Striper Tournament & Family Outing

Upon researching for local fly shops in the area, I stumbled upon All Points Fly Shop & Outfitters. After checking out their site, I found out they are holding their second annual striped bass tournament. The rules and regulations seemed legit, so I contacted Hugh and we are deciding to give it a go. It was, after all, another excuse to catch stripers and there are cash and gear prizes. Stay tuned for tournament progress!

Family Trip

With another addition soon coming to the family, we decided we better get in one more family fishing trip for the three of us. The destination would be the same one I fished last week, and I was hopeful for good results.

Tides can be a tricky battle to try and figure out. When we pulled up that morning it was peak high tide (I had actually planned for this but still thought we could make it out to the island I was on last week). Turns out, I was wrong. This high tide was much higher than last weeks so we had to stick to the shoreline. I made a few casts for a half hour but saw no action. We then decided to head up and try the marshland, which did yield results. I caught my smallest striper yet- a solid 12 incher and Natalie caught her first ever striper which was a good schoolie size. We found a spot where the stripers were chasing bait but it was hard to reach them. They were in the middle of a big pool with crossing tides and the wind made casting difficult. Regardless, we did catch a couple and it was a good day considering the circumstances.

High Tide...

Emma found this little gem 

The Marshlands 

Stripers were goin' crazy 

Teach em while their young

9 months pregnant and still rockin'

Striper Hunt

Striper season has officially begun in Maine.

Alarm clock goes off at 4 AM.  Grab necessary supplies- 9wt rod, newly tied clouser minnows, caffeinated beverage. Head to destination, look out over the ocean; Atlantic is glass, no wind, 50 degrees.  It's going to be a good day. Gear up, head out into the bay over the glassy, pink water. The sun is not yet visible but, slowly making it's presence. Throw out the trusty blue water candy striper lure and troll. Need to find where they are stacked up. Twenty, thirty, forty minutes go by. Nothing. Hugh calls, offers plan B based on other intel he recieved and we hurry and pack our gear and head south.

No stripers here, yet....

Plan B location

Marshland. High tide creating meandering river channels of saltwater through brush. Hugh and Connor launch kayaks and head out to the main channel, I wade and head to smaller water. I pass by restaurant employees readying for another day of seafood frenzy on the pier. Seagulls call to one another and the smell of salt hangs in the air. I wade out, shells and sea snells crunch under my feet as I walk and vibrate up my leg. I find a good stretch of water and toss my fly, warming up the double haul. No surface action, no crushing bait, but hopeful. Three casts in-strip, strip, strip, slam. 9 wt. bent over, familiar kink in the wrist. These fish are powerful and aggressive. Fish in net, scales glistening in the low rising sun. Dorsal fin prominent and spearing an opening of the net. Clouser pierced to side of mouth, fibers softly waving in the water. A couple photos, quick release, and a heightened state of alertness. Repeat X2 in the same run. All schoolie category, but all a solid average 20 inches.

Slab of striper

Battle wound

Tide receding, head out to the main channel. Climb over tide pools, endless clam shells, and deep mud. Find a beach with promising water. Work clouser against swift current. Eye two other fly fisherman across the channel, one of them's raking them in. What pattern was he using? Didn't matter. My rod was soon bent over with a bruiser. As I'm fighting the fish, the man across the channel says to the other "that guy has a nice one". Fish finally getting closer, reach for net, but the fish runs. This happens twice. Reestablish and slowly bring fish back. Net in hand, rod high in the other, fish frantically shaking on the surface. Scoop. This was a nice one, though I never measured. Record was 23 from last year and this fish was pushing that number. Two handed lift from the net, set in water. Fish somehow stays calm, shoot a series of photos. Gone. Day one of season- success.

9wt bent over

Hugh's ultimate fishing rig

Savannah anxiously waiting for me to catch something

Distant train

AvidMax Photo Contest

Photo contests are fun. It is one of the reasons when out fishing I spend extra time trying to capture unique shots. Though it takes time away from fishing, I feel the end product is worth it as I can enter photo contests and have something to look back on to spark old memories. Recently, I was honored to have won 2nd place in the AvidMax "Show us your fly tying bench/room" photo contest category. I credit my dad for providing me the awesome piece of pine to store my ever increasing supplies on and allow me to effectively tie.

The item I was most excited for in the prize pack was the Loon UV light. As of late, I had been using lights that would never fully cure my flies. The new Loon light is top notch and rechargeable, a key element that I feel adds great value. The razor trimmer I admit will be a new endeavor as I have very limited experience trimming deer hair. Nonetheless, now that I have this tool I better up my game.

Vermont

No, this is not a fishing related post. Yes, my blogs title screams fishing, I know. Truth is, I want to blog about great trips and memories even if a fish is not at the end of the line. Don't fret, however, because there will hopefully be many fishing related posts coming this year. My fieldwork begins this summer and I won't be subject to endless homework and projects. This should yield more free time for me to explore the great state of Maine, and possibly greater New England. Stripers and char await.

Vermont:

Vermont was a place that had been on my radar probably ever since I heard Orvis headquarters were located there. I knew it was saturated with liberals and hippies, but there were also trout, and a million sugarhouses. This time we set out to experience the ladder, but rest assure I will be back hopefully some point to cast a line in the green mountain state.

The first destination on our trip was a small quaint town named Quechee. There, we experienced the fascinating art of glass blowing. This trade goes back many years and felt as though we were stepping back in time. The factory sits on a river and its waters power the big furnaces used during the glass blowing process.

Master of the trade

"Seconds" where the ones with slight imperfections go

Lunch next to the river

Salmon w/raspberry compote

After a delicious lunch and tour of the factory we made our way to Quechee Gorge. Most of the trails to get down to the river were iced over but we talked with an employee at the visitor center who steered us toward one that may not be. The trail turned out to be icy as well but we managed to make it down.

Anxiously standing on an ice shelf to capture this shot

The following day we hit Burlington. Snow was currently falling and had been overnight. There was 4 or so inches with more planned in the forecast.

Frozen Lake Champlain. No view of the Adirondacks this time

The following morning we were met with a beautiful surprise. The snow had fallen all night and totaled around 18 inches.

We were worried the snow would throw a kink in our plan to tour sugarhouses but it ended up making the experience that much better. The first farm, which turned out to be one of our favorite was set deep in the woods. The family running the operation welcomed us and gave us a scope of what it takes to process syrup from sap to bottle.

First destination 

This cabin housed all of the old historical tools of the trade

Checking out the old tools while eating fresh maple candy

Fresh hot syrup, the smell was AMAZING

Filling up our own bottle

Firing up and prepping to make maple syrup

The rest of the day we hit 3 more sugar houses. All of them were special and unique in their own way. The drive to the farms was spectacular with freshly fallen snow blanketing the surroundings.

Steam from the syrup making process

This syrup is SO GOOD

Emma riding the horse drawn sleigh. One of the highlights of our trip.

In the syrup making room