As I sit here and write this week’s Editor’s Log I am wallowing in self-pity as a result of a rather poor outing at a local trout stream. While my Opening Day catch set a new personal record for a single day of trout fishing, today’s follow-up outing couldn’t have been more of a contrast. I arrived at a prime spot, there wasn’t another soul to be seen and I had high hopes of a repeat performance of four days earlier.
After an hour of casting I had a single hit, which ended in about a two-second battle before the fish shook free, and no other signs of life. The only redeeming qualities of this quick, pre-work trip were the tranquility of the experience and the extraction of my cherished Tom’s Taz Lure from a tree on the opposite side of the bank where I had left it on my last cast of Opening Day.
So with today’s ego-bursting outing out of the way, I can now proceed to ease into my spring fishing groove, one which I should be well-settled into by the time you read this. I’m sure to make at least a few more trout excursions this spring, happily reaping the rewards of both my annual licensing fees and the Trout Stamp in Connecticut. I decided to release all of my trout this year as opposed to keeping a few for the smoker, not because of some higher awakening but because I simply wanted to enjoy myself without the concern for filling my limit.
Even while standing streamside in a hard, pouring rain on Opening Day, I was able to truly take in the experience and bear witness to what was happening around me: feasting trout, hatching bugs, osprey on the hunt and nature on display. It was both soothing and fulfilling after a long winter, which gave me little opportunities to fish.
Next on the agenda is striped bass. While spring schoolie action on holdover striped bass (with the occasional rogue 20-pounder mixed-in) has been going on for some time now, I found little drive this year to nab a March or April outing for bass. I was able to easily talk myself out such endeavors whenever the hint of motivation surfaced. Perhaps this was due to the somewhat “unromantic” nature of many of the spots where these fish can be caught in the early spring, or perhaps it was the fact that I was able to distract myself with other fishing-related activities such as building rods and tying tail flags. Whatever the reason, by the time these words hit the printer I will have likely made at least a few trips out front (in the ocean) with those first arrivals of fresh-run striped bass my goal.
Along with this switch to salty locals comes a few trips for unicorns (weakfish) in the coming weeks as they move into their spawning grounds. A fishery I have written about before, there is something intriguing about these somewhat mysterious fish. From their beautiful coloration to their difficulty in predicting just when the bite will turn on, they add another level of motivation to spring fishing before settling into the grind of late-night hunts in the open surf.
The one species which remains uncertain for me once again this spring is blackfish. With a short, 30-day season in the spring, the days when success is likely can generally be counted on a single hand. Following last fall’s difficult fishing thanks to erratic weather, I will hopefully sneak in at least one outing to see about landing what has become one of my most enjoyable target species in recent years.
