Cabin in Stowe, Vermont
I can usually approximate within a trip or two how many times I’ve been fishing in a year, but not this year. I was good at keeping a log during the winter and spring, but in the summer as I went out more, I started grouping trips into comprehensive posts. I think the last time I went out was in early September when I was driving through New England with my wife and dog. My first actual fishing trip of 2010 was some time on march for chain pickerel at Unicorn Lake. That makes for about a 7 month fishing year. If I had to guess, I’d say I went between 15 and 20 times. Not bad considering I went around 20 times in 2009.
The theme for this year was quality vs quantity. In the spring and summer, when I had time, I fished Clopper lake very frequently and I got to know it pretty well. I also took two great camping/fishing trips: one to the Susquehanna Flats and another to Forked Lake in the Adirondacks. This past year, I might not have gone out as much as I usually did, but when I had the time, I usually had a fairly productive trip – from either catching or exploring standpoints.
High points:
Plenty of storage room in the bow hatch, rod pod, and tankwell for fishing and camping gear.
OK Prowler Trident 13!
This past year I got a new kayak rigged and ready to fish. I spent the winter rigging it up and the spring and summer getting to know it. It’s definitely nicer having a SOT when I’m fishing on the bay. It just feels safer and I can cover more water with more confidence. It’s also nice having a 2nd boat for when my wife or a friend wants to come along fishing with me. I rigged the boat with two Scotty rod holders behind the seat, anchor trolleys on both sides, and a Hummingbird fish finder. I also installed the rod pod myself and upgraded my pfd.
Average size of bass I caught this year.
Tons of bass fishing this spring and summer
I think living next to Clopper lake has been great and this summer I definitely took advantage of being so close. Having the State Park Passport also prompted me to take quick trips when ever I had a moment before or after work or on the weekends. Picking up the G Loomis ultralight rod this spring really got me into finesse bass fishing. I caught I ton of bass on that rod using small Senkos.
Launching at the beach from Elk Neck State Park for a day of fishing on the Susquehanna Flats.
Awesome Susquehanna Flats trip
This was definitely one of my top trips of the year. I camped by myself at Elk Neck State Park for two nights and caught nice stripers on flies and light tackle from my kayak. I took some good pics and had a great time.
Somewhere in New England with all my favorite things.
New England road trip
I got prepared for the trip with a new truck, a Leer cap and Thule kayak holders. The cap was a must-have for us to take all of our camping and fishing gear, cooler, 2 kayaks, and our dog. We started in the Catskills, headed up to the Adirondacks, then over to Portland, Maine for a few nights with family. From there we went on up to Acadia, and then over to a cabin in Stowe, Vermont.
Some Forked Lake campsites are on islands, nearly all are on the lake shore.
We stayed at Forked Lake in the Adirondacks for two days but only caught a few pumpkin seed on flies – no smallmouth or trout. They were small, brightly colored fish, somehow crisper than similar fish in Maryland, but even more timid. The water there was clear and rocky, but there was a fair amount of wood structure and vegetation. I missed a few hits on a small rapala – I think they were either brookies or small pickerel – something small and feisty. The camp site was beautiful, right on the lake with outhouses back in the woods and steel bear boxes next to the stone fire pits.
An Adirondacks pumpkinseed.
I hit the largemouth bass jackpot at a small lake in maine. The temps were in the 90s (very high for Maine) high and the lake was clear, shallow, and full of vegetation. Fish were jumping everywhere, even in the afternoon. I also caught a nice pickerel there too.
Dusk at a small lake in Acadia.
I got skunked at a small lake in Acadia and didn’t have any time to fish in Vermont. What did I learn? We spent too much time driving and not enough time camping/fishing. I’m glad we saw as much as we did, but I hope to not be on the road so much next year. I also learned that camping and bringing a cooler full of food and drinks definitely keeps the costs down.
- Gaithersburg, MD to Forked Lake, NY – 462 miles
- Forked Lake to Portland, Maine – 301 miles miles
- Portland to Acadia – 159 miles
- Acadia to Stowe, VT – 308 miles
- Stowe, VT to Gaithersburg, MD – 579 miles
- total – 1809 miles
Finally explored Kent Narrows
I fished the breakwater, the bridge pilings, and the shorelines to the north and south thoroughly one morning. I can’t count the number of times I’ve driven over the Kent Narrows bridge and wondered how that structure would fish from a kayak. No fish, but I gave it a shot. I think I just started too late. Even though I got skunked, I’m glad I finally did it in a kayak. Dawn and dusk on a week day in the fall would probably be ideal.
Dodged a big bullet on our Potomac float
This summer David and I floated the Potomac and caught smallies with small Senkos on my new Loomis rod. Halfway through the trip the wind picked up and the sky started getting ugly so we paddled the second half of the float without fishing. We made it to the ramp and loaded up the boats but missed getting caught in a big storm by a few minutes. No power when we got home. A few days later more thunderstorms moved through the area and knocked down a bunch of old trees in my neighborhood.
Things to work on in 2011
Pickerel pic
Yet another year went by where I caught a nice pickerel on a fly and didn’t get a picture. Next year I vow to catch one on film!
Perch run
I missed the perch run again this year. All winter long a few years ago I thought of catching bluegill on poppers, last winter it was floating the Potomac again and catching smallmouth from my kayak. This year, I’m really looking forward to catching white perch on the Chester and having perch scampi when i get home.
Virginia
On our way to Harrisonburg to pick up our new Brittany Spaniel puppy, I realized how close I live to the good fishing that Virginia has to offer. I’ll commonly drive over 2 hours on Route 50 to Unicorn Lake or Hooper’s Island, but for some reason, I’ve avoided driving an hour on Route 66. I think there’s some great fishing closer to home that I want to explore this year.
New gear
- time for new waders – breathable this time.
- handheld gps
- new camera
- kayak cart
- assorted dry bags
