Introduction

My dad planted this idea in my head that I should write a book with all of the fishing knowledge I've been accumulating over the last year or so, but what I decided to do instead is to combine that with what I've been trying to get out of social media but had little success - a place where I can put my thoughts and share my experiences without feeling judged or disheartened if I don't get a response. A proverbial bucket to just dump what's going on in my head for the sake of getting it out of my head without having to talk my wife's ear off at the end of the day. 

I'm not going to treat this like a college essay so there may be some rambling here and there.

Anyways...

This year has been a great year for me. My dad and I started fishing, and we even got a boat about a month ago. My daughter is almost 3 years old and is way too damn smart for her own good. We had a great family vacation on the Cape, got closer with my parents, and learned who our real friends are when times get tough. Every year is filled with family drama, no matter who you are. For me, it's about making sure you prioritize your own physical and mental health over anyone else's problems. Sometimes it's just best for you to do your own thing and not worry about the problem anymore. Ignorance is truly bliss, but there is also a clear line between being completely ignorant of other people to the point of not caring about them and considering your own mental health when choosing to approach or avoid a potential confrontation.

For me and my family, it started off as an inconvenience living so relatively far from the rest of our family, but I personally have come to love and appreciate the distance. It's like we are in a separate world, and we can easily "escape" to our home and just relax, breathe in the fresh air and move on with our lives without having to worry about if or when the next frustrating hurdle will wind up on our path. We can choose what we want to do without feeling pressured by someone over our shoulder or even down the street.

This year I stopped doing things just to do things and started asking myself "What do I want to do?" and that has been the best thing for me. I used to be a big gamer, had my gaming backlog and all that jazz and found it to be exhausting and overwhelming to try and keep up with new games and play all of the older games I've bought but never finished (curse you Humble Bundle!!!). I even took a major step back from some of my favorite online communities for the same reason. It's a great feeling to be included in something but it's equally exhausting to have to try and keep up with what's going on in order for you to feel like you are included. Don't get me wrong, friends are great and necessary in life, but the kinds of people that require you to be the one to keep the connection going just aren't worth the effort.

What do I want to do?

The most interesting thing I found when I started asking myself this question is how little of the things I would typically do during the day would be the answer. Lately, the answer is usually "go fishing," but frankly I don't always have that luxury. Sometimes I just want to get outside, so I'll go in the garage, open up the doors and maybe knock out a few small items on my honey-do list. My favorite non-fishing things to do are to either reorganize the garage or work on the boat after we've taken it out over the weekend. I'll gladly just spend time tinkering with my fishing gear too, or scour the internet reading up on more fishing tips.

I pretty much stopped gaming daily this year. I still keep up with a game here and there. I'm going to be getting the new Pokemon game in a couple weeks and I'm looking forward to that. I just find that I'm no longer constantly looking for the next game to keep me entertained. I'll either tinker in the garage, play something I'm actively interested in, or just chill on the couch watching Alone.

 Fishing!

This has been an awesome year for fishing, simply because it's been my first year fishing! I've had plenty of frustrations, a lot of uphill battles learning the ropes, and a lot of figuring out the wheres and hows for finding and catching all different species. My dad wasn't a fisherman growing up, at least not in the American traditional sense since we was born and raised in the Azores, so this was a learning experience for the two of us.

I caught my first largemouth on a wacky rig at Buffumville Lake in Charlton, and that was the most amazing experience. Actually, the spot that I caught two largemouths was just around the corner from where my dad and I both caught our first fish - a handful of bluegill on both night crawlers and Crickhoppers. That day with the bass was an awesome day, because I remember camping out at that spot for a couple hours, not really knowing what I was doing but just trying a handful of different things. After breaking a rod that my father-in-law gave me and almost calling it quits, I brought in two bass and I could hear someone on the path across the stream saying "he caught a bass!," followed by "is that the same bass?" when I caught the second one. The praise and the catches really brought me into the fishing game that much more.

From then on, I've been keeping tabs on what I've been fishing with, trying out different lures and baits, and posting on FishAngler as well as keeping a Google Doc updated with what has worked for me in different seasons for different species.

I had a great summer, catching a few more bass on a local pond using both a wacky rig and a Whopper Plopper, and even had an awesome trip with the extended family to Lake George, where I managed to catch my PB which was just under 2 lbs, though felt heavier, as well as catching my first smallie and my first rock bass.

I'm looking forward to spring and early summer next year because that's when I've had the best luck so far. I've been skunked the last few times fishing, while also experiencing a comedy of mishaps while going out on the boat the first few times over the last two months. As the cold weather is setting in, I think I'm going to have to admit soon that it's time to put all my tackle away for the season, but I'm still determined to catch a trout and some more cold water fish if I can find them.

Until next time...

As my wife knows, sometimes I can just go on and on about things. I can't say for sure what I'll talk about next, but you can bet there will be some fishing stuff in there. Until next time, keep doing you.