Bassin' At the Shore

I went to the shore this weekend (New Jersey that is) for a quick getaway from work and the hustle and bustle of daily life around here.  Even with the heat hanging on through the end of August, Jill and I made it out on the lake at the shore house for a bass outing.  We got up early to hit the water in the family john boat.  I paddled out to my usual starting location.  There is a great stump field located near the creek channel off of a point where I generally like to start for days like these.  This area usually produces a fish or two even in the worst conditions.  I like to focus on these areas of cover in the creek channel due to the low depth of this particular body of water.  We floated about the creek channel for our entire fishing outing since some of my other go to spots were occupied by other anglers.  Watermelon colored ribbon tail worms and YUM Dingers were used as the go to finesse method during the summer months here, so that is what we were tossing in the depths.  Unfortunately, even after a couple hours of fishing, we were both unable to produce any fish.  We did each have a few bites, but the fish didn’t want to fall for our tricks.  I even changed it up and broke out the fly rod to introduce a different approach to fishing this lake.  I have never done that before.  It ended up being casting practice to get ready for the fall trout season. 

Although neither of us caught a fish, being on the boat as the sun came up spending time away from the busy life that modern society imposes upon us was a much needed experience for both of us.  Slowing it down for a while and fishing worms while the birds skimmed the water was the most relaxing activity of the weekend.  I remember back to my days as a kid spending much more time at this shore house and many more days out on the water with my dad and pop.  If I wasn’t swimming in the pool, I was either in the boat or on the shore fishing the lake for whatever took the worm.  I remember moving up to bigger rods and artificial tackle, reading every Bassmaster magazine I could get my hands on trying to be a “pro” bass fisherman.  Now, I just enjoy any time I can spent on the lake, whether I catch my limit or nothing at all.  For me, the best therapy is the time spent in the outdoors away from daily business.  It’s great to be back at it and reminiscing about the old days fishing the same lake.  For anybody else who finds the same peace in nature, enjoy it!

Tight Lines!

Back on the Water!

This week has been the first time in a long time that I have been on the water, doing something I love: fishing! I have been on a whirlwind tour of life this past year, with the main event being graduation from a 4 year degree at Millersville University.  I ended becoming involved very heavily with some extracurricular activities separate from school, and those activities ran my entire life.  I would be finished with classes, or work now, and have to run to different meetings and events every night and often on weekends.  My fishing gear started gathering dust and my license hadn’t been used since I bought it.  During school and before I bit off more than I could chew, I fished almost daily, but since taking on new responsibilities, I cut off all of the other things that I love to do.  It became very obvious how much my decreased times in the woods and on the water started to affect my stress level and happiness.  Thankfully, I made the decision to back off on some of my responsibilities so that I have time for some of the things I enjoy again.  Since making that decision, I was able to hit the water every day this week.  Instantly, I remembered how much fishing and being in the outdoors is my release from the daily stresses of being a recently graduated safety professional.  Without much luck on conventional tackle, I switched over to my fly rod and began patiently building back my casting skills.  Although they were small, I was able to land 3 smallmouth bass on a Muddler Minnow in a pool on the local river.  I can honestly say that I was thrilled to hit the water again, and my mood has definitely increased since returning to my happy place on the water.  I look forward to seeing what this fall has in store for my fishing addiction, and I look forward to begin documenting my adventures on the water and in the field on this blog.  If you have any similar stories, feel free to share!

Tight Lines!