No fishing trip is wasted. Of course I want to catch fish,
but on those outings when I don't, there's always something of value. Whether
it's a new environment, striking up a conversation with fellow anglers during a
slow bite, or just soaking in the surrounding scenery on one of the first truly
spring evenings, I always leave with something that makes the effort
worthwhile. Saturday evening provided all of the above on an outing that didn't
produce any of the big,
Lake Ontario
brown that I was hoping for.
My brother, son and I had already faced a tough day steelhead
fishing with high, muddy waters on the Salmon River, and looking for an
alternative to the jam packed tribs like Orwell, I decided to take a drive over
to Selkirk Shores State Park, as word was there was a decent brown bite from
shore that morning. Doug wanted to stay in and watch the Richmond NASCAR race,
and Danny just wanted to catch up on sleep, so I headed over on my own to catch
what I hoped would be a last light bite.
I arrived to find a few guys set up and fishing, along with
the dog walkers and families out taking advantage of the first warm weekend of
the year. I was rigged up with a 3/4oz. blue and silver Cleo, with an
assortment of other colors and sizes in my bag. The only crowded spot was the
end of the concrete jetty, but there was more than enough beech for the half
dozen of the rest of us.
I'm perfectly happy to find my space and fish in solitude,
and I'll rarely approach anyone else that looks to be doing the same. I
appreciate the fellow anglers who give a nod and a greeting but then finds
their space and doesn't continually invade the peace and quiet. At the same
time, on a slow night such as this, when I step back from casting and take a
pause, I'm more than happy to jaw with other guys out looking to do the same.
I've met some of the most interesting folks from all walks of life hanging out
on beaches at times like this. I can talk fishing with guys I've just met like
we've been friends for a lifetime. Some I'll see out again, a few I'll actually
end up fishing with quite a bit, and many I'll never see again.
This particular night it was a young guy from Utica
with his Dad from out of town, both looking for any advice I'd share, and a local
guy Dale who works at Pineville Sporting Supply right down from where I was
staying. Contrary to what many on the internet might have us believe today,
fishing advice is not like Cold War espionage. It's OK to give as well as
receive. That's how we've all gotten to wherever we are today. Hopefully, the
father/son team left with a few ideas for the rest of their trip, and I
certainly soaked up what Dale had to say about fishing the area. The fact that
I didn't land a brown did not diminish the evening one bit.
So my advice is this. Don't measure every trip by how many
or how big the fish were that you landed. If that is your sole yardstick, you
will find disappointed when you need not be. Look forward to and enjoy the
entire experience. Landing that monster fish or hitting the blitz just makes it
that much better. And you know what they say. "If you don't catch fish,
take sunset pictures." Enjoy the sunset photos :)
