Change for the Better

So, a lot has gone down in my life since I've written anything of substance.  It's all been voluntary, it all gone according to plan, and I think it's all been for the good.  In the last couple of months, I've acquired and/or undertaken:

• New Teeth
• New Smile
• New Home
• New City 
• New Job 
• New Home Lake

Apparently, I've also acquired a New Attitude about day-to-day life and work, because in just the last few days my longest-term and closest friend verbally recognized my change for the better, and a new-but-trusted co-worker mentioned that he couldn't even imagine me wound up over work.  I might even be starting to believe that my efforts towards multifaceted self-improvement might be working!

This is all reward enough, but let's explore how this isn't just about life and work, it's about fishing, too!

My new home lake might now be Lake St. Clair, and it's a large, shallow body of water.  It gets rough and muddy, and my limited experience there indicates that neither of these is conducive to my bass fishing.  The last weekend was Super Windy, out of many points on the compass, and Monday (my targeted day for fishing) was simply Less Windy.  Given these conditions (and incorporating cost, lack of good intelligence, risk of failure, fear of failure, general lack of confidence and such), Old Steve wouldn't have undertaken a trip, even to a world-class fishery such as Lake St. Clair.

That's fine, as there are many other decent options available, but when one is so close to so many giant smallmouth bass, and the window on the availability of pre-spawn lunkers is closing, should not one who really cares about such things at least give it a shot?  After all, the dream is valid, and there are no real consequences to failing; and so New Steve decided, What the heck?  Why hold myself back?  Let's go!

And so I did go!  I came home, 13 hours later with a half-broken spine (figuratively, but descriptive) and one less tooth (literally.)  I'd gotten two bass bites all day, the water was stained to muddy in my area of choice, and Lake St. Clair had beaten me into submission with wind and boat chop.

But it was a Good Day!  It was a weekday fishing expedition, after all, and one of the two bass bites turned into a Master Angler giant, possibly one of my Top 2 or 3 smallmouths ever, and certainly the largest ever aboard Numenon.  

But this wasn't even the best part of the day!  The day was another learning experience for me, and I know I'll take the best of what I learned (locations, logistics, presentations, boat control) with me on future trips.  I'm more prepared for whatever comes my way.

This is NOT a bad way to operate.  It might be Kaizen, it might be Appreciative Inquiry, it might be just good luck, but it might become natural.

Work hard, be smart, do your best and enjoy some occasional good fortune!

April 2017 CIR Bass Fishing

One month, one lake, two partners, seven trips and 22 bass over Michigan's size limit of 14 inches.  (Smaller bass just don't count!  But, for the sake of completeness, I did catch one under-sized bass.)  

I never got into numbers of bass, but their Average Size was about 3.4 pounds.  This is fairly incredible for me, here in Michigan, over any averaging period longer than a single trip or weekend.

I also got to enjoy 13 collateral pike to 34 inches along the way, at the cost of only one lure lost to these toothy critters.  I have myself to blame for the two I lost to docks and the single lure I accidentally smashed against the trolling motor.

The bass included one (1) verified six-pounder; another four (4) five-pounders; and another four (4) over four pounds.  Any of these fish would likely be The Fish on any given day of my bass fishing, and certainly the 5's and the 6'er are candidates for The Bass of My Season; for any given year. 

My Berkley Cutters produced several very nice bass.

A shallow Shadow Rap was often my first choice for the day.

This fish revealed a consistently productive cranking location.

Slow Carolina-cranking with a KVD/Strike King crank bait was irresistible to several nice bass bass.

The first fish to eat a WarPig for me this season weighed 5.75 pounds.

Within 10 minutes, this 6.1-pounder ate the same bait!

Change with the conditions and keep on catching!

The jerk-baits came full circle over the course of the month.

My last bass of April 2017 is the archetype specimen for the month; 18 inches and a bit over three pounds.

April 2017 was quite a month, at least in my bass fishing experience!  If you're interested in the details of the month's fishing, check the series of posts starting here for a trip-by-trip account of my humble fishing efforts.

My Leadership Challenge

As written in December, 2016:

During a recent continuing education event sponsored by my employer, the Five Best Practices of effective leaders, as identified by Koeze's and Posner's "The Leadership Challenge", were starkly projected onto the screen.  Here they are:

• Model the Way
• Inspire a Shared Vision
• Challenge the Process
• Enable Others to Act
• Encourage the Heart

I've not (yet) read this particular book, but my immediate reaction to this list was that it represented a perfect formulation for Parenting.  What is Parenting, if not a crucial form of Leadership? There's nothing I am more certain (or proud) of than A's and my collective parenting efforts.  The practices outlined above were naturally (unwittingly?) adopted by us as new parents, and practiced with love ever since.  The proof of our efforts might very well be in the resultant, wonderful pudding; both girls appear to be well on their respective paths toward becoming Good Citizens of the World (and more, and each in their own right.)

But this isn't about my girls.  This is about me and my work.  I've not exactly been inspired there lately.  But change is possible.  In fact, meaningful change is more possible than ever at this moment for a variety of converging reasons.  My timely, stark introduction to the Five Best Practices, in conjunction with my immediate, visceral recognition of their meaning to me, has served as a sort of personal wake-up call.  I'm already doing these things at work, too, and it's about time to make sure that some of the right people know it!

So, here's what I am doing; here's why I should be heard!  I don't want to come across as trite or boastful; this is (in part) a clearing of my mind, simple practice for future discussions at work.  In the broadest sense, this blogging exercise is how I've implemented these practices for myself in my quest for personal balance, meaning and purpose at work.  In the strictest sense, I am establishing my arguments to help facilitate some positive change for myself and my employer.

Model the Way; I walk the talk.  I show up, prepared, and I do the work.  I do it with expected excellence.  I try my best, I do what I say, and I treat others as they would like to be treated.  I am competent, productive and pleasant.  I am an effective Ambassador for my employer.  Perhaps most importantly, these efforts might earn me some cred when it comes to being a positive influence within my workplace and with my customers.

Inspire a Shared Vision; I've always been a selfless teammate, whether that's on a tournament boat, on the ice or diamond, or at work.  The teams I am on know where they want to be, and in many cases have over-performed to get there.  I generally have no formal authority over my teammates, and so I have to rely on my positive influence with them (inspiration?) to get their fullest buy-in, participation and contribution.  What better source for inspiration than enthusiastically modeling the way toward a common goal?

Challenge the Process; Certain things have to get done, and available resources are always limited!  You have to work smart to get the important things done!  If things are going well, I still want to improve; and if things are not progressing nicely, then I am among the first to recognize that more of the same effort will likely not lead to a more acceptable result!  Both improvement and necessary change require recognition and management of boundaries, barriers, resources, processes and possibilities.  Innovative perceptions and mixes of these ingredients, combined with a general willingness to actually initiate positive action can result in new and improved outcomes, tools and norms.  My quest for process improvement and initiating positive change at work is well documented; and it can be positively infectious, if only because it can ...

Enable Others to Act; Whether it's with internal teammates or external customers, when headed in the proper direction, a group can build a head of steam and can accomplish much more than any individual.  In fact, I've concluded that I can do little (if anything) to effect change in isolation; I have to rely on others to execute Real World tasks leading to meaningful results.  Hopefully I can empower folks to act with confidence and effective tools; but I also need to provide a safe haven  for recovery from small mistakes and failures.  We are engaged in a process, and we'll never be done; setbacks are simply inevitable.  We're not dealing with matters of immediate life and death, so there's no reason to get too upset about momentary impediments.  Rather, these offer an opportunity to learn, and to move on even more effectively.  

These practices all cultivate mutual trust, and that (precious, earned) trust is the grease that lets people work together effectively.  Who wouldn't want to excel in an environment where one felt safe, part of a directed, winning team where one could appreciate the fruits of one's labor and still share in the team's success? Where one had mentors and role models, some flexibility and a voice?  Unfortunately, all too frequently I've seen this trust broken or eroded dangerously thin; the synergies quickly disappear, and nothing worthwhile gets accomplished.  It becomes too easy for all parties involved to choose to vilify, judge and dismiss.  It becomes too easy to lose one's way or become a loner doomed to ineffectiveness.  Fortunately, there is a vaccine to help prevent the loss of earned trust.  That is to ...

Encourage the Heart;  It is important to do so for yourself, as well as for those around you.  Largely to save myself from despair at work, I've been nice to myself in many ways (travel, fishing, maintaining a desk diary of only positive things that I notice), but I've also gone out of my way to actively share good developments with others.  I've explored and shared Appreciative Inquiry as a mechanism for positive change, I've battled The Nocebo Effect,I've accepted barriers as opportunities, I've chosen to verbalize kind thoughts and have been quick to recognize and celebrate small successes.  This has been truly important for me, and I know this has had a positive effect on my teams and local work unit.  I've climbed multiple Judgment to Value Ladders, and I can now enjoy the lofty perspective provided.  Meanwhile, additional seeds of trust have been sewn in many directions; these offer hope for future productive harvests.

While I am naturally a realist, cynic or Omnihilist, having learned these practices through experience both at work and at home, I know that I have grown to build and accept a more satisfying outlook on life.  I think it has been good for those around me, too.  My respect (and love, for those who've earned it!) is now deeper and broader.  This growth and acceptance might also be the key to enabling others to graciously Model their Way, which as either a parent or co-worker, is probably the greatest possible gift.

I've learned so much from my girls.  I'll never be able to thank them enough for the innumerable ways they've brought light to my life.  They are the true paradigm for all I truly seek and hope to leave behind.

Knowing this, they've helped me engage in this, my (current) Leadership Challenge.  I'm looking to effect a quantum leap into a new position in another city.  For a few reasons, it's a long shot.  For many reasons, I think it's the right shot.  Time will tell...

***

As written in very early March, 2017:

While I was told that I was a very competitive candidate for the position in question, and that it had been a difficult choice, the hiring committee chose to go with the acting incumbent.  This was based on experience within the position, and I can't really argue against that.  I am glad that I made the effort, and this is the only acceptable alternative outcome for me; at least those making the decision know what they are getting.  I suspect that is comfortable and "good enough" for those involved.  In the meantime, I'll try to convince myself that my thoughts and actions at work have any credible, positive effect.  

Meanwhile, we are productively preparing our home for sale, and I'm working with others on making a lateral move to a different city with my somewhat unique position.  It will be more of the same, but it will be different, too; and maybe I don't have to concern myself with stretching myself or serving others so much as tending to the work at hand.  That will be okay to me, because I should have plenty more time and energy available to me for living and fishing than I might have, otherwise.  I'm on the verge of confronting some new leaves; it's been a long time coming.  I'll take my beliefs and practices along with me; it will all work out, just fine.

***

As written in late March, 2017:

Things appear to be working out appropriately; the house sold in a matter of days at our requested price.  Life will be easier and more rewarding when A and I are again working in the same city, and we have the (potentially fun) opportunity to find a new, satisfying home for ourselves.  The details of moving my work are being handled and supported by others, and I can now imagine real change for my work life.  It might not be as grand or meaningful as I had hoped; but it will not be as stressful, either.  I'll be leaving a lot behind in West Michigan, but I have much to find and appreciate ahead of me, too.  I hope to do the best I can with these new opportunities.  Time will tell...

***

As written in late April, 2017:

It's official.  This home is no longer ours.  We are eastward-bound.

In a couple of weeks we will be moved into a new home in our new city.  Life will be somewhat simplified, and I'll be surrounded by a new set of team-mates.  There will be substantial overlap in my work, but it will all be different, too.  I hope to make the most of my new situation.  My girls are gone, so there's no more direct parenting; but that doesn't mean I can't still utilize the best available practices for making a difference.

Cubicle vs. Root Canal

About a week ago, I had the opportunity to participate in a personally meaningful experiment; I got to address the question, "Which is currently preferable, my work cubicle or a root canal?"

 36 years (so long!) ago, I shed my block, broke off the offensive line and ran a short pattern over the middle.  I was pretty well covered, but as I made eye contact with our calm and collected quarterback, I vigorously yelled while pointing to the ground.  He got the idea, threw low, and I made a sliding, touchdown catch to seal the win.  My momentum was abruptly interrupted by a forearm to the face.  I got off the ground, planted a front tooth back in place, spit some blood at the feet of my assailant, smiled and went back to my teammates.

After the game, my tooth seemed a little bit misplaced, but it didn't hurt, and it seemed firmly implanted. I barely gave it a second thought.  Over time it became obvious that the tooth was damaged, but it was functional and never bothered me, so it remained low on my list of personal maintenance priorities.

Recently, I embarked on a program to replace a stubborn baby tooth.  Despite my advanced age, this tooth was still with me.  The idea of this program was to avoid any future,  inevitable problems with it.  But this tooth was only a couple of positions away from the damaged tooth discussed above; and the tooth between is the wrong type,  in the wrong position, and needs some help, too.  So I agreed to address them all at once.

Hence, I found myself in the chair, awaiting my first root canal.  The dentist had convinced me the front tooth was, indeed, dead.  Even I could see the internal damage and changes on the X-ray.  As the technician prepared me, she asked how my day was; and I realized, I'd rather be doing this than addressing the work and atmosphere at my work cubicle.  At the moment, a root canal seemed preferable to my cubicle, and that gave me pause for thought.

After a week or more of thinking about this, overall, I think I have to call it a draw.  While my job isn't physically painful, it does take a mental toll.  That constant toll can wear me out, and it makes some of the current personality displays and individual dramas a bit less palatable.  On the other hand, while the root canal went well and I didn't have any immediate issues with pain directly from the procedures, I have had some unpleasant, bothersome quirks while healing. On a third hand, work often seems like a treadmill, but the dental work might represent progress and improvement.  

I think a tie-breaker might go to work, if only to avoid a conclusion that a root canal is the preferable choice.  I don't want to think that way!  But I can't quite seem to award a clear win to my cubicle, because my time in the chair, at the very least, provided another boat name candidate.  During the procedure, the dentist repeatedly asked the assistant for some canal lube.  I'm sure there's a perfectly good role for such a material during such a procedure, but my mind was elsewhere.  All I could picture was Canal Lube on the transom of a boat.  Maybe the owner was a dentist, and maybe hundreds of these procedures had paid for it.  Or maybe ...

Catch and Immediate Release (CIR) Bassin'

One thing that state government got right over the last few years was the liberalization of our Michigan bass fishing season.  One can now legally bass fish year-round; but it is strictly Catch and Immediate Release (CIR; no harvest) until Memorial Day weekend.  I'm okay with that, I'm never tempted to keep a bass.  This change in season also addresses and alleviates the historic, rampant illegal bass fishing that always took place; after all, folks could always fish for "panfish" and "walleyes" with Senkos, weedless jigs, spinnerbaits and such.

While the open waters of March used to mean Lake Michigan Brown Trout and Cohos to me, these same days have now become Bass Season.    And with a bit of practice, they have provided a legitimate shot at some of the year's biggest bass.  While bass might not be quite as exciting as our Great Lakes salmonoids, they are my comfort fish; and they're quite a bit closer to home and more convenient.  I can go from my desk to my boat deck on Reeds Lake in a little under 45 minutes, and that includes walking my dog, Ollie!

I hit the water twice this week after work.  Both days were very pleasant, and one was very productive. The bass aren't exactly plentiful yet, but they are all chunky-to-large specimens, and each one is a bit of a gift.  I'm not inclined to complain about all the pike I'm catching, either.

My experience so far this year has mirrored, while improving upon, last season.  I'm paying close attention to water temperature and conditions, patterns and presentations.  I know I have some tremendous jerk- and rattle-baiting ahead of me, and I'm constantly introducing new presentations into the mix as a learning tool/reality check.

Not a bad start to a post-work trip!

Berkley Cutter over 3.5 to 5 feet of water has produced several nice bass.

Over 20 inches and fat = Easy 5-Pounder

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...

When you get greedy and rush to make just One Last Cast... you end up breaking your hot lure on the trolling motor!

March has been good!  I can't wait to see what April provides!

New Year, New Techniques

It appears as though I've made it through another winter (although the current forecast seems to put any further progress on hold), and the ice has been out for 10 or more days.  The docks are not yet in place, but both bass and pike seasons are now open; and weather and schedule were favorably aligned.  On March 5, 2017, Numenon began her 15th year of service.

34 degrees F air temperature; and 37 degrees for the water.

It's a fishy launch; but I still find it difficult to believe that modest Reeds Lake supported such enterprises.

My maiden voyage each year is usually a shake-down trip, with actual catching being a pleasant bonus.  I usually start on Lake Michigan for brown trout, too; I'm not exactly experienced in chasing bass and soft-water pike at this time of year.  The actual fishing details of the day can be found here; it was a good day!


We saw a bald eagle; we caught both targeted species (pike and bass); and I converted on two new-to-me techniques.  The pike ate a crank bait delivered off a three-way rig (2-ounce bell sinker); this is not exactly a new technique for me, but it is on Reeds Lake.  The biggest bass of the day (as well as a very heavy Mystery Fish that, alas, got away) succumbed to The Technique of Silent Capture, i.e. spy-baiting.  I'd sought the spy bait for exactly these conditions; cold water and difficult conditions.  It seems to have paid off!  I've definitely added it to my tool box!

Three-way rigging cranks caught the season's first fish!

Slow-jerking a Shadow Rap fooled the first bass.

The season's first lunker fell for The Technique of Silent Capture!

Duo Realis Size 80 Spy bait (top) and Rapala Shallow Shadow Rap jerk bait (bottom) caught bass this day.

But there were many other reasons to declare this to be a good day!  I was sharing the boat with long-term friend TM, and I know he likes to relax and enjoy himself.  In addition to simply sharing the day with him, I thought I'd treat him to a hot lunch aboard Numenon.  Now, a portion of my winter has been spent day-dreaming about pike and perch fishing in Sweden; in fact, a trip to Sweden has probably wormed its way onto my ill-formed Bucket List.  While I've long been aware of the outsized, brackish pike and perch in Scandinavia, this group of pikers has awakened my interest in fishing there.  In addition to the fish, the solitude, the surroundings and the coffee, they always seem to enjoy a hot lunch out on the water!  So TM and I enjoyed the Kanalgratis-inspired Inaugural Hot Dog Hot Lunch aboard any of my vessels.

A Thermos never lets you down, especially if you pre-heat it with boiling water.

I had given this some thought; as well as the Thermos full of dogs, tongs, buns, condiments and drinks were readily available.

Ready for customization, but this is how I prefer my dogs.

TM knows how to enjoy life.  And, he has proper manners!

2016 Fishing Wrap-Up

Despite a colder-than-average first half of December, heavy snow and a warm front have conspired to eliminate any currently safe, local ice-fishing options.  Numenon is put away for the season, the lakes are still locked in ice cover, and last-night's rain and today's 50-degree temperatures will roil our rivers.  I think it's clear, my fishing is done for 2016.

What better time to reflect on this past year?  2016 offered many challenges, but I can't complain about my fishing experiences.  I didn't catch any remarkable fish, but I had many remarkable experiences.  These included remarkably solid daily catches, but also new waters, new fish, new fishing partners and a plethora of sunrises, sunsets, sights, sounds and thoughts that I would not have otherwise experienced.

Meanwhile, I've got some reels to line, rods to rig, tackle to organize and new techniques to contemplate.  Enjoy this pictorial; but more importantly, Here's to 2017!

My fishing in 2016 had a nice amount of variety, with black and striped bass dominating my efforts.  I was lucky to get in some other saltwater sessions and some good pike fishing, too.  My muskie efforts fell short and Lake Michigan was tough, but overall it was a very solid season.  I didn't really catch any giants, but I caught a lot of very nice fish.  I found some new species, some new waters, and some new techniques.  Here's to building on this with an even better 2017!

January 2016 - My winter was consumed with creating light hair jigs and other tackle craft, while I dreamt of finicky, cold-water smallmouth bass.

January 2016 - Flag!  Another small pike is about to hit the ice, but one never knows what might happen.

February 2016 - I am not much of a video game kind of guy, but I do love vertical jigging on the ice with my Humminbird.  And, watch out, I've downloaded all my waypoints from the open water season onto this machine.

February 2016 - I scratched out a meal or two during a tough bite.

March 2016 - I appreciate Michigan's (newish) year-round bass season!  This was one of four beauties (all on jerk-baits) in a late March bass session.

April 2016 - It was snowing in Michigan, but I was in Captiva, Florida!  The receding tide exposed this trough right off the beach, and it contained snook!

April 2016 - (Easter Sunday!) - Here's an average bass from this epic day.  I tallied 14 keeper bass and  a half dozen nice pike for the day; just about all came on lipless cranks.

April 2016 - (Easter Sunday!) - I got pushed off my spot, but found some better quality fish!  This might be my heaviest pike of the season.

April 2016 - (Easter Sunday!) - I scored this dandy bass on consecutive casts with the pike pictured above.  This picture does not do justice for this fish; I'm quite certain it was my heaviest bass of the year.

May 2016 - I was struggling for bites (on Lake St. Clair?) and so switched to gliding hair jigs through a community hole.  This nice drum told me there was some life here. 

May 2016 -  When the sun came out a little later, the bass started snapping on X-Raps.  This was my largest smallmouth of the season and anchored a very nice virtual limit.

June 2016 - Grand Traverse Bay wasn't as easy as it had been in 2015, but we still caught some nice fish.  This solid four-pounder ate a pink X-Rap jerk-bait over deep water.  Some other tanks followed the same lure, but couldn't commit.

July 2016 - Mackerel and stripers were there for me in Maine!

August 2016 - They were still there for me during a separate trip in August, too!

September 2016 - Sunrise in Northern Michigan on my choice of smallmouth lakes for the day.

September 2016 - Walloon Lake was unexpectedly difficult, but she still coughed up some nice fish.

October 2016 - Reeds Lake was on fire for pike!  Deep cranks trolled in the daily target zone produced a lot of action!

October 2016 - A pretty typical pike from Reeds.  I got cut off a few times, lost a solid 34-incher, and saw a giant, but only caught a handful over 30 inches.  Still, when solid eaters like above are plentiful to the point of being predictable, that is good fishing in my estimation!

November 2016 - The month was all about family travels (interrupted by a little bit of work), and I didn't even fish until November 29.  This pond on Cape Cod looked plenty trouty to me, though!