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Date: February 2, 2020 Body of Water: Mystic Lakes and Mystic River below Amelia Earhart Dam Moon Phase: First Quarter, waxing Boat: None - shore fishing With: Alone Target: Largemouth Bass (?) Striped Bass (?) Time: 9:30 AM - Noon Conditions: 35-40 degrees F; mostly cloudy; water as cold as can be without ice The Calendar says it's mid-Winter, and Punxsatawney Phil said just this morning to expect an early Spring. But local conditions continue to be seasonally confused and pose a challenge to local angling opportunities. Any local ice is certainly not safe; but many shore locations are indeed iced in. I decided to try a couple of new-to-me, open water spots as I continue to scout my new neighborhood. Mystic Lakes When I found out my new address would be Arlington, Massachusetts, among the first features I noted on maps were Upper and Lower Mystic Lakes and the adjacent State Park. Among the first informative websites I encountered was the Mystic River Watershed Association's page for the annual hearing run (mysticriver.org/herring-monitoring). My thoughts included that striped bass should certainly follow these herring. This has since been confirmed by multiple contacts at local tackle shops; there will be stripers available within a mile of my new home, at least seasonally or sporadically. While my hope for encountering holdover/wintering stripers here might be based on slim chance, the odds of largemouth bass, pike, white perch, yellow perch or others being present made the prospects for success ever more positive. And, I figured, all these fish, if present, would likely eat a blade bait slowly dragged across the bottom. As I approached Lower Mystic Lake, I was stunned to see it almost completely iced over. Fortunately, there was a generous swath of open water below the dam that allowed me to fish. I was joined by a pair of bald eagles resting in a tree overlooking the dam. They were here for the same reason; the prospect of catching a fish from open water. But, other than the presence of the eagles, there was no sign of fish in the half hour I spent crawling my blade baits along the bottom. When I lost my second bait of the morning, I decided to relocate. Mystic River below Amelia Earhart Dam at Draw Seven State Park My next planned stop was further downstream on the Mystic; below the Amelia Earhart dam and locks, where stripers would be the primary quarry. I spent more time here, combing the clear water with a 4-inch white paddle tail swim bait. The tide was near-low (www.usharbors.com/harbor/massachusetts/amelia-earhart-dam-ma/tides/ ), and no fish were encountered. This spot certainly holds potential as the first bottleneck encountered by any fish moving upstream. I'll definitely return; I was just a few months too early (or late!) What do I have to say about this? Once again, I was skunked; but I'm learning as I explore, and both of these spots warrant further consideration. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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