Easter Bassy

I was able to enjoy some very good bass fishing on Easter Sunday.  It was a pleasure to be out on such a nice, gentle and productive day.  It was great to land a few really nice fish.  And, it was wonderful to reflect on certain Easters Past, when my Dad and I would occasionally get to work off the traditional feast and extra candy by sharing a pleasant evening of bass fishing.  I don't recall ever catching* anything on those trips.  But now at least I know that doesn't matter.

The first bass of 2016 was a fatty!

Time to fire up the GoPro!  No. 2 was a dandy!

Close to five pounds of Michigan Largemouth!

Pretty average, on a really good day!

*  I do specifically recall an Abbott's Run Giant that blew up on a slow-waking River Runt.  Somehow it missed the bait, but it still impressed me!

Fishing with Kate

With Kate in town for only a couple of more days, I recently took the day off work; we planned to go bass fishing.  We knew the afternoon might be more productive if it got warm and sunny, but once the decision was made and we were ready to go, we hit the water.  It was still pretty chilly, but at least the day's snow was done, and there sure wasn't much pressure out there!

The bass fishing success was nonexistent, but we did catch a couple of pike.  At this time of year, any fish is a bonus!  With no real boat problems, nobody getting hurt, the proper clothing and each other's company, it was a super nice day together!  It always seems to be so!

Let the 2016 Bass Season begin!

This bait was intended for bass, but only pike played this day.

A mouthful of Shadow Rap!

Beautifully colored and stout; but short.

Pike No. 2 was long and lean.

Make that "very lean."

"Fluctuat nec Mergitur"

Buffeted by the heaving Sea, but does not Sink!

***

So much (and yet, really nothing) has happened since I first drafted this in November 2015.  Many more shootings and defenseless killings, the targeting of our Thin Blue Line, Trump and Flint; and today, Brussels. While I've little control or influence over these events, I take solace in simply trying to be a nice, reliable person in the midst of our current tempest.

***

Charlie Hebdo recently had the unfortunate opportunity to share the motto of Paris, and I am a sucker for mottoes, phrases and maxims.  I have tried to avoid religion and politics in my writings here, and it has been easy to do so to date.  These spheres are somewhat less interesting to me, after all, as I've focused on more personal matters, like hobbies and relationships with those I care about.  

And yet, my recent exposure to this phrase reminds me that this touches what my blog is all about.  I am looking for those defining Core Essentials.  Those elements in life that make us better folks and provide meaningful purpose for our time.  I've easily settled on parenting, family, community, opportunity, enthusiastic participation, observation and thought.  Throw in a good share of fun, fishing and laughter, and one (in my humble opinion) should not need not much else.  

But the call to arms following Paris was immediate.  These calls seemed to most quickly erupt from Christians Concerned about Coffee Cups ("Koffee Kup Kristians?") or those Mentally Deranged Enough to Think They Could/Should/Will Lead this country with righteous unanimity towards their version of a simple resolution for our current complicated and longstanding relations.  And all this in response to probably not even the worst thing to have happened in the world on this day; just, perhaps, the worst thing our western ears were tuned to.***

Meanwhile my youngest is sponsoring her second TEDx event with a simple theme of Bursting Bubbles.  What can she do to remove the barriers between folks, especially the unnecessary and self-imposed ones?  Bless her youth, because she sees clearly the benefits, challenges and opportunities of thoughtfully exposing oneself to new perspectives.  Another relative concurrently considers in response to Paris, what can she do?   She and her friends offer various support and ideas; and they are all correct. 

The events in Paris and the following hullabaloo seemed to be all about religion and politics.  I am not.  But for a brief moment, I may have understood something.    This won't be about winning or defeating.  It will be about absorbing; pain, attack and refugees without hope.   It will be about sharing; grief, resources and ideas.  It will be about offering: simple hope, for all.  I know that to choose these things, instead of mightily lashing out, is the better choice.  It might not be attractive, sexy or fun; but it's better.

I feel a surprising, personal spark of Christianity in ruminating this.  Not in a church-going sense, but rather as a reminder of a how-to-conduct-oneself sense.  And Christ was human, first and foremost, so I guess I really feel Human about this.  And more than I am angry or righteous or vengeful, I am saddened.  My sadness is less for the physical victims of this crime (and their families) than it is for those with an open lust for instant retaliation.  I hope we are allowed a moment to absorb this, to see ourselves, to see ourselves in this world at this time.  At least before we decisively and righteously fan the flames and just make things worse.  That would be so easy, and yet so wrong for everyone I love.  And for those I don't,  too, but with whom I seek long term mutually beneficial coexistence, a coexistence that accommodates at least all who are younger than I.

"Fluctuat nec Mergitur"; this is how I often feel.  Seas are rarely calm, and I know I will never defeat her.  That doesn't mean I can't enjoy my time with her.  

"Fluctuat nec Mergitur"; this might show up on the stern of a future boat of mine.


***(7 Billion People)* (Poverty Rate for Children) + Daily_Frequency(Abuse of those without Power by those with it) >>> Parisian Suffering

(Note; of course, since this was originally drafted we've had San Bernadino.  More craziness, more victims, more hate and all the more reason to act and live according to a higher standard.)  

More Leap Day Thoughts

Since my original Leap Day ruminations were pretty successful in adjusting my temporary attitude, I continued the exercise and here are a few more good thoughts for the upcoming 2016 season.

***

Open-water Jigging Raps; these are a long-revered ice fishing lure, and one of my favorites for a variety of species beneath the ice.  They are becoming an accepted, powerful alternative on open water, too.  I know they (and let's include the entire pedigree of lead-based gliding jigs here, so not just Jigging Raps but also Snap Raps, Moonshines and Puppet Minnows) work, and they are a current favorite of Al Lindner (see WWALD?), but so far I have had zero success with this technique.  I need to put some more time into this and figure it out!  I need to concentrate on some hard-bottom lakes and I need to use some drop-shotting gear and 10-pound mono!  Because that's WALD!

First Day of Spring in Milwaukee? Why not?  I just checked my calendar, and if the weather holds, family and work schedules just might alight to the point that this actually makes sense!

Catch the end of Pike and Walleye Season?  These end on March 15 on Michigan's inland Lower Peninsula waters, but with an early warm and wet spell in March this year, and today's local ice-out conditions, it's possible! 

Targeting Lakers from Traverse City; someday the bass might be elusive or funky and it will be calm enough on West Bay for me to control a jig down 100 feet or more.  I need to be prepared with some appropriate rigs and jigs, and perhaps some suckers or chubs!

Eeling; I know they are Striper Candy and yet I haven't even tried an eel yet.  I need to wake up and at least give them a shot!  Perhaps I'll catch a tide in the dark that I ordinarily would have missed.

Strolling Cranks or Jerks; especially for some pre-spawn smallies, why not cover a massive flat by utilizing the wind and keeping a bait in the water all the time?  And how about keeping a deep diving lure down there in the largemouth bass' summertime strike zone over extensive stretches of deep weed edges?

Side Imaging; love it; have it; appreciate the power; but have underutilized it to date.  It's hard not to actively fish when I'm on the water, but I know I'll be more effective at finding the true sweet spots if I take the time to side image some productive areas more carefully.  Again, that's WALD!

Downlining; this has been on my list for years and I just haven't gotten around to it.  Muskies, pike and stripers are all possibilities.

Cross-Pollinate any of these ideas; on this or any of my other lists.  I'm not a fantastic original thinker, but I do think outside the norm; and I know that this is the formula achieving breakthroughs and for making giant strides in progress, whether it's in my boat or at my desk.

And of course, there's at least one longer term self-improvement project that I dare not utter at this time...

Today's Positive Development

March 9, 2016 - A picture really is worth 1,000 words.

Muskie Banquet!

A and I have been together for almost 35 years, and this past weekend we did something new.  We went to a Muskie Banquet!

As I've eased into the sport, I've relied on the teachings and expertise of many others.  While nothing beats time on the water, reading and watching pretty much everything available on muskies has been an important part of my ongoing education and preparation for improving as a muskie angler.  One can't do too much of this type of research without encountering the strong Catch and Release ethos of virtually all muskie anglers; they are my kindred spirits.  Moreover, I strongly identify with the Youth and Education outreach efforts of the their flagship organization (Muskies Inc.)  It's been a natural progression for me to join and maintain my membership with them (I am really not a "joiner"), and then this year to earmark a few extra dollars for their causes.

When the timing of my membership renewal triggered an invitation from the local chapter to their annual fundraising event, the prospect of spending a dark late-winter's evening surrounded by like-minded fish hounds had some appeal.  A and I were soon booked to attend.

We were both experiencing some momentary regret as the prospect of 2+hours of winter driving and the idea of spending time with dozens of strangers was upon us.  But we did go, and it was a good night!  I could easily say that I'm feeling 38% better about spending my time and money with this group, because this local chapter accounts for this percentage of state muskellunge stocking funds.  The evening also included a talk about Muskellunge Genetics in Michigan, and this was both interesting and informative.  I learned that I should definitely be fishing H Lake, I made a couple of serious Lake St. Clair contacts,  and I even won a couple of prizes.  The evening provided both tangible and intangible fuel for my late-winter daydreams, and it spawned a new, local fishing project for me; I am on a quest for an L Lake pike!  More on that, later!

Leap Day 2016 List of Fishing Aspirations

February has seemed exceptionally long this year, and there are only so many hair jigs that one can tie in a month.  To battle a temporary funk at my desk, I spent lunch on February 29, 2016 compiling this simple list of modest fishing aspirations for 2016.  Maybe by compiling this list, I will remember to act on more than a few of these items in the upcoming season.  Maybe I'll be able to reflect fondly on these in the depths of next winter.

Hair Jigs; originally conceived for cold-water bass, this obsession has crept into my preparations for panfish, trout and upcoming saltwater opportunities.  I expect to glide, swim, thump and float these, and I expect that they will be an expanded part of my arsenal this year.

New England; it's been a few years since I've gotten to fish hard in New England, but with my youngest's choice of college in place, it looks like there will more opportunity to visit the region in the future. I'm already thinking about relocating 'Arracuda to a Maine back yard, and it will be sweet to target stripers from my pond boat.  I'd love to launch her in the Connecticut River or some Cape Cod ponds, too.  I'm thinking about some strategies for more effective surf fishing (either in Westport or in Maine), and I think there is a chance that my schedule and geography could intersect with some Funny Fall Fish for the first time this year!

Florida; in a month I will be in a new-to-me part of Florida (Captiva), and I am looking forward to meeting some new species.  I'll go sleepless if I think I have to have a chance at jumping a tarpon.  I'll settle for a steady stream of ladyfish, jacks and trout if I have to.  Sharks, snook and reds are on the list, too.

Milwaukee; any time I can fit it in, I think it will be worth it.

Michigan Smallies; I have to go back and fish St. Clair, Traverse City and Leelanau.  Repeatedly; and starting earlier than last year.  And let's not forget the opportunities in new and/or forgotten waters; Crystal Lake, Manistee Lake, Platte Lake, Hubbard Lake and so many others!

"39 Hours"-type Competition; based on a Canadian TV/You-tube show, how many different species can you bag in 39 consecutive hours?  How many of those are the largest captured in that time frame by your competitors?  Who's cool enough to take me on with such a task?

New Folks to Fish With; I have a list and good intentions.  When will our schedules allow?

Simple Things; let's not forget or overlook the importance of little, simple events in the quality of our lives.  I think I'll enjoy returning to the Grand Haven Offshore Challenge, trying McEwen's soft water from a small boat, netting a muskie for a partner, exploring some new water, and perhaps getting a picture of a new Personal Best 'llunge.

***

What do you know, undertaking this exercise worked!  At the end of Leap Day I created a short list of near-term fishing chores, and I banged them out in between walking Ollie, cooking dinner, cleaning up and all that a late-winter weekday night (with pending snow storm) can offer.  Two rods are now rigged and ready to go (1/16-ounce black bucktail and a Shadow Rap jerk bait), and my Black Rabbit Craws are done!