Ice Fishing

A couple of months ago, the boats had been put away, there was a break in the holiday activities, and I took my dog for his evening walk along the shores of our local lake.  Our stretch of bitterly cold weather continued, but it remained windy enough to keep the lake from icing over.  The existing shelf ice was under constant attack by the wind and breaking waves, and other than the wind, the only sound I was conscious of was the tinkling of the breaking ice, eroding faster than it could form.

It was a nice quiet moment, and it gave me pause to think about the possible upcoming ice season.  Weather, schedules and health, as well as reduced interest in the pursuit, had kept me off the ice for most of the previous 5 years.  What was once a Grand Adventure and a season to look forward to had become tedious, mundane, predictable and unimportant.  But the possibility of ice, so close to home, possibly in time for the Christmas/New Year's break, and on a lake that I personally knew to house many fine pike, was enough motivation for me to double-check my gear and prepare for another season on the ice.

Cold fronts and warm fronts have alternately and fiercely battled for supremacy since, and safe ice was slow to come to my area and has proven to be ephemeral so far this season.  But I have gotten out four times over a couple of widely spaced weekends, and while nothing super-exciting has happened, it's all been pretty pleasant, there's been some action, I've shared it with good friends, and it's been the only real fishing I've been able to engage in for quite a while.

The location for the first trip of the season was based simply on safety; I was running out of time off from work for the holidays, and I was antsy to actually do something.  A small local lake was reported to have safe ice; this lake is known for pan-fishing, for which I have little interest through the ice.  Second-hand information indicated the probable presence of pike; some appropriate live bait was obtained (although not without difficulty); and so a group tip-up outing was scheduled to be the First Trip of 2013.

We hit the ice just after dawn, walked past the pan-fishers (all of whom seemed to suffering from the same Cabin Fever), and set our traps along the lake's far shoreline.  The break showed itself to be steeper and deeper than expected, but soon the allowed number of tip-ups were in place, bracketing the break from shallows to depths, and just moments later the First Flag of 2013 announced the presence of the day's first strike.

First Flag of 2013

At this point, the thought always occurs that this could be The One, the biggest pike (or trout, or walleye...) of your career.  And while, so far, it hasn't successfully played out that way, it's wonderful to feel that spark of hope; and you realize why you're ice fishing.

And while this wasn't The One, it was the quarry of choice, and the rest of the morning was spent busily chasing a nearly constant succession of flags.  The fish weren't large (in fact, they were admittedly small), but it was inarguably fun.  And while I never would have kept it even in season, this largemouth bass was the first legal-sized fish I took in 2013:

This largemouth bass ate a golden shiner suspended over weeds in about 6 feet of water.

While I agreed this was a fun day, the fish were too small for my complete satisfaction, and so when I returned to the lake a couple of days later, I chose to set up in a new area.  I was by myself, and so I had a limited number of tip-ups in the water at a given time.  I compensated for this by taking advantage of the thin ice, staying mobile and drilling lots of holes.  For a strong half-day's effort I was rewarded with two flags; both were hit and run drive-by's, resulting in no hookups.  So while I was patiently awaiting a quality fish, I couldn't help but note to myself that I really did miss the fun of the previous outing's action.  So maybe one shouldn't leave fish to find fish; or perhaps one should simply appreciate the bird currently in hand.

Shortly thereafter we lost all of our safe ice, and even bad ice fishing wasn't possible.

Fortunately, it came back (although we're losing our ice, again), and I was able to hit our local lake this weekend.  As mentioned above, it's been several years since this has been possible for me.  But I looked forward to this because, about three years ago I caught my first really fine pike through this lake's ice; and that pike, in turn, motivated me to (try to) unlock the lake's open water pike fishery.  It was with renewed confidence and enthusiasm that I returned.

Have I mentioned that it has become extremely difficult to get live bait minnows?  I can't really complain, since there are sound biological/resource protection issues behind this difficulty.  But it has made preparing for a live-bait trip a logistical hurdle and has introduced another level of uncertainty into pulling off a successful trip.  That said, let's just say that I was unable to obtain any worthy bait on Friday or Saturday morning; and I was faced with the prospect of safe ice without bait.  Fortunately, friend KS had been supporting some leftover shiners and was available for a short trip on Saturday afternoon.

Have I mentioned that my local lake is an extremely popular urban fishery?  Or that a pond-ice hockey tournament was taking place near my fishing hole?  Or that several hundred of my closest fishing buddies (all afflicted with the same fever, and kept off other waters by deep snow and thin ice) descended on the same water?  Oh well, it was a beautiful, sunny day, and with just a small window available for our fishing, we didn't have to work too hard.  We spent our time with a couple of flags and another small pike, but there was enough activity to see that the best action was in shallow; and I did assist a young fisherman with his line management when a pike spooled his tip-up and then showed himself to be much larger at the hole than expected.  To his credit, the kid did great; he landed his biggest pike ever at 34 or 35 inches, and this fish reminded me, again, why I was out there, and why I fish.

Back home, I made a few calls and found a dwindling supply of minnows available at a local shop; I then secured a nice supply for the next day's efforts.

I hit the ice just before sunrise.  I set two traps shallow; and one in a high-confidence, deeper spot.  Things got off to a slow start, put when the first flag flew at 9 AM, I was once again deluded with visions of a monster pike.  In reality, it was more of an average pike, but it was a successful start, and I was pleased to have some action, because the others that were filtering out and setting up around and about me, weren't.

By 11 AM or so, little else had happened.  I was somewhat frustrated by my inability to move based on all the other fisherman/tip-ups around me, but I could also tell that not much was going on (and certainly nothing of any real interest or value.)  I had started to think about pulling lines and returning for the evening bite when KS found me out on the ice; he as ready to fish!  We fit in his traps, heading towards deeper water; I'd pretty well demonstrated that the pike were not active in the shallows this day.  Soon there-after, his two deeper traps sprung, yielding another small pike.  When his son and friends arrived, suddenly we had 12 traps in place and we were covering a large swath of water from 7 to 33 feet deep.  Hopes soared; it seemed like a pike could not move in the area with encountering one of our baits.  Success seemed inevitable.

Three hours later, yours truly came off the ice with only an additional flag/lost fish to show for it.

All the ice fishing I've done this year (and really, in the last five years) has been simple set-and-wait predator fishing, and I know I'm just fishing for possibly one truly worthwhile opportunity a season.  I'm not relying on luck and simply soaking baits; I'm trying to present desirable baits in precise locations.  But the general approach has been to maintain confidence in the baits, their location and presentation, and to simply be there, prepared, when that opportunity presents itself.  In the meantime, it's a fairly low-tech endeavor that doesn't require a lot of equipment, specialization, or cost.  And that in itself is a huge change from much of my regular fishing, or the way I used to approach ice fishing.  I used to be highly technical; ice fishing provides the most stable platform from which to present your offering; and I was consumed with making the perfect presentation in the perfect spot.  I learned a lot, but some of the lasting lessons I took home from these efforts were that you can only drill so many holes in a given outing; you can only carry so much gear in your sled; these efforts turn off a lot of your potential fishing partners; and there are other ways to enjoy yourself.

And so I've returned to ice fishing, but with my current simpler approach and humbler expectations.

Near the end of this weekend, KS' wife came out on the ice with her dogs, and you could tell she was doing a bit of a sanity check on us.  We'd done an awful lot of standing around in cold, slushy conditions, with little to nothing to show for it, and not much of a prospect for further action.

And yet perhaps she was swayed with my argument that ice fishing is so filled with promise!  Big fish are caught through the ice.  Sometimes, even by us.  This had not yet happened; if it were to happen, it would be in the future.  Therefore, we should continue fishing, so as to be present when it actually did happen.

Willem Dafoe was right when he stated, just before his reported death on the ice with John Lurie, that the best thing about ice fishing, is that it is so filled with possibility!  (If you're still reading, and you're confused, check out my 10/21/12 post.)

***********

Just to show you that good things are possible, and that ice fishing can honestly be fun, here are a few old pictures I've accumulated.  Most of my ice fishing has been done in the pre-digital age, and so good pictures are far and few between; but each of these represents a nice moment.

The first of many FINE brown trout over the course of a  few seasons.  Few others knew about these fish.

Every brook trout is special.

Enjoying the sunshine...

...until rudely interrupted by a brown.

Both kids got an early indoctrination.

Food chain fishing; last night's smelt is today's laker bait.

Laker on smelt violence.

Truly arctic conditions in Michigan's U.P.

You Say You Want a Resolution?

I’m not much of a New Year’s resolution maker (or keeper); I tend to make an on-going series of small behavioral choices in accordance with my principles and wants along the way.  Overall, this strategy has gotten me to a pretty comfortable place in life, albeit as an overweight, middle-aged guy with a pretty thin bank account and some room for personal improvement.  So I can (probably) rightly claim “overall success” in how I’ve conducted myself, but (definitely) not “perfection”. 

Recognizing this in this fresh New Year, as a matter of positive mental exercise, I recently made a list (of unspecified length) of Fishing Things I Want to do This Year.  At first I was reluctant to do so, since what I really want involves warm, tropical flat seas, sailfish, tuna and mahi, and appropriately matched, high quality gear.  Knowing that prospects for this in 2013 are slim, I thought thinking about the list would be a frustrating and unproductive endeavor.  But when I constrained my mind-set to realistic boundaries (geographic, economic, and ecologic), I realized quickly that I could still look forward to a bunch of fun.  My list thence came together quickly.

It’s approaching mid-January in West Michigan, and our ice has already come and gone.   It may or may not come back.  The boats are put away in storage, and it may or may not be wise to get them out.  Winter might be over.  Winter could last another two and a half months.  My current outdoor prospects are in-between.  Each viable fishing idea is compromised by some combination of convenience, safety, legality, access, wind and weather.  There’s no clear-cut way for me to take advantage of current conditions.

Oh well, I can turn to my list.  I can recall some previously documented desires, and I can celebrate the resolution(s) I’ve achieved.  I’m off to a pretty slow start so far in 2013, but I have “ice fished somewhere other than Reeds Lake.”  It has, after all, been years since I’ve attempted to ice fish anything other than my home waters.  While I didn’t take a legal fish in the 9+ hours I recently spent ice-fishing on local McEwen Lake, I did enjoy 17 or so fish flags; and I approached each one with the anticipation that I was about to be connected with my next fish of dreams.  This lake offered the first (and in my opinion, only) locally safe ice conditions.  Most of McEwen’s patrons seem to prefer pan-fishing, and so the real predators were (at least in theory) left for me.  Finally, this lake is largely undeveloped, and in the quiet conditions in which I fished, the lake offered a peaceful, restive setting in which I could await the next strike.

First flag of 2013!  Lots of action, but no keepers this day.

Watching for flags from a peaceful vantage point.

I also accepted a “job offer from a major outdoor goods supplier” this week.  Throughout the application process, the interview, and my acceptance, they made me feel really good about myself, my attitude and my talents.  I should start next month.  This will be a new experience, approached for fun and growth, in addition to whatever else I’ve got going at the moment.  I’m open to good new experiences, and I’m not beholden to the situation, so I shouldn’t be exposing myself to anything too bad.  And if I can’t fish, I might as well engage in fishing-related work, right?

While I think I’ll keep my specific list close to my chest, I’ll continue to periodically report on any progress, because I love fishing.  And that means Anticipate!  Participate! and Elaborate!

Anniversaries and Such...

In the “Strange but True” Category:

January 9, 2013

Happy Anniversary!  It’s been three years since I last touched a sailfish.

January 9, 2010.  About 12:30 PM.  Nice hat!  Sailfish on!

Now, while a co-worker thought it was girlishly suspicious that I knew it was the 3^rd anniversary of my last sailfish success, I had to share the fact that, during today’s lunch-break walk, and WITHIN THE PROBABLE MINUTE OF THE 3^rd ANNIVERSARY OF THE ACTUAL EVENT, my commemorative sailfish hat blew off my head and sailed across Monroe Avenue, just like my Glacier Guides hat blew into the Gulf Stream while fighting my dangerous and unpredictable billfish.

January 9, 2010.  About 12:35 PM.

Ahhhhh, fishing!

Fishing Bests of 2012

Fishing Bests of 2012

I've been thinking about my 2012 fishing experiences over the last few months, and in the spirit of end-of-year retrospectives, I offer this list of my personal "Fishing Bests" for 2012.  This list is totally mine, all categories are self-nominated, and all entries are self-judged.  The only criteria for entry are that the event occurred in my presence, during 2012.  Even I'm surprised by some of the results, but since all entries have been marinated with time, I'll accept them as valid.

Most Alive – 

You may recall my "Omni" trip of May in which I did it all; and another immediate, clear nominee was running in, post-dusk, with Katie and family friends from 250 feet of water after a wicked good, end-of-summer trip on Lake Michigan; but the event that keeps rising to the top for me is my First Lake Michigan Brown Trout of the season.

Not only was it still March; but it was my first trip of the year on Lake Michigan.  I love to start my Great Lakes seasons early, targeting shallow-water browns, and conditions generally seemed perfect.  When it became apparent (over the hours and miles trolled) that the fish just weren't there, or at least weren't biting the way I'd like, the hope for a single, big brown trout became my focus.  When a variety of new lures didn't work; I changed location dramatically, and focused on a specific, deeper-water spot.  I happily accepted a couple of small salmon aboard (they were, after all, the first Great Lakes fish of the year, despite their size), but the trip was made when the planer board got buried, and the drag started slipping on the rod with two colors of lead.  While a six-pound brown isn't all that big (at least by our snobby, Lake Michigan perspective), this fish validated my efforts, was absolutely beautiful, was released unharmed, and has held up as our biggest brown of the year.  I came off the water on March 31, 2012 feeling really, really good.

This Lake Michigan Brown Trout hit a small Scorpion Spoon presented behind a board with two colors of lead core.

Greatest Sense of Relief – 

I always feel a sense of relief when that first Great Lakes fish of the year comes aboard; our Lake Michigan fishery is a house of cards and could collapse any given season.  That first fish represents the fish's presence and fulfills the hope of another season of their pursuit.  On a smaller scale, when the first pike took a whack at the jointed Rapala 50 feet behind my down-rigger ball, and especially when it turned out to be in excess of 30 inches long, that was a cool validation of my unconventional efforts to catch more and bigger pike from Reeds Lake.

But my greatest sense of relief came when, just 10 minutes or so into my first session of the year in Maine, held mid-day and out of convenience as opposed to prime tides or favorable conditions, my float jiggled a bit and slowly went under.  I came tight, expecting a mackerel or schoolie bass, but this fish pulled hard, against fairly heavy drag.  My First Maine Striper of the Season came in at over 32 inches.  After a year of waiting and over 900 miles of driving, not only were the stripers present, they were sizeable!  Whew!

The first Maine striper of the season was well above average-sized at 32 inches.

Best Deal – 

I had to pay $1 to the State of Maine for a non-resident’s Saltwater Recreational Registration Card.  This is like entering the best “Chop House” in town and having the opportunity to select your meal from their Dollar Value Menu.

Best Bite – 

Picking Katie up from college in June gave me the opportunity to fish my beloved Connecticut River.  At our first stop, on my second or third cast with an F9 Rapala, an aggressive smallmouth bass took the lure off the water's surface.  At only 13 inches or so, it was quickly brought to hand; but this Aggressive, Topwater Connecticut River SMB Bite ranks at the top of my list.  Of course, the fact that it was with my daughter, at one of my favorite places, and allowed me to time-travel back 30 years or so, doesn't hurt my memories of this fish or its slashing strike.

My Connecticut River, above Wilder Dam.

Most Deeply Ingrained Memory –

Early in June I found myself in a boat with Katie and a guide (Captain John Marshall of River Excitement at http://www.riverexcitement.com/) on a small Vermont Pond.  We were having an exceptionally pleasant day, and while the fishing wasn't easy, fish were coming to the boat with decent regularity.  Unfortunately, Katie's topwater and jerkbait bite had dried up, while I was doing all the catching on simple black rubber worms.  So Katie tried worming for the first time; and shortly after I had caught the largest bass of the day (4.25 pounds on the hand-scale), Katie came tight.  In a moment frozen in time, during which all three of us were keyed in on her fish and her efforts, the moment visually unfolded for all of us.  Assuming the bass' classic pose, one which I've re-visited several times this year, and many times in my life, her bass came to the surface, tail- dance, shook her head, and threw the hook.  We all agreed, this fish was way bigger than the one I'd just caught, and certainly over the magic "5-pound" mark.  What a moment; does anything symbolize freshwater sportfishing better than a Leaping, Marginally Hooked, Flare-Gilled Largemouth Bass?  If you’re reading this, I bet you can picture moment this perfectly!

Katie lost the big one, but shortly there-after landed this really nice bass on the same rubber worm.

Best Addition to the Arsenal – 

The purchase of a modestly priced, but quality, rod and reel spooled with 150 feet of Copper Line put a lot of  Lake Michigan fish in the boat this season.  This rig achieves about 40 feet of fish-catching depth, and is lighter all around than the full copper or full core rigs.  Overall, it's easy to fish with, offers a bit more sporting fight, and it generally feels right in the Great Lakes spread!

Best New Technique; -

Early in the season I would have said Rigging Deep with the riggers and big paddles, a technique I’m still working on.  It seemed like the big salmon demanded the use of 11-inch paddles with flies 40-plus inches behind, all presented well over 100 feet deep (and down as far as you dared or had the down-rigger cable for.)   This isn't really a "new" technique; it's well-known and heavily practiced by many; but on my boat, it's never been super-effective.  Yet this year, with the purchase of a 12-pound pancake downrigger ball and a few proven flasher/fly combinations, I had some consistent success, including some salmon and a few really nice trout.

But as the season has progressed, I have to say that Great Lakes Methods for Pike have been my best "new" technique introduced into my boat's arsenal.  I'm not much of a piker, I'm generally and historically much more apt to go fishing for bass.  But I've enjoyed the year-long pursuit of pike on Reeds Lake this year, and as the conventional methods have crapped out, my use of riggers and cores/boards have accounted for more 30-inch (plus!) pike than the rest of my life.   

This suspended pike was the first of many to succumb to a crank-bait presented with a down-rigger.

Best New Water –

I've enjoyed many new waters this season, and of course, Narragansett Bay and a certain, small Vermont Mill Pond come to mind immediately.   But realistically, I'll have to say that the best addition to my fishing universe has to be the Grand River above 6th Street Dam.   In just a couple of introductory trips, I enjoyed quality bass of both flavors, and with this water's accessibility, I think it will ultimately yield more quality fish in the future!

Best Baits –

2012 is the year I rediscovered Crank-baits.  I’ve quite a selection, but other than early season, brown trout Rapalas, many do not see much use over the course of the season.  (Crank-baits are fun to buy, but a bitch to lose!)  Special Honorable Mentions go specifically to Flicker Shads (these are surprisingly inexpensive!) and any Reef Runner!  However, please note that I'm not quite ready to hand over my senkos or trolling spoons, yet.

Best Cast –

On the aforementioned June trip to that certain Vermont Mill Pond, towards the end of the trip, having endured a bit of a dry spell, I re-focused my efforts.  Presented with a bassy haven of a snarl of fallen trees, I chose my target, executed the cast perfectly (remember, I was re-focused); and she was there!  She was my last meaningful bass of the trip, and over three pounds.  I'd probably not have touched her had I not knowingly pulled myself and my efforts together.

Best Quote (verbal) –

My youngest daughter Marie was along for a family trip to Reeds Lake on July 1.  She's not the most enthusiastic fisherman, but she does enjoy a comfortable outing, and she'd already caught a couple of pike.  She was relaxing in Numenon's bow while Amy caught the next fish; and Marie's spontaneous “Holy Crap!” when she glimpsed the 30-incher  told me she was thoroughly engaged in the moment.  

Marie enjoys fishing when it's nice out!

This pike resulted in Marie's "Holy Crap!" expletive!

Best Quote (written) -

 I had enjoyed an early-morning excursion with my brother and Captain George Harris of Super Fly Charters (http://www.superfly-charters.com/) in Bath, Maine.  Captain Harris did a lot to accommodate us, seems like a nice guy, and put us on some nice bass and blues.  Part of my tip for the trip was my Striper Cup Sebile Magic Swimmer; imagine my pleasure at reading this in his August 1 Blog Update (I've made a few grammatical/typing corrections):

• "The first cast with a chugger drew a huge strike and hookup followed by a second hook up courtesy of a striper that annihilated a Sebile Magic Swimmer (that was a gift from my clients yesterday...thank you Steve!!) " 

It's good to know that the lure has been put to good (and enthusiastic!) use.

But this pales in comparison to another note I received.  Back in May, I received this email after a short trip with some friends I know through their efforts to help our local age-group swim club:

• “Thanks for taking us fishing this morning. "B" and I had a great time. It was probably our best fishing experience of all time!”

Best Fishing Experience of All Time!  That's my goal, every day!

Best Astronomical Moment –

While I was launching Numenon in Muskegon, pre-dawn on July 15, accompanied by Kelly S. and his wife, Kathy, a very bright Venus and Jupiter closely bracketed a Mere Sliver of a Moon in the east.  I don't have any pictures, because I was in a rush to get out on the lake.  That was a mistake; it was a beautiful sight.

Best Gastronomical Moment – 

On this same trip, seas were heavier than expected (quick 2- to 3-footers, with occasional 5-footers), and I was getting sea-sick!  Fishing was slow and there wasn't much going on; but then not one, not two, but three drags started screaming.  Triple Header!  With only 2 others in the boat, I had to grab the third rod!  I lost my fish, but the other two came aboard, including a teenager king and a World Class 9-pound Steelhead.   My sea-sickness subsided, and this dog of a trip had become a winner!

Best Use of Leverage for Charity –

Every year I donate a fishing trip to our holiday charity fundraising efforts at work; the trip goes to the highest bidder.  We did this trip on May 19, and fishing was pleasant and productive.  In fact, it was productive enough to prompt a request for a second trip with out-of-state relatives.  I said "sure"; but they wanted to pay for the trip.  I can't do that, and while I'd have done the trip for free, I suggested that perhaps they could consider making a donation to our charities.  We executed the second trip on June 23.  But the fishing wasn't what I'd liked.  We got a couple of really nice steelies, but I simply wish we could have tapped some more fish.  In the meantime, I hope they all have fond memories of the couple of World Class Rainbows we landed!  And I have to admit, their donation to our Christmas Charities for 2012 Charity Trip II was more than pocket change, at least in my experience.

One of a couple of nice steelies caught during Charity Trip II.

Best New Addition to my Web Searches –

Let's face it, the Internet has made our fishing time more productive.  Whether it's learning, shopping, or checking out the weather and conditions, the information is there.  But this year I'd like to thank the Marine Engineering Laboratory of the Great Lakes Research Center for their deployment of buoys in Holland and Ludington.  I'd love to figure out a way to show here the types of data and graphical depictions of conditions, but let's just say that a trip to

http://uglos.engin.umich.edu/station_page.php?station=45029

will get you started.  Thanks for sharing this data!  

Best (Worst) Case of Rubber Hooks – 

During my early June trip in search of Narragansett Bay Stripers, the boat developed a bad case of rubber hooks.  Katie's snagging treble for bunker just wasn't working for her, and when we were fishing for bass, the combination of big baits, inexperience, and marauding, tail-snapping blues meant lots of bites, but not too many hookups.  Let me be clear, this was no real fault of our guide for the day, (Patterson Guide Service; http://www.pattersonguideservice.com/PGS/PGS_Home.html), and anybody reading this should be clear that this was a Great Day despite these issues!  We caught several fine fish this day; but our ratio of fish landed:bites was just a little low for the day.

Best Shopping Trip – 

We didn't buy a thing, but I really enjoyed my October 14 trip to Hammond’s Fishing Center (http://www.hammondsfishing.net/) in Cumming, Georgia with my brother.  I've got some Lake Lanier Striper Fantasies, and I enjoyed sharing these with my bro as we strolled the aisles.  My experience with this place is that they have it if it works; the content of the store has been distilled down to what you might need for Lake Lanier.  This distillation in some sense represents the numenon of Lake Lanier's striper fishery; while clearly, the striper represents the numenon of Lake Lanier's recreational fishery.  So the day fed my fantasies of down-lining trout or herring; long-lining these baits behind boards; tossing Red Fins to boiling stripers; or, as a last resort, covering water by umbrella rigging.  

And don't forget that the old man cleaning the bait tanks is the owner!  And he's a super nice guy when you take the time to talk with him!

Best Fishing Gift Received – 

While it was awesome to find a surprise box of pike baits from Bass Pro Shops, courtesy of my brother, on my stoop one evening, the Minn Kota Salt-Water Grade Electric Motor I received for Fathers' Day, which I used extensively during our Maine Vacation; subsequently a bunch on Arracuda; and further hope to bring some day back to Maine for some more saltwater striper action; is this year's recipient of this hotly contested category.

Best Fishing Gift Given – 

While I'm surprised that K. S.  didn't proclaim it "gay" when I gave him a birthday gift of Color-coded, Metered, Braided line with a fluoro leader, this has provided an awakening of sorts to his pike trolling.  It aids strike detection, as well as encouraging precision and replication in his trolling efforts.

Best Guided Effort – 

My hat is off to Captain George Harris of Super Fly Charters (http://www.superfly-charters.com/).  

On July 31, in the heat of summer, and probably during his busiest time of the season; Captain George was up by 2 AM in order to meet me and my brother at the ramp.  And then he had to get my brother and his wheelchair safely and comfortably situated in his fine Parker boat; and then roar down-river in time to make bait and greet dawn with some finicky stripers.  This gave us our best chance for fish, and with time clicking and weather and seas against us, he worked hard for us.  He's willing to burn the gas, too, when I’m sure he’d rather not.  We got a few really nice fish, fished some new spots, and had a great morning!

Best Tip – 

I was please to be able to give Captain George my Striper Cup Sebile Magic Swimmer as part of his tip for his efforts.  It was a beautiful bait, but just too big for my Michigan applications; and I really didn't envision using it.  Captain George was enthusiastic in receiving this bait, and I believe he's put it to good use.

Best “Guiding” Experience – 

I don't really guide, but I do take a lot of different folks (including kids!) out fishing during the course of the season.  In April, I took a local friend and his son out to Grand Haven for some spring salmon.  They'd never fished on Lake Michigan before, and I love Spring Kings!  I was on some good fish, and I had some big expectations for the day.  When I noted Butch's Beach Burritos along the channel, young Hunter  became obsessed with the notion of getting some for lunch. We had a great morning of fishing, caught a couple of "Personal Best" kings, and went straight to Butch's Beach Burritos for lunch.  Oh no, they come with salsa!  This was a barrier to Hunter, until I explained that it was simply Mexican Catsup; and then he chowed them down.  

Hurry Up and take the picture!  I'm hungry!

Best Individual Outing –

On September 30, friend K. S. and I went 11 for 13 on targeted pike in a half day.  That's a great day, but then consider that we did this with new techniques, and 4 of the pike were over 30 inches?  With windy, full-mooney, cold and clear conditions?  These results are way out of bounds of expectations; my enjoyment of the trip correlates strongly to this factor.  This trip also gives me the confidence to keep trying for Reeds Lake's Biggest Pike!

Best Individual Fish –

Pondering this, I keep coming back to my early June Narragansett Bay Blue? I've caught bigger blues in the past; and I've caught bigger salmon and stripers this year.  But this fish was unexpected; it matched the (bunker snagging) tackle; it jumped and flared; and there was a visual element when I caught it like a pro when I “dropped” a bunker head down to a chasing bass.  While I did a Palm Beach Release of a much bigger blue later in the season, that fish was much less interactive.  And so this 10- or 12-pound blue, caught on the bunker snagging tackle, the biggest of the season seen by the guide to that point; wins!

This bonus blue beat out the striped bass I was dropping the pogie head to!

Let me also say that it was a pleasure to fish with Captain Brian Patterson of Patterson Guide Service (http://www.pattersonguideservice.com/PGS/PGS_Home.html).  He's another super nice guy with a beautiful boat and nice gear who more than entertained me and Katie for a long morning's fish.  I learned a lot about what I've been missing on Narragansett Bay!

Best Overall Trip, Guided–

I offer this category with some trepidation, because I was fortunate to share trips with 3 nice guides this year.  Each trip was successful in its own right, and really none was truly better than the others.  I'd recommend any of them (that's why I've included hyperlinks), based on your interest in their respective fisheries.  And yet, if I have to pick one, I'd give this category to Captain John Marshall of River Excitement (http://www.riverexcitement.com/index.html).

Maybe it's as simple as More Time = Better Experience?  I spent a full day with Captain John, as opposed to half days with the others.  But I have to recognize that our day with Vermont largemouths was great!  This was Captain John's Plan B based on recent rain and Connecticut River conditions; but he provided a quality experience.   Katie had never really bass fished before this and his patience and efforts to help her succeed were obvious.  Katie grew as a fisher-women; and overall, the day exceeded expectations.  The fishing was simple (though not necessarily easy), and he provided quality (sensible) gear.  To top it all off, Captain John seems like a super nice guy!  I left the water that day at peace with myself, proud to have shared such a day with Katie.  I look forward to sharing Captain John's boat again, either with Katie, or with another girl in the family.

Best Overall Trip (Non-Guided) –

On July 13, I skipped a little work; collected Numenon and Katie, and headed to Lake Michigan.  There we were greeted by better-than-expected conditions; and we got on some fish right away.  Over the course of the evening we got on some quality fish; got some decent photos; and I enjoyed 8 straight hours with my daughter and super good friend.

I should be at work, but Fish On!  It's a good day!

Beautiful fish, beautiful conditions.

Best Picture-

I can't tell if I took this photo, or if perhaps Captain Brian Patterson of Patterson Guide Service  (http://www.pattersonguideservice.com/PGS/PGS_Home.html) snapped it and shared.  But really, what else can I say about this?

Katie's biggest ever Striper!

So I didn't really set any records in 2012, but I enjoyed a lot of time on the water with a bunch of different folks. I tried a variety of new things, I brought old tools and techniques to new situations, and I grew as a fisherman while enjoying myself mightily.  Looking at the winners outlined above, I sense a few commonalities:  if an outing was better than expected; simple as compared to complicated; and if I  contemporaneously took the time to reflect on the situation, it was a winner!  

How does this enhance my personal numenon?  I've still got a lot to learn, but if I keep those three elements listed above in front of me, I'll enjoy things more and be better off.  Moreover, others have brought a lot to my experiences this year; thanks to all for what you've given me.  I hope the folks that participated in these experiences are better off for having shared these times with me.  

So "Thanks" to all who shared in these adventures, and also to all who've read this and any other part of my blog!  May the adventures be keener, and the blogging more interesting, in 2013!