rod tip. The remainder of the day was a slow pick of fish and misses. Eight feet of water (+/-) seemed to be most productive; to be honest, 6 feet produced bites, but also caused weed/algal fouling issues. There were more drive-by/swings-and-misses than I'd like, and I lost a couple of jumping fish, as well a couple of seemingly heavy fish. Other than to relax and enjoy myself, my sequential goals for the day had been to catch a trout; to catch three trout (my virtual "limit" and a satisfactorily productive day by reasonably conventional standards); and then to catch double-digit trout (a good day day by any reasonable standard). At 12:55 PM, I was stuck at nine trout (and a bonus, small largemouth bass); I had given myself until 1 PM to reach 10. Boom! Number 10 turned out to be a spunky brown trout and magically bought me another hour of fishing, especially since the ramp appeared to be a mess at this time. The slow pick continued. Trout 11 was perhaps the biggest of the day (approaching 18 inches and fat) and ate the blue/silver S7. Trout 12, pictured below, chose the reliable gold/black S7, set 70 back while I trolled two baits of the same size and design. Despite the increasingly bright conditions, this "dark" lure produced 10 of the day's 12 trout and the single bass. It clearly shined for the day; I was surprised that the trouts' preference remained with this lure as the day wore on. What do I have to say about this? Other than the trailer's winch strap snapping on the short drive from the lake to storage, the day was problem-free and enjoyable. The trout were feistier, and larger on average; at least half of the trout landed were 16 inches or better, with several between 17 and 18 inches and with excellent body condition. It was fun to hear and feel a little bit of drag slippage. Ashumet has provided a bit of a pleasant and productive refuge for me this season while I continue to wait out both COVID and the arrival of warmer water temperatures and stripers. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: April 8, 2021 Body of Water: White Pond - Concord, Massachusetts Moon Phase: New Moon minus 4 days; waning crescent Tides: N/A Boat: none, wading from shore With: Alone Target: Trout Time: 4 PM - 6:30 PM Conditions: About 55 degrees; clear; calm winds from northeast; clear water; woods were quiet It's always good to steal an evening and chase some fish! Add a couple of eagles, loons and a variety of ducks, comfortable weather, and a few hundred yards of shoreline without other fishermen, and it should be a really good night. And it was; all that was missing was any fish action of any type. Perhaps the easterly wind or the pleasant conditions had the trout shut down. Or perhaps the recently stocked fish hadn't quite made it down to the opposite end of the pond. Regardless, my fresh, floating crawler, S7 blue Rapala and small green/silver Cleo were universally ignored. What do I have to say about this? It was a pleasant way to enjoy one of the nicest Spring days of 2021 so far. Other than our Cape Cod telecommuting staycation, it was only the second time (or so) I've been able to finagle an afterwork fishing session. And, now I don't have to wonder too much about the current state of trout fishing at White Pond! It might be better, next time. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: March 27, 2021 Body of Water: Ashumet Pond - Mashpee, Massachusetts Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous; Full - two days Tides: N/A Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Trout Time: 10:45 AM - 2:15 PM Conditions: Post-cold front; about 55 degrees; clear and bright; northerly winds swinging to the south, about 10 - 12 mph; water was clear/green and 44 - 45 degrees F I returned to Ashumet Pond, but this time with amybaby22 ready to go! The pond was quiet; only a single trailer was in the lot. Equipped with bait, casting options and trolling gear, I started by trolling in order to quickly find some fish. In the first 10 minutes, just as I marked a group of fish in about 14 feet of water, my F11 Rapala (silver/black; 100 feet back on the line counter) was slammed over about 10 feet of water. Unfortunately, this fish escaped before I could grab the rod, but it was something of an auspicious start! After another 15 minutes without action, I returned to this same stretch of shoreline and switched out my small Stinger spoon on two colors of lead for a favored trout bait; an S7 in silver/blue, presented 80 feet back. Trolling as slowly as able into the wind, trying to stay between 8 and 15 feet of water, I'd just set the two rods when the S7 rod bent heavily; mission complete! My first fish of the season was a pretty, 14- or 15-inch rainbow trout. Another pass along this stretch produced two more trout, and a third pass resulted in a double-header. One of these fish was the largest of the day at about 17 inches. Netting two rainbows, each with double trebles in their face simultaneously turned out to be a mistake, but it was fun! After a couple more fish and when the bite had clearly slowed, I circum-navi-fished the pond. The wind calmed and switched during this period, and I'd caught about a half dozen more trout by the time I returned to my "hot" stretch of water. Going the opposite direction but still into the wind, the bite for the last hour or so was strong and steady. By this time, I'd paired the blue S7 with a silver/green S7, but the 'bows still showed a strong preference for Old Blue. When Number 22 of the day came aboard, I decided to call it an Easy Day. A fellow fisherman at the ramp indicated no luck with bass for the day, but a 20-inch trout the week previous; so, I guess there are bigger fish available. All in all, this was pleasant; and the day I will choose to remember as the start of my 2021 season. What do I have to say about this? It sure felt nice to catch a few fish and find myself in a productive groove. To do so on a pleasant, mild day with little competition were added benefits! And while I truly miss the opportunities of Lake Michigan trout and salmon (and especially the shallow-water Spring fishing for Brown Trout), I'll take my experience with me, wherever. My downscale emulation of Great Lakes tactics paid off well, this day. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: March 13, 2021 Body of Water: Ashumet Pond - Mashpee, Massachusetts Moon Phase: New Moon Tides: N/A Boat: none, shore fishing With: Alone Target: Stocked Trout (Rainbows) Time: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Conditions: 42+/- degrees; full sun; northwesterly, gusty breeze to well over 25 mph; clear water I had a couple of parameters for being dropped off at the day's convenient trout pond; it couldn't be so crowded that I couldn't move around, and I couldn't be fully exposed to the day's hellacious wind. Ashumet Pond's boat launch/access point met these requirements, and so A drove off for a couple of hours of shopping. As I approached the pond, I noticed the filamentous algae blobs; and a few casts in, I knew my efforts were doomed. Each cast came back fouled to a degree, despite my high rod tip position and my hastened retrieve. Ordinarily, I would have relocated to a different position or pond; but my transportation had left. I settled into a pattern that minimized this aggravation, but this also minimized my chances of catching a trout. While I floated a variety of Gulp! and Powerbaits over the growth, I casted and "ripped" a small crank-bait in the upper two feet of the water column. Nothing happened in my time, and I relaxed as much as I fished. It was simply important to be outside. What do I have to say about this? While the fishing was unproductive and uninspired, the day offered some benefits. I scouted the boat ramps at Saquatucket and Sesuit Harbors; observed a prolonged mating or pairing display between two high-soaring redtail hawks; and made a quick pilgrimage to the Goose Hummock Shop in Orleans (mapped below). I'll admit, I got overwhelmed, but I did pick up a few baits that have been otherwise scarce. It was a good day! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: January 2, 2021 Body of Water: White Pond - Concord, Massachusetts Moon Phase: Waning gibbous; Full + four days Tides: N/A Boat: none, wading from shore With: Alone Target: Trout Time: 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Conditions: About 40 degrees; drizzle and clouds, but clearing; calm winds swinging to a northwest breeze; much of shoreline icebound A window of opportunity presented itself and I gave it a quick shot. Nothing responded to my casted spoons, sinking Raps, tubes or grubs. Perhaps I should have gotten some bait, but that would have made things more complicated. This was efficient and pleasant, even if I didn't contact any fish. At least I still have that First Fish of the Year to still look forward to. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways The boats are in storage, there's no safe ice in the foreseeable future, and holidays and life events are queued up. I think I can safely summarize my season without risk of anything changing too much. Each season develops its own character, and this was certainly my most intense season for chasing striped bass. Given my move to Massachusetts, that makes sense; it makes even more sense given COVID and the inability to launch Numenon or to travel. Fortunately, stripers are a worthy quarry, and I've got a lot to learn. Double-fortunately, I've found some motivating success and waters worth exploration. I've plenty of desire to keep chasing them. If time and opportunity allow me to chase other fish, too in future seasons, that will be a bonus that I will gladly accept, even if I can't expect it. As for my trout fishing, I either have pour instincts for when/where to go, I suffered from some more 2020 bad luck, or I am simply horrible at it. Oh well, without easy access to Numenon, this still represents my best option when chasing stripers doesn't make sense. I suspect I will encounter some future success and skunks along the way, regardless. QA/QC on these graphs has been modest, so they might not be perfect or truly finalized. But I think they still convey the character of my 2020 Season. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways |
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