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Date: May 10, 2020 Body of Water: Mystic River and Lower Mystic Lake Moon Phase: Full Moon + two days Boat: None, Shore fishing with waders With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 4 PM - 6:45 PM Conditions: Mid 50s and sunny, but with NW winds around 20 mph; the warmest it has been in 72 hours and on the heels of snow and record low temperatures; water remains very clear. Some fishing pressure evident at both locations and a rumor heard of "stripers caught" below the Mystic Lake dam at a previous time. I targeted Sunday evening for a fishing attempt; my quarantine would be completed (symptom free!), we'd be winding down from Mothers' Day, and perhaps the warmest available recent temperatures, when combined with decreasing light levels, could conspire to get a striper to eat my lure! I first visited the base of the Amelia Earhart Dam on the Mystic. This is the first barrier on the river, herring are known to be running, stripers should be arriving in Boston Harbor and chasing them, and I thought I could try the falling tidal conditions. Perhaps moving water would coax some activity. Conditions were pretty appealing, but this area was lifeless. In 20 minutes or so, I saw no sign of birds, bait or predators. I chose to cut these losses and reposition myself at the base of the dam between Upper and Lower Mystic Lakes. I have an ingrained mental image of a striper hitting a top-water bait here; perhaps this would be the night! A few other folks thought so, too, but I had plenty of casting room as I waded out to the shallow bar fringing the base of the damn. I started with a bone-colored SP Minnow swimmer, toned that down by switching to a small Z-man swim bait, but spent most of my time for the evening casting and retrieving top-water baits, including a popper and a Rebel Jumpin' Minnow. I was mildly surprised by the apparent lack of fish activity and the total lack of action. In addition to the other, human, fishers, I was joined by a variety of fish-eating birds, including a bald eagle, an osprey, and many gulls, herons and cormorants. Most of these were generally idle, but they were there for the same reasons as I, and were welcomed partners for the evening. As far as I could tell, we all got skunked for the evening. The data below probably says it all; while herring had been locally active during the week, the recent cold front and snow had pretty much shut these fish down. What do I have to say about this? It took a bit of time and the shift in location for me to leave my thoughts behind and get into any sort of relaxed rhythm. By then, I realized that success, once again, was a long shot. I was still able to appreciate what had brought me to this particular spot, enjoy the quiet company of so many fish-eating birds, and focus on the not-quite-predictable pattern of my Jumpin' Minnow as it walked across the quieting surface of the lake. My goal for the week (or month, or season); be there when the herring return with stripers in tow! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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