Spanish Reflections

“I don’t always choose to fish for mackerel.  But when I do, I prefer mine to be Spanish.”

A pair of large Spanish.  Destined for the table?  Or for the next day's bait?

Thinking back on the season so far, it’s hard not to further appreciate the Spanish Mackerel that I encountered in Marathon.  I went looking for pelagics; and when conditions were tough, Spanish were there, both inshore and offshore.  To get right to the point, let me simply acknowledge the following traits that make them worthy, interesting quarry.  Spanish Mackerel are:

• ·       Abundant
• ·       Willing biters
• ·       Fast!
• ·       Great match for light tackle
• ·       Sizeable enough for the outcome to be left in doubt
• ·       Can be caught in a variety of ways
• ·       Attractive
• ·       Toothy
• ·       Good to eat, if you so choose
• ·       Great bait for bigger predators; a fine food chain fishing opportunity
• ·       Docile in hand and very releasable
• ·       Comingled with lots of other catchable fish

Would I plan a big trip around them?  Probably not; their environment offers too many other options and distractions.  Would I trade them for my Atlantic Mackerel in New England?  Thankfully I don’t have to; these smaller tinker mackerel make awesome bait for stripers and blues.  If they were bigger, I’m sure I’d be listing these same traits for them, too.  But, at their size, they really are bait, and not quarry.  Will I keep them in my back pocket and fall back on them as an insurance policy to save (or make) a difficult day?  Absolutely; what a fall-back proposition!

What about Kings and Ceros?  They’re awesome!  A King on a kite bait is a memory not to be forgotten (is there any other kind?), and Ceros provided some scorching runs and explosive strikes in February.   But these larger predators are a little more fickle in their location and generally less abundant (at least in my limited experience.)  So I love them, and I look forward to more; but just not with the current fondness I feel for the Spanish, and the confidence I have in their conquest.

Kites and Kings!

Cero!

I trolled up this Spanish on a Rapala X-Rap.  I love the colors in this pic!  Check out the teeth, but also check out the Spanish Reflection above the right nasal nare...

Perhaps I can see it more clearly than it really existed, but I was part of this mackerel.  It is part of me.

Festival! Festival!

"Here for the Festival, are you, Friend?"

So asks a rather creepy citizen (IMHO) of a strange planet (IMHO) in a rather cheesey episode (IMHO) of a cheesey sci-fi show (IMHO) from the 1960's.  But at least he was SO creepy and SO cheesey that he somehow stayed with me; and now I get to celebrate the coming of his Red Hour every year (sans debauchery), because I live in Grand Rapids!

Bilar from Beta III!  And the Web!

So let it be heard, across time and across the universe; "Festival!  Festival!"  Because Grand Rapids is home to the Festival of the Arts every June.

While "Festival!" was a welcomed addition to the calendar when the kids were young, at this point I'd just as soon avoid the crowds.  But this year's Festival was unique because it coincided with the Gathering of the Gars!  Longnose Gar, unworldly fish, are prominent June spawners here in West Michigan, but this year the Grand River was packed with the largest aggregation of spawning gar I've ever witnessed.

One hole, dozens of gar.

Actively spawning gar.

They were neat to see and fun to watch.  I'm sure the channel cats, fresh off their own spawning activities, were chowing down on their eggs, and I'm certain to be looking for the gar next year.  Maybe I'll be ready with a nylon rope fly.

Falling off that Ladder

Remember that ladder I wrote about in September 2012?  The “Judgment to Value” Ladder?  Historical and ongoing interactions with a couple of folks had convinced me that I needed that ladder, and I thought I had gotten myself a good one.  I thought I was using it properly and successfully.    Well, I’ve fallen off that ladder.  Maybe I slipped, or maybe I was pushed off, but regardless, I suffered a hard landing.

After the shock of the experience wore off, I was able to conduct an inventory; and I believe I’ve incurred only bruising and that nothing’s permanently broken.  I’m better off than a former co-worker who once literally fell off a roof while wearing steel-toed boots; while he landed on his feet, when he toppled from his momentum, he basically cut off all his toes.

My recovery should be much quicker; and I feel that I’m prepared to climb back up.  I’ve got the necessary skills, and I’ve found a certain peace in finding and appreciating the occasional good that everyone offers.

If you can’t expect to fool all the people all of the time, I guess I can’t expect to actively value everybody 24/7.  At least now I don’t need to hold a grudge, place anybody in a permanent box, or let the actions of others control my feelings.  I’ve got more important things to tend to.