October 2011

This past weekend my family and I went away to New Hampshire. We live at the beach, but we head to the mountains for a change of pace.  For this trip, my daughter and son wanted to bring along a few friends, and so we all piled into the car and headed north.

Have you ever found yourself casting where you know there are fish, but you cannot help but wonder what in the heck is really going on below the surface?

We were tootling around the farm the other day with the kids on our little utility vehicle when a large grasshopper flew up and popped my wife right in the forehead.

There isn’t much that’s more frustrating than getting into position to drop a fly in front of a fish and having your line and leader** turn into spaghetti.  Any self-respecting fish darts for cover, and the odds of catching a fleeing fish is slim to none.  A leader that matches your fishing situation helps you catch more fish.

A lot of us are starting to pack up some of our fishing gear for the winter (just don’t stow all of it; there’s still good fishing to be had). One of the most important things you can do is clean your reels and lines.

I recently passed a truck pulling an “airboat” on a trailer. Another intriguing boat to consider in my boat quest.
 

September is a difficult month for fishermen. Everything converges all at once. Freshwater fish like brown, rainbow, brook and cutthroat trout feed aggressively, preparing for the long winter ahead.  When you land one, take an extra minute to study their vibrant colors – it’ll help you through the long winter ahead.

But believe it or not, carp are the number one, most sought after “sport fish” in the world. More money is spent on tackle for carp than on any other species. International tournament carp fishing is big business, and yet most of us wouldn’t bother to cast at a carp if it swam right into range.

Military families all over the country are enjoying rods and reels donated by Zebco, the Sierra Club Water Sentinels, the National Military Fish and Wildlife Association, and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s Take Me Fishing Campaign.

Our boat drifted along the end of Great Island, Mass. with the current.  I watched my son in the bow cast repeatedly and not catch a fish.

All fishing is good fishing. But sight fishing — where you see the fish before you cast — is one of my favorite challenges. It doesn’t matter if I’m casting to trout in a river, or bass or pike in the shallows of a lake.

In our continuing quest for the perfect family boat, we are trying to keep an open mind; considering even the most unorthodox boat types.