Monday, April 15, 2019

No Wasted Trips

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 :)          

1 comment:

  1. Yeah, if you're going to skunk anyway, hard to beat skunking with a sunset like that going on.

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