Sunday, November 27, 2011

Lessons

I was home for the Thanksgiving holiday and my sister told me about a special moment that her daughter experienced recently. She was fishing with her brothers off the dock below their camp which they often do. Typically they catch perch and sunfish of normal size. On that day she hooked into something much more substantial and this is the photo taken right before they released the largemouth almost half her size. It was a special moment for all involved, especially the parents who are both anglers.

This made me think about the moments in my past that helped me develop a passion for fishing. I wondered if a few special instances at just the right time fueled my desire or if it was one long collective of moments. As I pondered the question, a slow flow of angling experiences was released from my hard drive that I hadn't remembered for a long time.

I recalled hooking a big trout as a kid under a road culvert down a backroad. The fish got off right before I could land it. I remembered seeing a huge brown race out from an undiscovered pool way upstream on a small upstate New York creek that I fished when I could convince my mother to drop me off and pick me up. I recalled the day a blue heron taught me everything I needed to know about being stealthy on a roadside stream.

Another memory was from a long fight with a Great Lakes run salmon on a 6wt. that went long after the sun set only to break off in blackness, making me realize I was under-gunned. That led to the purchase of a custom 2pc. Sage Graphite II RP 9 1/2' 7wt. in 1987.

I also vividly remembered walking down to the mouth of a Maine estuary as a young freshwater adult just arriving in the state and seeing a 40" striper sulk past my feet, again giving me that under-gunned feeling; opening my eyes up to a whole new saltwater game. There were other memories too, of people, places, insects, birds and much more subtle moments, but ingrained lessons just the same.

I never really answered my question but I figured I'd share this with all of you hoping that it might make you remember something special too. Keep the line in the water and believe in every cast.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Reintroduction

Gray Ghost Productions presents a closer look at Maine's Penobscot River restoration effort. The Penobscot has historically had the largest runs of Atlantic salmon in the United States and many hold hope that all the pieces of reintroduction can be assembled.
 

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Maine Fly Fishing Show


The Maine Council of Trout Unlimited will host something new on Sunday November 6th.  This collective endeavor is the 2011 Maine Fly Fishing Show and it will take place at the Maine Military Museum in South Portland.  All show proceeds will support the organization's longstanding Maine TU Trout Camp.  This ambitious MFFS effort will include a host of exhibitors, fly tiers, authors and talented folks from the Maine fly fishing community.  There will be a casting contest, door prizes and a silent auction with a range of items including a custom bamboo rod, limited edition art, a 2 night stay at the Big Eddy campground (including driftboat guide service) and much more.  Admission (cash or check only) is $5 for adults and $3 for kids.  Mark your weekend calendar and show support for a good cause.  Visit the TU Maine web site for more details.