Irene

sorry folks still down due to technical issues such as power in general due to hurricane irene.  today is day four without power, and there are still trees in the road and new ones continue to fall but there are only so many men that are capable to do the work.  i do know that they are working hard and hopefully we should be back in the game soon.  thank you to all the utility men and women who are working around the clock to restore life as we know it.

Adventures in the ADKS: Part II

PART II.

Josh and I walked down the side walk on Main Street Saranac Lake to Blue Line Sports (see my tackle shop review post), to buy fishing licenses.  We met one of the owners who was very nice and knowledgeable on fishing in the area.  After a short stop, Josh and I were on our way to an Adirondack adventure.

First Set of Rapids

The beginning of the Saranac River was literally in back of my apartment.  The dam at the end of Lake Flower marks the beginning of the Saranac River which flows East through the state of New York into Lake Champlain.  Atop the U-haul trailer sat my canoe, which together looked somewhat like an ancient Greek soldier’s helmet.  We unstrapped the canoe and brought it to the ground, filled it with two life vests, some bottled water, our fishing gear, and a pair of paddles.  I kept a quiet laugh to myself as my brother had to carry yet another thing for about 300 feet, but luckily there was only a canoe and kayak ramp and no stairs.  My landlord had told me that there was very good fishing in this section of the river, adding that walleye, pike and trout all breed in this faster moving area because of its deeper holes and rich oxygen content due to the dam.  He also said there were three small areas of rapids, but that you could paddle back through them without too much trouble.  Josh and I pushed off for the first Adirondack adventure, even if it was in downtown Saranac Lake.  We quickly found some smallmouth bass casting mister-twister style grub tail jigs into the deep pools surrounded by buildings that seemed more like walls around us. 

The first set of rapids was very short but had a sudden drop in elevation and was situated under a bridge which would prove difficult to come back through.  On the opposite side of the bridge, we again found some more smallmouth bass, and began to see open space again as the buildings thinned out.  It was a beautiful day with blue skies, and the cool breeze off the water felt nice on our sweaty backs.  We picked fish off of lay-downs of old trees, and to our surprise shopping carts.  I think we counted seven in total, all Grand Union carts.  The people who put them in the river must have missed the “Will it float” segment on David Letterman, or maybe the town hosted an annual cart-toss during their Winter Carnival.

Railroad Bridge over the Saranac

As we started heading out of town, we were approaching a bend with a tall railroad bridge ahead of us and could see a set of boulders in the river.  We made a number of casts with no luck, so we pressed forward, as we closed in on the largest boulder we saw an enormous brown trout which startled at the sight of our boat.  Josh and I looked at each other in excitement and knew if we saw a fish like that on the first day here, that there was much exploring to be done.  Under the railroad bridge is a longer rapid flow, which was fun to go through with the occasional bumps from rocks threatening to tip us if we weren’t careful.  This rapid was quickly followed by another shorter but faster set under the pine street bridge.  Immediately following the bridge is a large pool, with a large boulder peeking out in calm water.  We caught some more bass here, and missed a pike that was hiding in some brush along the bank.  The sun set was telling us to head back as it was dimming the light, but our curiosity of the next bend wanted us to push further down stream.  Josh and I proposed that if we catch something big, we’d keep fishing, but if not we could always come back again. 

Fly casting the bank

After the pool was a small, sandy, grass-covered island where we beached the boat and stepped into the water.  I grabbed my fly-rod and waded down to the tip of the island, making casts to potentially any kind of fish.  I made a forward cast that dropped along the grass-line on the slow edge of the river.  I watched the current move the fly along the bank until it stirred up a small pike that jumped clear of the water.  I set the hook only to make my line ball up in the tall grass of the island.  After untangling my line from the leaves of grass, I could barely see anymore, and we decided to make the paddle back with what light we had left…

Adventures in the ADKS: PART I

The next post will be part of a series of reflections and stories of the two years I spent living in the heart of the Adirondack state forest in Saranac Lake, NY.  During a point in my life where I felt I had to make a decision on what I wanted to do for my career, I had been working for a construction company as a foreman.  I enjoyed the work, and the company I was working for provided me with the freedom and responsibility of running my own projects.  However, I still felt that I did not “own” the work.  I could do the work, but the feeling of competency in situations that demanded sound answers escaped me.  I made the decision to look for schools with a land surveying degree preferably with a two year option since I had already been through four years of school, graduating from Eastern Connecticut State University with a Bachelor’s degree in English.  The timing of my departure from Connecticut was optimal due to the fact that my long time girlfriend Laura would be beginning her first two years as a high school biology and chemistry teacher.  The first year is demanding because of all the work that needs to be established, and the second year is when new teachers (at that time) would go through the BEST program essentially determining their fate as teachers (The BEST program has since been eliminated, and replaced with TEAM for you teachers out there.)

PART I.

From Route 86 between PSC and S.L., NY

After a visit to Paul Smith's College, a campus tour, a one on one meeting with Surveying Technologies Professor Robert Kraatz, and a course audit to find out which classes from Eastern would transfer, I knew I had found a great place to learn and develop.  After being accepted by the school for the fall semester of 2007, time flew by as I hurried and worked long summer hours to finish the project I was on so I could leave for school knowing the project was completed.  Two weeks before classes began I still did not have a place to live.  On a Sunday, not the best time to look for places to live, Laura and I visited Saranac Lake where I planned on buying some local papers and picking up some Ads for apartment listings. 

Route 3 Westbound between Plattsburg and Saranac Lake

We stopped in downtown Saranac Lake on Main Street for lunch at a place called Blue Moon Cafe.  I noticed a Sunoco gas station across the street from where we parked, and behind me a real estate building with the front door open, yes, on Sunday.  Laura and I walked in, and an old man was sitting at his desk wondering why we were standing in front of him.  Mr. Albert Stunzi was reluctant at best to offer showing me the apartment they had for rent in the same building, after pleading with him for about fifteen minutes I said if I liked it I would put a down payment on the place today.  He looked at me and said I’ll call Jeff.  Sometimes you just have to let the money do the talking.

 Jeff worked with his brother at the real estate agency and lived just outside of town.  He agreed to come down and show the apartment.  A small one bedroom apartment, that had a living room, a good sized kitchen and bathroom, with shared laundry, was exactly what I needed.  Not that it made any difference, I asked Jeff about theft in the area and he told me, “My keys are in my ignition right now, and my house is unlocked, have at it.”  I said, “Who do I make the check out to.”

My brother Josh agreed to help me move in.  The following weekend we towed a U-haul trailer behind my father’s truck from CT to Saranac Lake.  After five hours of driving through amazing scenery, I backed the truck up to the stairs and we started unloading right away.  After several trips, getting most of the bulky items inside, I started placing items where they would be for their time in New York as Josh continued to lug boxes and other hefty things up the stairs.  About an hour later, Josh, drenched in sweat said, “Forty-two,” I said, “Forty-two what?”  He let out an exhausted “STAIRS!”  Quickly evaluating the situation, I suggested we go fishing....

The Striped Bass Blues

I apologize for the tardy post, but I am glad to have waited for the feeling to come back into my arms after catching a good number of large fish and the technique of enticing them.

Wednesday, 8-17-2011: I had a lot to do at work both in the office and the field before I could get to the boat that I was told would be leaving at 4:01PM whether I was there or not.  My day started in Middletown finishing my office work at 11:00AM, then I sped down to Milford, CT to stakeout as much of a retaining wall as possible before I had to leave to make the boat.  I left at 2:45 from Milford to give myself a little elbow room since I95 is a crap-shoot on any given day, not to mention I had seen CT DOT patching potholes on I91 Northbound locking traffic up for miles.  I made it to Old Saybrook, CT at Between the Bridges marina by 3:40PM and grabbed my fishing pliers and some outerwear in case of rain or wind, but the day grew quite warm at 86F.  

The boat we were going out on was Art Scoville's, who owns a landscaping business in Cromwell, CT.  He fishes the sound often and knows exactly what he is doing and where to go for the best shot at big fish.  His fishing background is strong with first place and top ten finishes for the LIS bluefish derby held every year.  One year he won a boat worth around 25,000 dollars, which he promptly sold to buy the boat he uses now.

  

Phil O'Brien (Left), Art Scoville (right)

As I walked onto the dock there was a tall man maybe 6'6" tall, walking my way with a smile on his face, my boss Phil yelled to me, "Matt that is Marty, Art's friend."  Marty reached his hand out to shake mine and said, "Hi Matt!"  I shook his hand and said, "Marty, pleasure to meet you."  I continued to the boat which was nice, a 26' lobster style boat with a 300 John Deere diesel engine, the same style a lot of guide boat services use.  As I stepped into the boat, Art was prepping his Captain's chair, before sitting down and turning the key.  Art and I exchanged hellos as he moved to the back of the boat to unhook the rear dock lines.  Marty returned, and Art asked him to get the front line, no time wasted sitting around, we were off.  We motored across the CT river just south of I95 and north of the Amtrak or possibly Metro North railroad bridge to fuel up.  After fuel, we motored down river and noticed bait breaking the surface which were schools of peanut bunker, named this because they are adolescent.  By 4:30 we turned the corner at the end of the breakwall lighthouse which marks the end of the CT river and the beginning of LIS. 

Bucktail and Parachute Jigs

On our approach to the first spot, Art asked me if I had fished wire before, reffering to the type of lines on the reel.  I replied, "Not since last year," and Art returned, "Ok I'll let it out for you, or Marty will because it's tricky and once it gets messed up that's it."  I handed him one of the rods, as he powered down the boat to a fast troll, the speed helps get the lure out without it snagging bottom.  Art and Marty let Parachute Jigs with "Uncle Josh red pork rinds" out for the first "drop".  The setups where six and half to seven foot jigging rods, with Penn conventional reels, a staple reel for most saltwater fishermen.  The heavy jigs were attached to 80 to 100 lb test florocarbon leaders, with about six inches of wire just ahead of them in case bluefish are around so the line doesn't get cut.  The leader material was then attached by a Bimini Twist to the wire line which is wound onto the reel at a specific length to troll the lure at a specific depth, in this case we wanted to run around 20' depth.  Marty's line was out first, then Art handed the setup to me and said Marty will show you how to work it.  

Phil hooked into a Bluefish

Marty was holding the rod like a canoe paddle, his left hand placed on the butt of the rod, and using his right hand with an overhand grip of the line and the rod about eight inches ahead of the reel.  I fumbled for a minute because my grips had to be reversed as I was standing on the opposite side of the boat.  Marty said, "Hold the rod just like this," pointing the butt about shoulder height with the tip just above the water, "And jig it, if you feel the bottom, swing the rod tip up above your head so you don't snag."  This is a serious workout, it is exactly like paddling in a canoe race trying to make the jig dance at the end of your line.  Just as I got the technique down, Art yelled "I'm marking a lot of fish below the boat," and within 30 seconds Marty hooked up with the first fish.  As Marty worked the fish in and we watch the line rise to the surface, and Art said, "Bluefish, has to be," and we all watched a good sized blue break the surface.  Art netted and release the fish as fast as possible to get us on the next drop.  

Marty nets one for Phil

My boss Phil stepped up to the rod for the next drop, and as soon as the lines were out he hooked up with the next fish.  We boated a Striper just short of 28", the legal size for keepers.  As the fish flopped on the deck, Phil hooted, "Matt! When are you going to catch one!"  I laughed, and said, "I'm next."  The striper got a head first toss back into the drink and Art yelled, "OK drop 'em."  This time he did a circle in the opposite direction towards my side of the boat, and I changed my technique to short jigs and as soon as I did I got a solid hit.  "Fish On!" I yelled to Art, and he slowed up.  The fish took out about 80' of line and stayed deep, Art was getting excited and said, "Looks like a good striper," adding, "Matt, don't worry about how the line wraps onto the reel, just reel it in."  The fish stayed deep, with big head shakes, we were all expecting a good sized striper, but as the fish came into view it was another bluefish.  As I had the leader back onto the rod, I backed up and Phil put the net on a 15lb bluefish.  With the fish in the boat, Art came back and said, "Now, that is a beautiful blue fish, but that's not what we want."  I agreed, we were after stripers, and were stuck in a vortex of bluefish.  Three more drops produced three more fish, all blues.  Art said OK we know what's here, let's try a different spot.

We motored for a little while and Art brought up something I was expecting to hear at some point during the trip, "This is right around where that guy caught that 82lb bass."  Only a few weeks back, a local angler Greg Myerson hooked and landed an 81.88lb striped bass which if accepted by the IGFA (International Game Fish Association) will become the new world record striped bass.  "What would you do if you caught a fish that big?" Art asked as he looked across the horizon searching for signs of bait or bass welling near the surface.  Art continued before anyone could answer, "I mean that is a beautiful fish, and all these other fishermen just make up stories about it."  I said, "I can't stand that," Art interjected, "They're jealous," I continued, "That is one awesome fish, I'm happy for Greg, and best part is he's from Connecticut and a Sox fan!"  We all laughed, then Art powered down and said, "Get ready."  First drop, second spot.  Marty brought the first blue aboard, then I had the next two, then Phil brought one up, and I said to Art,  "We've got the Striper Blues."  "You are damn right we do!" Art replied.  OK, next spot.

First drop, third spot.  Long troll. Nothing. 

Back to the first spot, because there was one Striper in the mix, Art said we are approaching the "magic hour" referring to the best time of day to catch a striper.  Slack tide, sun setting on the horizon.  Phil asked if the bass were smarter than the blues.  Marty tilted his head disagreeably, "They are both opportunistic feeders, Bass, especially the big ones are lazy."  Art shouted from the front, "Gotta catch 'em in the mouth."  Marty agreed, "Yah the bait's got to be," and he dangled his hand in front of his face, "Right, Here."  Phil and I laughed, and I said, "Yep, lazy fish, and extra lazy today."  First drop, first spot on the second approach.  Bluefish.  Bluefish.  Bluefish.  Marty found another short bass.  Bluefish, and some more bluefish.  Harry Houdini must have turned off the magic for this hour.  Discouraged by all the blue fish, fifteen in all but good sized around 10-15lbs each, and just two stripers, Art asked if we should call it.  Phil agreed, I agreed for Phil's sake (he needs his sleep), Marty reluctantly agreed because we agreed, and Art said, "As long as we agree."

Twilight on Long Island Sound

On the way back in, Marty and Art talked in the cabin, and Phil and I sat in chairs watching the twilight sky and talked about how special it is to be able to do something like this.  Phil said, "It's all right here, in Connecticut, when you think of the ocean you think of Florida or the Caribbean, but it's all here."  I said, "When you have a chance to do something cool like this, always take it," Phil nodded, as I continued, "And tomorrow, we will have that burn in our arms ... a little reminder that we fought fish."

Tackle Shop Reviews

Here are some of my favorite tackle shops in Connecticut, and my reviews of them.

Connecticut Outfitters: Located at 512 Silas Dean Highway in Wethersfield, CT.  This shop is primarily tailored to Striped Bass, Northern Pike, Small mouth bass, and anything that has to do with Ice fishing.  Everyone in the shop is very nice and all are excellent fishermen with good knowledge of the best places to fish at all times of the year.  The shop is one of the best for fresh live bait for sure carrying anything you could want to use, from eels for stripers in the summer months to big live suckers for Pike through the ice in the winter.  Capt. Blaine Anderson is primarily a Striped Bass and Northern Pike guide with an expertise on the CT river fishery for these fish.  He holds several seminars a year in their shop teaching attendees about everything you need to maximize your chances at catching fish in the river.  The seminars provide information on  tackle recommendations such as rod and reel, lines and leaders, knots, terminal tackle, lures and bait, to where the fish hold and what structure they relate to, boat position, productive areas including aerial photography and charts, areas of access, and question and answers from the audience to the guide himself.  I highly recommend these seminars to both the advanced angler and the novice, and they always give a discount immediately following the seminar.  I also highly recommend this shop for anything to do with ice fishing, they have it all.
http://www.ct-outfitters.com/

Hillyer's Tackle Shop: 374 Rope Ferry Road, Waterford, CT.  As soon as you walk through the front door, you know this place is serious.  If you want to buy a rod, reel, or have your current rod, reel fixed or serviced, look no further because this is the place you want to go.  The inventory they have is incredible, and these guys know how to pair the fishing you do to the correct equipment.  They have serviced my reels and made several repairs to my rods and you get nothing less than quality service.  They are a factory warrantee repair shop for penn reels, and carry a large selection of live and frozen bait.  Even if you do not fish, this place is worth a stop because it is well organized and you can actually see their team working on rods and reels.  They also have a display case with antique reels which is quite impressive to see the progression of technology in fishing equipment.
http://www.hillyerstackle.com/

Coop's Bait and Tackle: 174 West Tisbury Road, Martha's Vineyard, MA.  If you are planning a trip to fish Martha's Vineyard, this should be your first stop when you get there.  Owner Cooper Gilkes or anyone in the shop will lend their advice on where to go and what to use, and all you have to do is ask.  In my experience, I have learned where to go, what tide to fish, what lures to bring and have not been disappointed.  Or if I tell them I'm fishing such and such a beach, they will let me know how they have produced on that beach.  This shop carries anything you could want or need from the surf for casting or for the fly rodder, and carries live and frozen bait.  They also offer a guide service as well.  http://coopsbaitandtackle.com/

Blue Line Sports: 81 Main Street, Saranac Lake, NY.  This shop is not specifically a tackle shop, it is an outdoor shop with a good selection of fishing, hunting, and outdoor/field gear.  If you hunt, hike, fish, camp, canoe, kayak, etc. this is a great store.  The owners are awesome people and are active in the local community, I know because as a Paul Smith's college alumni I asked for a simple donation for our Surveying and Mapping club and received much more!!  They also have a strong commitment to conservation and education.  If you are visiting the area and are unsure about where to go, this is a great place to stop and ask.  I also caught my largest Northern Pike using one of their own top-water buzz baits, 13lb. 37" monster on the saranac river about a mile out of downtown S.L.
http://www.bluelinesportsllc.com/index.html

North Cove Outfitters: 75 Main Street, Old Saybrook, CT.  This shop specializes in the outdoors, from canoes and kayaks to hiking gear and anything to do with fly fishing and everything inbetween this place has it.  If you are seriously looking to buy a canoe or kayak, look no further.  This shop holds a number of product demo days, where you can test out kayaks with the guidance and support of the people who make and sell them.  Whether it is a touring kayak, or one for fishing this shop can outfit to your needs.  As for fishing tackle, this is my favorite shop to go to for fly tying materials.  They have a large selection of materials from natural feathers to synthetics, that you can produce both fresh and salt water flys from.  Check out their website for a variety of product demos and seminars. 
http://www.northcove.com/
I will add to this list later on.

Over-Under Prepared

This is my first post to my first blog, my fiance Laura suggested I should begin a blog because she knows I enjoy writing and I thought it was a good idea. 

5:00a.m. my alarm rang and I grabbed my phone on the night stand to hit snooze.  Two minutes later it registered in my head that the alarm was for a day of fishing and I saw the notification light on my phone was going off.  My friend Evan who was meeting me at 5:30 had sent an, "Are you awake?" message as a friendly reminder to get up! 
The night before I had stopped at a bait shop and purchased a dozen and a half live eels for bait and some terminal tackle (swivels, hooks, sinkers, etc.) to replace items I had lost from earlier in the season.  I had done some reorganization and condensing of my tackle box because I knew I'd be fishing on a small boat (14' Boston Whaler) with two other guys.  This decision is not an easy one considering what to take, prioitizing lures and rods never has made any sense to me, because what if I need that thing sitting my house.  So, I rigged my lines, leaders, everything set up so that if that magical moment on the water erupted I could respond to it in under a minutes time.
5:30 I see Evan's truck at dunkin donuts and he's buying.  As I pull in and shut off my truck, Evan is texting our friend Jon asking what he wants for breakfast, as he steps out of his truck and says, "Jon just got up."  My immediate reaction was "let's get some coffee."  So we went in and ordered and I quietly thought to myself, I really do not have any expectations for today other than I hope we catch some fish.  Despite the fact that we were going out on Jon's boat and he lives over an hour away from where we were launching and had to get the boat and truck from his mom's house, I wasn't going to let it bother me, as I everyone has overslept.  Evan and I drove to a commuter lot where I put my gear in his truck and we headed for the launch.  I told Evan, there is water there we can fish until Jon shows up.
6:15 CT DEP niantic river launch is a nice facility on the niatic river just north of I-95 in waterford, it has a large ramp for multiple trucks/boats to be launching or loading at the same time.  It is also next door to Hillyer's Bait and Tackle.  To maintain my over-under prepared theme, I want to stress the importance of something Evan and I both did not do.  We walking into a bait and tackle shop, instantly started looking around and got lost in the glory of all the bright colors and cool gear, instead of asking a simple question.  "What are the fish feeding on?"  This one question can change your day from heading out "In the dark" to being informed and bettering your chances at catching fish.  I do not know why I didn't ask, it might have been because I had already purchased bait, because I prepped the night before, because I had the lures I have always produced on and didn't want to buy another one.  Always ask that question, the people who have these shops are open for a reason.
7:00 CT DEP niantic river launch moves a lot of boats quite efficiently, which I noticed while waiting for Jon.  Jon's boat is new to him, he purchased it from his uncle about a month ago, but it doesn't have a fish/depth finder.  Knowing the depth in the ocean is paramount in locating areas that hold fish, such as drop offs, boulders, vegetation, water temp, etc.  It is one of the things on his wish list, and if you would like to contribute I'll send you his info.
7:40 CT DEP niantic river launch got brighter as Jon pulled in and we loaded up without busting on him too hard.  Within a few minutes we were on our way to fishing.
8:00 warm water discharge at Millstone Nuclear power plant.  Millstone's discharge outflows produce excellent currents that protrude a few hundred yards out into Long Island sound, and due to the temperatures of the warmer water tend to hold baitfish well into the fall months as the water cools.  There were plenty of bait in the water when we got there, but no diving birds or fish chasing them. At least nothing we could see.  We made casts in and around the discharge flows with no luck for about half an hour, as did other anglers around us.  Finally I saw a bait ball hitting the surface and I made a cast to the rear portion of the group and a small blue fish grabbed my surface popper.  I landed him, removed the hooks and returned to casting again with no luck.
9:00 to 2:00 pm Bartlet's Reef, southeast of Niantic river.  At low tide, large rocks protrude from the sound in a wall formation adorned by lobster pots marked by their bouys in different colors.  As we approached we could see the "parking lot" of boats which is typical of most productive reefs.  Terns and gulls were working the water from above as stripers and blues worked from below making quite the pleasant sight to incoming fishermen.  For five hours, the three of us slung lures, reeled in, slung again, reeled in slung again, reeled in, changed lures, slung lures, reeled in, changed again, slung lures, reeled in, and repeated until absolute frustration.  The bait in the water, which was everywhere were fish no longer than an inch in size and not one of us had a bait under three inches.  All I could think about was that plastic box full of small jigs at home that would have probably made me rich on the water, because we did not witness any boats catching fish.  Not fly-rodders in a guide boat, not guys jigging, not the boat with three women anglers, not the guy with his family in the small tin boat, not the guy in the 27' center consol.  Evan caught three porgy on the reef, but they were not the fish we were after.
2:10 Jon caught a fish at the warm water discharge on our way back in so he wasn't "skunked" for the day, and we called it quits.

The lesson I learned is that even if you prepare and think you have everything, the one thing you leave behind you will most likely need.  Also, that when you go into a tackle shop ask what the fish are feeding on.