Resolutions II

Resolutions II (on Thanksgiving Day)

Resolutions don’t mean much if you don’t check in on your progress every so often.  I’ve got a hint of a breather here between the boating season’s end and Black Friday, so I thought I’d review the list I’d prepared for myself with respect to this year’s fishing.  While I published some thoughts on this last January, I’ve also maintained a running list of ideas for experiences that I thought would enhance my season.  Here I think I’ll address some of my stated resolutions that I’ve successfully acted upon.

·       I resurrected an old rod.  My 6.5-foot Shimano Aero from about 1990 is a fine rod but is generally just a little too soft and slow for soft plastics and top-waters.  By switching from mono to Nanofil, this rod has become a staple for my bassing.  I’m a big fan of Nanofil.  It handles great on light spinning gear, casts long, and doesn’t stretch.  It seems to last forever, too, and its presence on my roster of spinning reels is expanding.

·       I successfully trolled over 3.5 mph.  Trolling is occassionally simply about covering water and finding fish.  Going faster means doing more of both, and sometimes speed kills.  I’m much more comfortable at faster trolling speeds (up to at least 4.5 mph) as now I’ve taken Great Lakes salmon and multiple muskies at these speeds.

·       I released a 5-pound bass.  I was especially pleased when I landed a tank of a bass on Reeds Lake on November 16, because then I did not have to rely on the previous “Palm Beach Release” of my largest ever Connecticut River bass.  At over 21 inches and undoubtedly over 6 pounds, fat and bug-eyed, she was the largest bass I’ve caught in years.  I was pleased to watch her swim back into the local depths after a little photo session and some recovery time in Numenon’s live-well.

Bucket-mouth!

The picture does no justice to this bass...

·       I netted a legal muskie.  Muskies received much of my attention this year, and the season would have been less meaningful without a legal muskie in the boat.  Fortunately, I got mine on July 12.  I had others to the boat and either chose not to net them or they slipped away while boatside.  This included the biggest one of the season, estimated at about 46 inches.  All this happened while I was alone, so I’ve still not netted one of these for somebody else, nor have I gotten pictures that do these fish justice.  But I’ll keep trying, and I’ve decided that these fish are definitely worth travelling for.  So maybe there will be some new scenery in the background of the picture with my first 50-incher.

Muskies in the 'hood!

Legal, netted, released.

·       I released a Master Angler fish.  Certainly each legal muskie qualifies for this, and that November bass might have too, although she was short for her weight.  There were many Master Angler salmon to be had this year, too, but somehow I missed that season; let’s hope for more of the same opportunity next year.

·       I caught a new species and so therefore captured a personal best.  Kind of.  I’d caught a few incidental, smaller muskies while bass fishing in the past, but now I’ve successfully targeted them.  And while that 46-incher was right there for the taking, I’ll consider my current personal best to be the netted, measured and documented 43-incher.  I should also remember the 37-inch striper I took on August 1, because that’s the biggest I’ve ever landed from shore.

This striper ate a fresh mackerel head, and I was lucky to land her.

·       I switched targeted species to save the day.  Switching from muskies to pike on November 16 turned a skunk into a show-worthy hound.  When I suddenly lost confidence in muskies, I took advantage of the remainder of the day by targeting pike.  It turned out that they were snapping, and I took a “season’s best” specimen among the five I landed that afternoon.

·       I pond-hopped on that same day.  I launched Numenon on multiple bodies of water on November 16 to maximize my effectiveness.  Drastically switching locations let me deal with fishing/weather conditions, and after a slow start, I had a nice window of activity including “season’s best” bass and pike, on the same lure and within about 100 yards.

This Rapala DT20 was hot for a couple of trips!

·       I used heads as bait.  The mackerel that were available to me from shore this season were generally too large to use as live bait, but it’s probably not a coincidence that my largest stripers of the year fell to fresh mackerel heads.  At the same time, sandworms and chunks just weren’t working.

·       I caught the end of pike season.  Just locally, but it was my best, most dependable piking of the year.  Other lakes beckon, but it’s often difficult to drive past Reeds Lake.

Weather like this can turn Reeds Lake into a private pond.

KS was ready for ice fishing, but had to settle for a trip on Numenon.

Likely the last open-water fish of the season, this 30-incher ate a Purpledescent Rapala TailDancer.

·       Ollie came fishing with me.  I try to be careful about when to take him.  It can’t be too long, hot, cold or sunny of a trip.  But he’s a good companion when he comes along, he enjoys it, and I have to remember to include him when it makes sense to do so.

·       I took a special trip with Marie.  When I first conceived this resolution, I was thinking of a fishing trip, but our quick, Labor-Day trip to Florida was fun, if not surreal.  She’s something really special, and I’m glad we shared this trip.  She deserved it, I provided it, but mostly I need to recognize just how unlikely a trip of this nature was to me.  And yet it was all good.

Lazy River snorkeling.

Walking around the Sea's Bottom, Hermit Crab in hand.

·       I shared time in my boat with loved ones and expressed my feelings to them.  In a literal thanksgiving, I recognize and thank each of you.   I hope you enjoyed your time with me. 

There are still plenty of ideas to act on, and I’ve left many unarticulated.   Fortunately, ice season approaches.