jbmaine

As the title says, this has not been a good year for us. The Missus and I are very introverted. We are quite happy being mostly alone. However, around nine years ago we met someone on this forum. He lives in the next town from us and fished the same places we did. We met up and soon became good friends. We'd meet up on the same lake and compare notes, when the Misses didn't want to go he and I would head out for the day. Our friend ship grew to shooting, woodworking in my wood shop, I got him into fly fishing, fly tying, He was a best friend. Then a few months ago it seemed like his whole attitude changed. Every message I sent him led to him arguing with me about something. He stopped coming on this forum. Finally one day he sent me a message and said he was done and had enough. I wrote him back to ask for some of my stuff back that I had lent him and never got a reply. I had another e-mail of his and I finally used it to send him another message. I told him how after nine years and every thing we had gone thru the best he could do was ghost us. He couldn't be bothered to get out of his chair, hop in his car, drive twenty minutes over here so we could talk it out in person , shake hands and part on good terms and at least give me my stuff back. So far I've not yet received anything back or heard anything from him. And to add insult to injury I had a bad reaction to one of my medications and have been house bound for some time. I am getting better but it will take some time. so the cover hasn't been off the boat for weeks and I can only read about everyone else catching all the fish. So please, catch one or two for us🙂

I grew up fishing both salt and fresh. From blues to bass, when not flyfishing, it was spinning gear all the way for me.

My dad served in the navy. My uncle in the army air core. Both made it home, thank god. Both are gone now. I can't watch the cemetery scene in Saving Private Ryan with out tearing up.

I've trolled for fish off and on forever. Trolling a fly for trout, salmon, For blues and stripers in the salt, and for freshwater bass. Certain times when your feeling lazy, or bursitis is acting up, or you just want to look around and enjoy the scenery , trolling is great.

Sorry people got hurt, glad it wasn't worse. Speed kills, always has always will.

On of the parts that doesn't get mentioned much is the sub was on trials at the time. Several civilians were onboard as well, from the yard and other companies.

It seems the Thresher is kind of a local memory. In my case, it's never really out of my thoughts. I grew up ( and still live) local to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. I was in elementary school when it happened. One of my friends lost his father that day. There is a memorial stone for the Thresher in the middle of the Kittery traffic circle, I see at least once a week . I try to post this every year so maybe more people will hear of it and remember. Thanks for your reply. I appreciate it.

Lets take a moment to remember the loss of the USS Thresher and her brave crew, lost on April 10 1963. Tragedy At Sea: USS Thresher Submarine Sinking 1963 | The WAR Room

Most of the waters we fish have large open areas with submerged weed beds. Run up wind, then drift back thru is common for us. If the wind doesn't play along I'll set the trolling motor is slowly move us thru, all the while fan casting around the boat. This can be deadly on an overcast day. This is how I caught my PB.

Ironically, I talked to our postmaster today. Last Sat. the missus and I drove to the local post office to pick up a package. On Sat. our post office is supposed to be open 9:30 AM to noon. Got there around 10 and the doors were locked, nobody home. Turns out they got our postmaster spread out so thin running around to different post offices in the area, she didn't even know nobody showed up for work last Sat. until I told her today. And then only because I had called in a complaint to their reginal center and she called me back to find out what I was complaining about. It sure isn't like the good old days.

With all the snow we're getting, snow load on the roof is a worry, so don't do what my neighbor did. One of my neighbors on the next road over was up on his roof shoveling snow off. Like me, he likes his coffee, and as he had had several cups he felt the call of nature. We live in a rural area and he really didn't want to climb down the ladder any more than necessary, he just " did his business" right on the roof. After he finished cleaning off the roof he went inside to warm up, only to find his wife was none to happy with him. Seems the skylight above the kitchen had a particular urine yellow tint to it that stayed until the next storm covered it up.🙄

For me, Winter is the worst time to throw anything top water. Not that the bass don't want it, but in all my years of fishing I've yet to see one want it bad enough to break thru the ice and get it.😉 sorry for the above, it's been a long winter.

Only two feet + white stuff left at my place. I'm waiting for the warm up and longer days.

I haven't bought a new rod in ten years, a new reel in six years. So long as my old stuff works, I'll keep using it.

I haven't so far.😉

I've stood in a river in northern New Hampshire in March fly fishing for trout. Had to fish between the ice flows.

The passing of such great forum members, or indeed anyone on here is a great loss, and I am truly sad at their passing. I can't help but think that along with their great advise and help, the best gift for us is a reminder of just how swift and fleeting life can be, and how we should make the most of every day, and to just enjoy the fact we are still here. No matter if we get skunked, or stuck behind an idiot at the boat launch, life is just too good not to enjoy it to it's fullest.

I think a lot of it depends on the type of waters you fish. Bass in a lake that don't see much boat traffic will spook much easier, so you need to be stealthy to catch them. Bass in waters with lots of boat traffic are more use to noise / disturbance, and generally don't spook that easily. Case in point- I caught my PB in a lake with lots of boat traffic. I had the sonar pinging, trolling motor going. I caught it five feet from the boat in five feet of water. The bass could see and hear the boat, and it still took my spinnerbait.

Had a nice visitor at the house. He stayed long enough to let me take a few good pics ( from inside).

I guess I'm old. I'm in my seventies. But fishing is fishing , young or old. As for tired, well, I've fished when I was tired for years. Then I left work and became retired, but I still fish.😀

My other hobby is woodworking. I have a basement shop and spend time woodworking almost every day. I've made most of the furniture in our house, plus boxes, clocks, shadow boxes, a bit of everything. I find it very satisfying to take wood ( mostly from our own property) and create something. Here's a couple pics. ( I'm not the best picture taker)

A day that will live in infamy. The attack on pearl harbor. The day we were drawn into WW2. Can't believe it's been 84 years. My dad and both of my uncles fought.

I am both. For decades I was north country flyfishing with waders and a canoe, coupled with a salt water boat for the summer. I met the missus some twenty plus years ago and we settled on fishing out of a canoe for bass. When that got too uncomfortable ( medical issues) we bought a skiff. That worked for a few years until that got too uncomfortable, and now we have a multi species boat. I have an ulterra trolling motor and fishfinders with it so that part is more complicated. However, my fishing tackle is simplified, to an extent. I keep five rods in the boat, all spinning, with the same line on all. The only tackle I've bought recently is because of the upcoming lead ban in Maine. My folks did things real simple. They fished the salt for years, using nothing but a boat with a compass and handlines, and never got skunked.

Look who showed up at our door this Thanksgiving.😃

Use what works best for you. I've been using spinning gear for 60 + years for fresh and salt, never had a problem. Only time I put down spinning gear is to pick up a fly rod.