As I've said in previous posts I'm still not where I want to be health wise but feeling far better than I did three months ago. I've been out every chance I can doing as much as I can. I know for sure that I won't be going back to work until at least June. This means for the first time in my adult life I have May off from work. May is the best month for bird migration. All birders cherish this month for the beautiful migrants such as warblers, Scarlet Tanagers, and Indigo Buntings that are passing through.
Besides the birds, fishing is great in May. The water is still cold enough for trout but warm enough for bass. Actually all freshwater fish will be active during May. On the salt front stripers have been around for a while. Bluefish will arrive any day. Tautog are hitting and by the end of the month fluke will be hitting. If you have a boat and can get out on Buzzards Bay the best Black Sea Bass fishing in the entire world is under your feet. In short May is the month!
While I was still in the fetal position during the winter I had hoped I'd be well enough to enjoy the spring. Luckily that dream did become reality. While I was waiting out the winter I put a list of things I wanted to accomplish together. Many of those things I do regularly anyway. For instance Cape/Plymouth Trout. I love fishing the kettle ponds down the Cape and Plymouth. Throw in the fact that Rhode Island doesn't open their waters to trout fishing until mid-April means I have almost a month of Mass trout fishing before I can even go fish in RI.
Also, I planned on doing way more striper fishing than I did last year even before I got hurt. So I felt that between stripers, birds, and trout I could have a really fun spring before I end up going back to work. I could get my fill of these hobbies. Knowing that time is short in the spring, I seemed to have stopped carp fishing to make time for the trout and birds. Stripers I can catch in the evening.
The problem is I also put a bucket list of challenges I wanted to accomplish during April and May. It turns out they are taking a lot of time from my other hobbies and I still really haven't attempted many of them.
Before I go on, I need to explain that "fishing" is more than one hobby. Keep in mind that my car can only fit so much gear. So fishing for stripers is totally different than trout. I need different rods for each. My waders can and are used for both pursuits, they stay in the car all year. However, I carry two rods for trout and my fly rod. My eight foot surf rod is in the car all spring. So I have four rods in my car plus my waders. Not to mention my birding gear: scope, binoculars, and camera. I have a box full of clothes. Stuff like gloves, hunter orange sweatshirt for hiking during hunting season, raincoat, mittens, and sweatpants fill the box. So as you can see, and imagine, my car is pretty full of gear. But wait there's more...if I use my kayak I also need my paddle, life jacket, anchor, and back rest.
So, my car is already filled to the gills on any given day. I am not complaining. I'm glad to have this free time to do my favorite hobbies. The problem is my bucket list of spring events and my stubborn attitude. If I write something down, it is very hard for me to let it go and it KILLS me if I don't try to accomplish it. Besides the trout, stripers, and birds here is my list.
Catch Tiger Trout, Catch a tautog from the kayak, Fish Indian Lake for Smallmouth, Beach Pond for Walleye, Go to Queen Tribute Concert, Look for Copperheads, Fish the Cinder Worm Spawn, Catch a Bluefish on my Fly Rod, See a presentation by author Michael Tougias ( May 17 Hopedale Library) See Jessie Liam (local band, May 18 in Warwick), Bird Plum Island and go Shad fishing.
Needless to say, trying to fit all of this in during the first three weeks of May plus actually enjoy trout, stripers, and birds seems impossible. Many days, my plan is to bird in the morning and fish in the afternoon. This will work out for the bluefish on a fly and fishing the Cinder Worm hatch.
I'm going with Laurie to look for Copperheads on Sunday. We are also going to the Queen Tribute Band and the Michael Tougias presentation together. We also enjoy going to see Jessie Liam. So those three things will be fun.
As for the Tiger Trout, Walleye, Tautog, and the Smallmouth, They present a problem. The Tiger Trout I did catch but took a few trips to the Cape to get them. Walleye are very light sensitive and do not bite well during sunny weather. So I need to fish for them on cloudy days or after dark (too far of a drive for the latter) but I also need it too be almost windless so I can use my kayak. I've attempted to fish for them three times but each time the wind picked up or it got too sunny. Since I've never caught one I want to fish for them in the best conditions to give myself a fighting chance.
The same can be said of catching a tautog from my kayak. I need calm conditions since I would be in the ocean. As for the Smallmouth, I need it to be calm and I'd probably use my canoe instead of my kayak so I can stand and cast.
Each of these pursuits require specialized gear. I need a saltwater fly rod plus a box of saltwater flies for bluefish. Tautog require a sturdy boat rod plus hooks, sinkers, and a bucket full of crabs. Smallmouth will require my canoe and my bass tackle box. I put together a box full of lures I hope will entice walleye. Each of these adventures needs my to plan accordingly and bring the right gear for the job.
Basically, the whole point of this post is that I want to do a lot of different things, but the truth is, I wish I didn't. I wish that I could let things go but once it is on my list it is there forever. I've had catching a tog from my kayak for three years now, and it is eating away at me. I have wanted to catch a Walleye for years but never seem to get around to it. But this spring I have no excuse... However, two things have made these adventures tough. First the weather has been unrelenting, specifically the wind. I can't fish from my kayak during a gale. Secondly, if I play hard for two days in a row, I seem to need a rest day. Taking one out of every three days off is wasting valuable time. ( I don't do nothing on a rest days. I'll be an adult and run errands. I'll bird and fish close to home for an hour or so. I just don't play hard).
The honest to God's truth is I wish I didn't have a restless soul. Sometimes I wish I didn't want to do everything. It would be nice if all I cared about was stripers, or birds, or reading. But I want to try everything. As I said, once it is on the list, it eats at me. Many of these challenges, I will and do really enjoy, such as catching a Tiger Trout. Others, such as catching a Tautog from my 'yak is just to prove I can do it, and really nothing more. While Tautog is a tasty fish, I'm not a huge fish eater anyway.
My hero and best friend, Dave, has it figured out. He carp fishes in the morning, exercises at noontime, and striper fishes in the evening. He is extremely happy with his hobbies. He keeps it simple and does what he loves. I wish I could narrow it down like that. However, he was a teacher and I know he got anxious when the wind was blowing just right and the stripers would be stacked up but he couldn't leave school until 3 pm. He also fished the Cape for trout, the North River for Coho Salmon, and the sea-run Browns at Scorton Creek. Not to mention he had four boys in sports. So I know he had a restless spirit also. So maybe there is hope that someday I can simplify and settle down. Until then I'll keep plugging away at my list. May goes by much too fast. I'll do my best.
Side note- I did make some progress this spring at letting things go. I took two things off of the dreaded "list". Every year my plan is to go to the Cape and see whales from shore. We did that again this year and saw some whales two miles out to sea. So I decided this is not worth doing. The cost of gas and the motel could be used to go on at least two whale watches. So from now on I'm taking it off of the calendar.
Secondly, I've been wanting to see back country waterfalls filled with snowmelt for some time. For reasons I don't understand, seeing roadside waterfalls wasn't good enough when we went a couple years ago to NH. However, when we went to the Delaware Water Gap there were a couple of large waterfalls. There wasn't any snow but they were gushing. I figured that was close enough. So I decided the gas and the five hundred miles on my car just to see a waterfall wasn't the best use of my time or funds. So look at me making progress.
Side note #2- Yes this post was written by a forty eight year old man. Instead of worrying about things like someday getting married or putting a roof on my my house, I worry about if I'll ever catch a Walleye. Normally, I'd make a joke about "white person problems" but over the last year I've developed plenty of problems. However, I admit, wanting to fish Indian Lake is a weird thing to worry about at almost fifty years old. I don't know what's wrong with me either.
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