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Date: July 25, 2022 Body of Water: Casco Bay - Falmouth, Maine Moon Phase: Waning Crescent Moon; New minus three days Boat: None, shorefishing from landing float With: Dr. C Target: Striped Bass Time: 4:30 AM - 7:45 AM Conditions: Low tide at 3:50 AM; Mostly Quadrant III but spilling into Quadrant IV; Overcast and local showers, SW wind with gusts in excess of 15 mph and about 70 degrees. Water temperature about 66 degrees (+/-). After a couple of (energy-) draining days in the boat, and given a forecast including wind and rain, we elected to keep it simple and float blood-worms from the landing for our last fishing session. We got up early and presented our baits in the pre-dawn darkness, and it didn't take long for Dr. C's lighted float to wiggle and then wink out. We missed that fish, but shortly thereafter he connected with a sub-20's fish. When he landed a larger schoolie shortly thereafter (and it was still before sunrise!), the morning was complete. And we still had time and fish in front of us. I like "Quadrant III", the first half of the flood tide, from my perch on the float. It served us well this day, and we landed six stripers to almost 26 inches by 6:20 AM. Dr. C was doing most of the catching, I caught only a single 20-incher. I flubbed another at my feet, but Dr. C fished almost flawlessly and landed everything he connected with. At 6:50 AM, Quadrant III was over, we hadn't had a bite in a half hour, and work was beginning to intrude my thoughts. I suggested calling it a day, but we decided to give it 15 more minutes before we made the final call. I didn't have much confidence (my catch rate here in the higher half of the tidal cycle is low), but fishing is better than work, and one never really knows what might happen. We were discussing these things when his float went down at 7:05 or so. He missed the strike, but in attempting to regain slack he had rapidly moved the float and worm a few feet. The water exploded as a large and aggressive bass crushed the worm. He was instantly tight, and this obviously nice fish challenged the tackle as it sought the line of moorings. Ultimately, Dr. C landed his second "keepah" of the trip, a beautifully solid 30-incher! Of course, this fish kept us here for another half hour or so, and nothing else happened. Still, it had been a great morning! What do I have to say about this? I knew this tide had potential for a good session, and I had penciled it into my calendar a while ago. But one still doesn't know what might happen at a given time. The big fish in Quadrant IV was a gift of sorts, and its capture does support something I think I know; big fish eat when they want, and opportunities just present themselves. Most of my bigger stripers have not happened at prime time (which, in the main, really is prime), but rather on their own schedule. So, it's always best to be confident and to be prepared for the best, and to choose to fish as opposed to not fish. Finally, this time with Dr. C was unexpectedly important to me. We picked up our friendship seamlessly, as if consecutive interruptions of 13 years or more don't matter. We enjoy each other's company! Moreover, our shared time from graduate school prepared us for separate paths. I sometimes struggle with how little I've done with my scientific training, but my time with Dr. C let me realize that he appreciates me for who I am and what I've done with my time. I often downplay the "silly" things that take up my time (this entire fishing craft, for one), but this weekend helped me realize that I can and do help (in small ways) people to actualize their hope and fulfill their dreamlets. Surely, that's worth something!?! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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