Great Hike in Portsmouth, RI and some striper fishing

I had big plans for my two days off this week, both things did  not work out. Friday, DJ and I were going to snorkel at Prudence Island. I went fishing on Thursday night and waded in the water. It was chilly. The high temp for Friday was going to be 74 degrees. That along with the chilly water temp would have made snorkeling uncomfortable. Instead, DJ and I went for a walk at Great Meadows in Concord then came home and cooked on the grill.

Saturday I was going to go back with Eric on his boat in pursuit of Black Sea Bass. Unfortunately, his boat was back in the shop and needed a fuel pump. I woke up this morning without any plans. That is bad. When I don't have a set plan, I usually lollygag and naps happen. That is exactly how my morning started. 

While lying in bed I came up with a plan to do a hike in the Newport area of Rhode Island. After that, I was going to do some striper fishing in Newport. 

The Aquidneck Land Trust owns a lot of open space on the island. They also have a lot of easements so their trails can cross private land. There is actually a ten mile trail the crosses from Portsmouth into Middletown. I have wanted to do this trail for a while. I figured it would work out today, because my plans for the night were to fish in Newport. 

I got to the Portsmouth/ Middletown area about 1:30. There are two sections of the trail that is

Some of the fields were loaded with wildflowers

divided by Mitchell's Lane. My plan was to do the left half which is a loop, get a drink at my car, then do the other half. The problem with the plan is, the right side is a straight trail, not a loop. I solved this problem by bringing my bike. Before I started hiking, I chained my bike to a tree on Sandy Point Road. The distance from the parking at Mitchell's Lane to my bike was about three miles.

The first half (the loop) mostly went through open fields. Some of the fields were hundreds of acres. There was a little bit of forest, but mostly just small pockets of trees. Seeing huge uncut fields is a rarity in the area, so it was cool to walk through. I should say, it was different to walk through. The fields had no shade, so it was pretty warm walking. I certainly built up a sweat. I did see a bobolink, and had a red tailed hawk making a lot of noise while flying.

After the hike, I went back to my car and refilled my water bottle. I then crossed the street and did the other half. A large portion of this side of the trail follows the edge of the Newport Country Club. A lot of guys were hitting little white balls with sticks. They would then drive a cart to relocate the little lost ball, then hit it again and repeat the process. (As opposed to my hobby. I throw a piece of plastic with hooks in the water attached to a string. I then hope a fish will bite the hooks, so I can pull him in only to let him go again... Clearly makes much more sense).

Boardwalk near the end of the trail

There were a lot of guys golfing. It was kind of fun to watch. The trail hung to the edge of the course. In places, I could see the course, in others a hedge would follow the trail blocking the view and potentially deadly golf balls. It was fun. After the golf course, you cross Brahmans Road. After that, the scenery is a mix of fields and woods. I did see a mink scampering in this area. I followed the trail to the end at a place called the Glen. Then I retraced my steps .25 miles back to my bike.  I had a 25 minute ride back to my car.

I did about seven miles on my hike.The only part I did not do was the Middletown Northern Loop. I could see an event set up right by the trail that looked like a wedding party. I didn't want to walk by it in scrubby clothes with binoculars around my neck. So I chose to just do the southern loop.

I think this is one of my favorite hikes I have done. Even though it is mostly flat, it is long enough to qualify as a hike and not just a nature walk. With the hot sun beating down on me, I was tired by the end. The scenery is varied and different. The huge fields, pocket woods, and golf course all had their own appeal. Usually when I do a hike around here I'm glad I've done it, but don't need to do it again. I will go back to this area again. It was fun.

My bike, secured to a tree

After my hike I rewarded myself with Becky's BBQ in Middletown. This restaurant, which looks like a house wins Rhode Island Monthly best barbecue every year. The menu is small but the food is absolutely delicious. I got pulled pork, double smashed potatoes and cornbread. If you are ever in the Newport area, give Becky's a try. The food is very reasonably priced and it is amazing.

After supper, I went striper fishing. The fish were biting, but they were small. I caught eleven fish, but almost all of them were about a foot. A bit disappointing, but at least there was action.

All in all, after having my plans pulled away from me, my day ended up really good. No complaints.

The trail system with parking areas

Dixie Chicks Concert

Laurie and I both like the Dixie Chicks. When I found out they were playing at Great Woods (I refuse to call the concert venue in Mansfield, MA the Xfinity Center, because the name will change within a year or two anyway) I decided to get tickets. On a whim, I checked Stub Hub. I am not a fan of these resale sites that are nothing more than glorified ticket scalpers, but I figured it couldn't hurt to look.

Regular price for a lawn seat was $30. There were tickets selling on Stub Hub for less than fifteen dollars a piece. Needless to say, I bought a pair. Both tickets combined after fees cost me a grand total of $28.

The Dixie Chicks career took a nose dive many years ago when the criticized G.W. Bush during the Iraq War. Being in the genre of country music, the Chicks were in the minority. They almost lost their careers. Their lives were threatened and they lost millions of dollars in future revenue.

To be clear, I could care less about politics in my entertainment. I don't care if Tom Brady is the biggest Trump supporter, just keep throwing touchdown passes. I don't care that Hollywood is liberal or that country music is hardcore Republican. Just give me good quality entertainment.

All that said, I have huge respect for the Chicks. They didn't back down. They chose to sacrifice their

Natalie Maines

career instead of their beliefs. They were basically thrown out of the country music genre. Yet they stayed together, and they kept making music.

So on to the review- I really enjoyed the show. I knew almost every song. There was about four that I didn't. The crowd loved the fast stuff such as Goodbye Earl, Sin Wagon, and White Trash Wedding.

The concert opened with my favorite song they play " Long Way Around" . It's a song about taking the road less traveled. They wrote it after the big controversy.  They played "Nothing Compares to You" which was their tribute to Prince because he wrote the song. They did "Landslide" by Stevie Nicks. I don't know how many songs they played, but it was over two hours. The last two songs before the encore were "Wide Open Spaces" and "Cowboy Take Me Away" .

They played two songs during the encore. "Not Ready to Make Nice" and a song called "Better Way"

The screen during "Cowboy Take Me Away"

 which was clearly about hope in society. It was prudent after the tragedy in Orlando.

The Chicks had two opening bands. The Truth and The Heavy. I heard of a couple songs by The Heavy, a pop rock band. I didn't really care about either band, I just wanted to see the Chicks.

Natalie Maines sounded amazing. Even after ten years since the last cd, she was awesome. She has amazing stage presence. The two sisters are terrific musicians. They  both had multiple solos. The thing I most took away from the show was the amount of fun they were having. They were smiling all night. It wasn't a fake politician smile. They were having a great time. After the real crowd pleasers like "Goodbye Earl" they were smiling from ear to ear.

If the Dixie Chicks come to a town near you, and you were a fan in the heyday, you won't be disappointed in the concert. They sound as good as ever. If  you can get tickets for half price, all the better.    

Their Tribute to the Victims in Orlando

A Day for Girl Sports

Madison and her proud family

Today I went to two sporting events that are either played by girls or dominated by girls.

As soon as I got out of work today, I picked up Laurie at my house. We went directly to Rhode Island College. The state high school softball championship games were played today. The two teams in the Division 2 game were  Woonsocket vs. Moses Brown. My friend Susan's daughter plays on the team. Her daughter, Madison is a freshman starting in left field (she is a catcher by trade, but they already have a senior catcher) for Woonsocket. In a twist of fate, my boss sent his kids to Moses Brown. Although they were not participants in the game, there obliviously was a connection to both teams.

I got to the game late because of a crazy morning at work. When I walked in, it was the third inning and Woonsocket was winning by a run. By the end of the inning they were down three. I won't bore you with the play by play of every inning.

Woonsocket was the home team. They were down 8-5 in the bottom of the seventh (last inning).

State Champions

Somehow, cool as a cucumber the Villa Novans came back to win the game and take the title. For sure, the close games Woonsocket has played this year helped them in the pressure situation. Moses Brown had at least three batters with two outs ( not positive of actual inning breakdown since my adrenaline was pumping and I was losing my voice) and couldn't close the deal.

I was very happy for Madison and her mom Susan. They played a great game. Congratulations Woonsocket Ladies.

After the game, Laurie and I had tickets for the U.S. Nationals for Rhythmic Gymnastics. As I have mentioned Laurie is a huge gymnastics fan. Last week she went to the men's nationals in Hartford, CT. The event today was in Providence. The winners on the trampoline event were the U.S. competitors in the Olympics. So for that event, it wasn't just about being national champion, but also Olympic trials.

The disciplines (oh, yes, I know the terminology) were trampoline, tumble track,  double mini trampoline, acrobatic gymnastics, clubs, and ribbon. I liked seeing the people fly through the air on the track and trampoline. However, it was difficult for me to sit through the other stuff. I went to the figure skating championships with Laurie over the winter. I admit, I had fun. I found today's event mostly boring. I understand the hours of practice, so I never put down any athlete, But for me, I could

They get pretty high on the
trampolne

have found something better to do.

My favorite part of the competition was the men's tumble track and trampoline. The men can flat out fly. They could get fifteen feet or more above the trampolnie. Then when you see all the flips and twists, it is impressive

 Going to the event was something out of my wheelhouse. However, if the Rythmic Gymnastics come to town again, I will pass. Even Laurie wasn't into it like she would be at regular gymnastics (like uneven bars and balance beam)

The best part was the announcement of the Olympians. Doesn't matter what sport it is, if you see people representing the country you root for and support them. When they were announced, red, white, and blue balloons came down from the rafters.

So needless to say, I had way more fun at the softball game. Going to these games today made me realize that a little thinking outside the box might be a good thing. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars to see the Red Sox and Patriots play (which I think is crazy), it would be just as much fun to support a friend or relative in little league or other youth sports.

Even going to the gymnastics event got me thinking about going to college sporting events more often. Providence College has an excellent basketball team, and it plays at the Dunkin Donuts Center. Most colleges have many sports, I might start taking in the occasional game.

Olympians

Star Wars Night at McCoy Stadium

Henry Owens on the mound

When the ownership of the Pawtucket Red Sox said they had a plan to move to Providence a couple years ago, I was extremely disappointed. I love going to Paw Sox games and it wouldn't have been any fun fighting Providence traffic, paying higher ticket prices and paying to park in an expensive parking garage. I protested in the best way I know how. I didn't go to even one game last year. I'll be damned if I'll give you my money if you're going to screw me over.

The plan got cancelled, yet I held a grudge. Over the winter I got an email from the Paw Sox that I assume everyone that is on their email list received. The letter apologized for the Providence plan. It explained the reasoning and the new plan to stay in Pawtucket. The letter was brutally honest about the fact they hurt fans. They wanted a "second chance". In return, the Paw Sox would have many more promotions than ever before. There would be nights with discounted food.

I'm not very sympathetic to billionaires, however, I was impressed with the letter, and decided to start going to games again. After all, if the team was willing to spend a lot of money on promotions, then they truly were trying to reach out to the people.

Tonight's promotion was a Star Wars themed fireworks display. I got tickets and took DJ's two younger sisters(Amber and Kirsten) and their soon to be step sister Brittney.It turned out that the night was just about perfect, except the Paw Sox lost 3-2.

I wasn't sure how three girls from 9-15 would enjoy a three hour baseball game. I really took them for

The three girl's and Amber's ball

the fireworks. Brittney had been to one game before, and it was Amber and Kirsten's first. We walked in just as the national anthem was playing.

Henry Owens, who is one of Boston's top prospects was the starting pitcher. This meant nothing to the kids, but was great for me. The kids actually loved the game. Amber especially, was memorized by baseball. She asked me tons of questions. I was actually shocked on how into she was. Kirsten and Brittney both watched the whole game. When the Paw Sox had men on base at the bottom of the ninth, they were screaming and rooting them on. They were actually rooting for extra innings (I was rooting for fireworks).

Other cool things that happened tonight included a couple rounds of "the wave" and two home runs. Each kid got something special. Amber got a baseball thrown up to her from a player. Kirsten got a picture with Chewbacha and Brittney got one of the soft air toss balls given to her.

After the game, the fireworks display went on while John Williams score for Star Wars played in the background. It was awesome.

Even though there will not be any more Star Wars night this year, there are still other great

Kirsten and Chewy

promotions. There are a few more fireworks nights. There are bobblehead nights. I believe kids can run the bases after Sunday games. If you are interested, check out the website. Go to Tickets and Promotions. If you buy tickets for box seats, you can choose where you want to sit. Box seats are $13. General Admission is $9/adult and $6 for kids.

A bad picture of fireworks

A Day Fishing the Ocean

Day ruiners!

I started my day about noon time. High tide was at 1:30 and I wanted to do some bottom fishing. I stopped at a tackle shop on my way down and bought some sea worms. My goal/hope was to catch some scup. Tautog season is closed for the summer. However, I would not have been disappointed to catch any. I would have let them go, but I love their fight.  I tried the avenues in Narragansett. As I was walking in, another guy was walking out with a bucket that had some scup. That was certainly positive.

I set up my rod for bottom fishing. I casted it out. As soon as it hit the bottom, little bait stealing choggies (cunner) were all over it. I caught a couple of them, but couldn't stand it so I left.

 I then went to a public access spot a little north of Narragansett Beach. I couldn't go there, because paving was going on. Then I decided to go to the East Wall. I figured I'd have a good shot at scup and fluke there. Unfortunately, the parking lot is still closed because of work being done on the wall. That sucked. I probably would have had my best luck there.

From there, I thought I could cast from the Short Wall at Salty Brine  Beach. However, since it is summer, they charge to park there. Needless to say, it was getting frustrating. I also now realized that Scarborough Beach and Roger Wheeeler would be out of the question. I decided to give up on bottom fishing.

It was about 5:30 but it was cloudy. I hoped the stripers might be somewhat active. I tried a backwater spot that had easy access and free parking. I caught four stripers and a hickory shad, and felt better about my day. The fish stopped biting about 6:30. I guessed they would start up again about sunset, but I didn't want to waste the ninety minutes. On a side note, the Rhode Island National Guard Air Show is coming up this weekend. A few of the planes put on a show at Narragansett Beach. There was also a few parachute jumpers. I could see all this from my vantage point. It was neat to see.

The sunset on the lighthouse was amazing, but the fishing wasn't

From my bottom fishing disaster, I knew the ocean was very calm today. So I thought I could fish at . Beavertail is straight up scary. Waves are usually huge there. I figured since it was so calm, I may as well give it a shot. At least I'd have a chance at a big fish. After putting on my waders and finding a safe perch, it was about 7:30. I fished there until 9:30. I never got a hit. There were two other guys who also looked like they went fishless. I was disappointed. I really just wanted one big fish, but it was not meant to be.


I wanted to get home early but I also wanted to try one more spot. I have a little honey hole that can be good if bait is around. The last couple of years it wasn't produced at all. I tried it earlier in the week and caught four small ones. I told myself I'll fish it for fifteen minutes.

Honey hole schoolies save the day

An hour and a half later I left. I caught five schoolies and a big sea robin. There weren't a lot of fish, but there was some busting bait on the surface. The tide was all wrong for this spot, so I think it is a good omen that it is going to fish well this year. There wasn't any visible bait, but there must have been some around because I saw multiple fish popping the surface.

All in all, today had its ups and downs. I really wanted to catch some bottom fish. Catching scup, fluke, and tautog (that I would have caught and released) are not my strong suits. The lack of public access hurt, especially at the East Wall. However, I found stripers at two of the three spots I looked for them. I got a total of nine stripers, a hickory shad, and a sea robin, along with a couple pesky choogies.

Fifteen inch sea robin caught at night

 

Sometimes there's no point in sugar coating it. Score- Common Sense 18 stripers- Stupidity 0

Last night I went striper fishing. There were a  lot of fish around. The area was very shallow and protected. There were about six or seven guys fishing.  I caught seventeen stripers. I only saw one other fish caught.

 The one other fish landed was caught by a guy that got there well after dark. He asked me what I was using. He tried the same thing. He hooked up fairly quickly. I had to leave shortly after. However, I have little doubt that he caught a few more fish after I left.

So that leaves the other five or six guys, they combined caught nothing. They had just as many fish around them as me. How did they catch nothing? Answer; stupidity.

Let me explain the scenario. The guys were fishing a small beach maybe thirty yards long. On the left was a jetty. To the right was a sea wall that stuck out into the ocean fifty yards before breaking to the right. To make this area even more protected are mooring a hundred yards off shore with fairly large boats to block the wind. Past these moorings is the outside of the cove. So this beach is basically a cove within a cove. Conditions were flat calm. The water couldn't be flatter if it were in a bird bath.

I was fishing on the sea wall. I was only there because the beach was crowded. Fish were popping up everywhere. In front of me, in front of the beach, hell, out of casting distance near the boats. It was not a blitz, but there were many fish actively feeding everywhere.

On the sea wall, I caught ten fish before dark (this means the other fisherman could see me, hence forth, they could see what I was using to catch them.) I was using my seven foot rod. I was catching all the fish on small zoom flukes and a few on a bucktail jig. The bait was small so I "matched the hatch"

Okay, now picture five guys spread out twenty feet apart on a beach. A beach that has walls on both sides. There are fish within casting distance and the small bait is trapped. Remember the water is flat. There is little wind. All is quiet.

UNTIL these five guys throw out huge poppers. They cast there giant poppers fifty yards. They make a splash that goes three feet high, Ka-Boom! Then they work the poppers the way you would in rough water. SPLASH---SPLASH---SPLASH. When all five poppers were in the water at the same time, it looked like the U.S transport ships invading Normandy.

So needless to say these guys caught absolutely nothing. There were so many fish, it should have been easy for them to rack up ten fish a piece. They weren't huge fish. Some were very small schoolies but there were certainly small keepers mixed in. After a few minutes of these idiots scaring the bejesus out of the fish, the feeding stopped off the beach. I continued to catch fish. When the armada left, the fish returned to the shallows. I went over and caught a few, some in as shallow as two feet of water.

I am no expert on striper fishing. I don't claim to be. As a matter of fact, the more I do it this year, the more I realize I have so many places I want to learn. I do feel I have common sense. Last week, I had a couple good nights fishing bigger lures for fish the same size. The difference? I was fishing the ocean front. The two foot waves were slamming the pebble beach and boulders. I used lures to get the fishes attention. I used poppers, Jumping Minnows and a Wooden egg that certainly makes a loud splash. Yet the fish crushed these lures. The sound of the ocean masked the noise my lures made.

You can't get away with that in calm conditions. If I'd have casted my wooden float last night with a small lure on the business end, I would have scared all the fish within a thirty feet radius of the landing. One of the most common mistakes I see surfcasting is guys using huge lures when the fish are on small bait. It seems obvious to me to downsize, but I see it all the time.

For the record, the other guy that I'm pretty sure caught more than one fish was using his seven foot rod. He was casting small stuff like the Zoom Fluke and Tsunami sand eel. You know where his big heavy surf rod was? In his car, just like mine. Smart.

Avoiding the June Blues

The key to my sanity

Last year once June came around, I did not handle it well. Believe it or not, I went through a month
long depression. If you know me, you know I'm extremely upbeat. If you are a consistent reader of this blog, you know I love life.

So it hit me like a ton of bricks, when for a month, I didn't want to do anything. We had one of the nicest ten day stretches in recent memory. Every day was about 70 degrees without any humidity. It was perfect. I spent most of that time inside. I alluded to it in a post I did last year. 

http://southernnewenglandoutdoors.blogspot.com/2015/06/go-big-or-stay-home.html   

As I wrote in the post, I have so much fun in the spring. Other than albie fishing, my favorite things to do are in the spring. What I now realize happened:was for six weeks, I was on an euphoric high. Then really warm weather came, Stripers left the bay, birds had migrated through, and trout fishing around here was all but over. The last weekend in May I did the exact same thing I did this year. I had a great time birding in Plum Island and I caught hundreds of Black Sea Bass in Buzzards Bay. It was the highlight of my spring. Then it was over... It was like coming down from the high. I don't joke about mental illness as I know people that suffer through chronic depression. But I am sure I suffered with a short bout of it.

 I felt much "better" on days off since I could do real day trips. I hit Prudence Island. I went to Sturbridge Village. It was the sitting in my house after work, and worse, not finding a reason to leave, that really sucked.

So, as you can imagine, I am preparing myself, to enjoy the summer more this year. I have no plan to go through that again. I came up with what I think will be an effective gameplan.

1. I planned my vacation for June. It is my first vacation since 2014. Last year, the person that covers my days off left. Taking the trip in June works out.

2. I'm going to go to New Hampshire at least once on my weekend to hike.

3. I really enjoyed my garden last year. I have a slightly bigger one this year. 

4. I'm going to take trips to the ocean. Even taking the drive after work once in a while. If I'm catching stripers in the summer, which is what I did all spring, then that is a huge emotional lift. 

5. I'm still in pretty good shape. However, I've put on some of the weight I lost two year ago. So I'm going to use this month to get into really good shape. This will help me on my hike in NH and I'll enjoy my vacation more. I've already started this, running two miles each of the last two nights. 

6. This is probably most important- I prepared myself this year. Although I love all my spring hobbies, I prepared myself for them to end. I put myself in a good state of mind. 

The key to this being a successful strategy is enjoying my time after work. Who wouldn't want to be on vacation or in New Hampshire? I think the searching for stripers and playing in my garden should be enough to enjoy summer evenings again. 

P.S. This post was an honest account of last June and my plan to avoid the same pitfall. Probably not the post you planned on reading, but as another blogger I read says "brutal honesty".