Wringing Out

Two weeks ago a good portion of my hometown (Newmarket, New Hampshire) was either very wet or under water. With three or four days of on and off rain followed by two days of solid rain the Lamprey River, as well as many others in New Hampshire swelled like an infected bee sting.


My lovely wife, baby, and myself live in a basement apartment (bad news), but our apartment building is on the top of a hill (good news). The result was our humble abode stayed drier than a Lundrunner post. Not everyone fared so well, and my thoughts and prayers went first to those who were injured or lost loved ones (fortunately, very few), and then to those who lost a great deal of possessions (unfortunately, very many).





My thoughts then strayed to our fishery. Newmarket has boasted a tradition of great fishing for much longer than I've been enjoying it, and will hopefully remain so long after I'm gone, but I have to admit I was more than a little concerned. Just a week earlier, Asa and I were rippin' the lips off of paper mouth crappie up in the shallows for a little romance (the fish, not Asa and I), and now all those shallows are washed and new ones created. A bit of reading assured me fish will survive fluctuating water levels with ease, as I should have remembered from the resevoir fishing in Kansas, but that doesn't mean their spawns wouldn't be drastically affected. The largemouth should have been building nests if not already on them, and the crappie were obviously doing their thing. Would they be washed out to sea?



One week later, Asa and I were at it again, and the crappie were right where they were two weeks prior. I also indulged in a new favorite game of mine; pulling bluegill from the shallows with a fly rod. The water level was still a little high, but NOTHING compared to the wash out we experienced the previous weekend. We also slid the Lund into the salt side to see how that water was doing. Asa pulled our first striper of the year, and I began to relax.






Just this weekend, Asa and I put a good deal of time into working the top of the salted Lamprey. We were not sure these rumors of Striper were true. First, at low tide from Heron Point, Asa pulled a pretty 25", and then after a dinner break when the water came up enough we put the boat on. This was an after dark reconnaissance mission, so no camera was available on the boat, but I'll leave you with a few pictures. Fulfilling our goal of "catch a keeper" we both landed these two beauties along with a couple 25" fish. Not big fish by veteran lineside hunters' standards, but you'll never tell us we fell short.

The Future of Fishing

If you give a person a fish, they'll fish for a day. But if you train a person to fish, they'll fish for a lifetime. -Dan Quayle


I had the great pleasure of fishing with 3 of my nephews and one niece while in Kansas. It is a vital part of the future of fishing to take young people out and fish. Not only does this introduce new friends to our sport, but also gives families and friends the opportunity to do something beyond eating (another great sport) and the rather disconnected sport of watching television. My sister's kids are very special to me, and I miss them terribly, living so far away. I am grateful they have the opportunity to fish with their grandpa (my dad), as I can attest he is one of the greatest trainers of future fisherman to ever tread the shore. He and I with four very energetic kids, and it was easy to see who the veteran father between us. His patience, encouragement, and understanding of the value of snack time was a great lesson to me. I look forward to chasing my daughter Magnolia up and down the banks when she is old enough to net a frog.

Malachi: The oldest of the group and the only one I had a chance to spend a significant amount of time with when he was just a baby. He is an incredibly nurturing soul and is very patient with his siblings. An exploratory fisherman, he is destined to grow into the type of fisherman who may not always catch the most fish, but will find a way to catch them when no one else can manage.



Gabriel: Not pictured here, as he was not present for the trip. A beautiful and tall boy who's mind is difficult to connect to, but he is always willing to share some of his heart. While most of the world will spend their time feeling sorry for him, he will spend most of his time keeping his family bonded and showing those nearest him new ways to love.

Jariah: The seeking mind of the group, I look for this one to be my fly tying buddy. Never is he outside without seeking creepy crawlies or various other living things, which will prove very handy when we go to match the hatch. Watch yourself, this one can be ornery.




Genesis: Yes, she is as sweet as she looks, but don't be mistaken, with all these brothers she doesn't back down from nobody or nothing. It was her shoes that got the muddiest, and her smile that got her forgiven. A little young to give two hoots about the actual fishing, she had a great time keeping everyone in line.


Hezekiah: It has been said this little one gets his charm from yours truly, but that is flagrant flattery and I know it. Quiet and well behaved, we not once had to entertain him. He marches to the beat of his own drum, and I can't wait to hear what it sounds like as he grows. Grandpa had him casting for the first time on this outing.






My father, when I was young, would take me fishing and I remember a fabulous time of fishing, but if you were to ask him he would tell you we didn't really fish together until I was almost a teenager. So what did we do if we didn't fish? I think I got stuck in shin deep mud multiple times, I almost always ended up at least a little wet, I caught a few frogs, I killed bait both mistakenly and torturously, and I snacked. My father tried to fish with what bait was left. I have to give him credit. He never once stopped me from skipping rocks though it most likely spooked a few potential prizes, he didn't scold me for ruining clothes though it cost him to replace them, and he never told me to sit still or we wouldn't catch any fish. So here we are, many years later. I live a long distance from home, but when we see each other we go fishing. I no longer get too stuck in mud, or get as wet, or kill as much bait, and I've traded in frogs for fish, but we still have a great time. Most importantly we still go, and if God wills it and we end up living within a boat drive from each other someday, we will go a great deal more.

Yarcraft Adrift

Kansas is a tough place to live. The wind always blows. The summers are hot. Very hot. I would say it gets up to about 2 million degrees on a regular basis, and the mosquitoes (from flying in all the wind) are built like flying body builders. The winters are treacherous too. The temperature drops to sub-arctic temps and then the wind chill factor brings it down to "life unsustainable" levels. And fishing? Forget it. If you COULD put on a boat in all the wind, it wouldn't do much good because there aren't any fish. If you're really good, you might catch a brown bull head. So don't go to Kansas. Ever. There isn't anything there but dust, wind, and mean cowboys who shoot out of towners on sight.


My friend Barry drives a Yarcraft. I'm sorry. Being the Lundrunner, I have to say my loyalty rides with Lund, but Barry is a smart man and he chose Yarcraft. He used to own a Lund, but he doesn't any more. Because of the wind in Kansas, holding a boat stationary with an electric trolling motor gets tricky. The Fiberglas tends to stay put better, and Lund only makes aluminum boats. He fishes quite a bit, and has spent many hours on boats, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say Yarcraft makes a pretty fine vessel. He was kind enough to take my father and I out last week while I was visiting family back in Kansas during the single weekend of tolerable weather, and we managed to pull a few fine finned friends along for a ride in the Yarcraft. It's a Fiberglas boat with a great hull design that provides what they claim as the driest ride available. The 140 horse Suzuki idles down and trolls 2.5 miles an hour with no trouble, and thanks to the 4 cycle engine we could speak to each other at normal levels while doing it. The floor plan was great, as three of us fished quite comfortably.














I could go on and on about how great the fishing was, and give away all the secrets to our success, but I won't. They aren't mine to give away. I will say this: Nothing is better than fishing with family and friends after a long absence. Even in Kansas.






"As the angler looks back, he thinks less of individual captures and days than of scenes in which he fished." - Lord Grey of Fallondon