fish

Spent a weatherbeaten day on the Kennebec with Jeb, going after Stripers, catch and release. Lots of big water currents, eddies, some almost-standing waves from the ocean swell working against the outgoing tide and river current.



This guy was out working his traps. With the wind, current, and that little hauler and heavy-ish lines, this guy had some serious boat handling skills. Would be easy for a rookie to hang the boat up taught on a line, and with the wind and current, capsize a small boat like that. Not sure what he was hauling in, but his circular mesh traps were full of some clattery catch, maybe crabs or shellfish? Anyone know?



We were able to find some nice sheltered spots that gave some strikes, but no record catches came our way. We only fished with lures, no bait. I was sore from casting.

I thought quite a bit of my days fishing in AZ as a kid. Jason White and I were keen on fishing, and would catch small and largemouth bass, catfish, pike, bluegill, sunfish, crappie (our favorite fish name), carp, and probably some others that I am forgetting. Pound for pound the smallmouth and bluegill were the best, as they were as passionate about not getting reeled in as were were to catch them, they really fought. The largemouth would take to the air, often after being caught on surface lures plopped into the stickups near shore, so you could see lots of action, the fish striking the lure, then again and again breaking the surface, the lure rattling off the side of its mouth. Sometimes they would shake the lure doing that, a lesson on hook setting. Those displays are a lot of fun, as opposed to just a taught line wisping back and forth. Catfish, carp, and even pike, were lazy catches, bursts of promising fight followed by long stretches of slack line, like they new it was of no use to pull. I don't blame them, if I was hooked in the throat I would quickly learn not to yank. We would go to the fishing stores and spend hours looking at all the lures, wondering even then if the lures were designed to catch us or the fish. They were little works of art and I still remember the names: Hula Popper, Castmaster, Jitterbug, Bushwhacker, Red Devil, etc. Fun stuff.



... and a little video of the day. -e