My Season

I've done a lot of talking about the seasons of other anglers, so it's only fair that I talk a bit about my own accomplishments this season. I've only been fishing for three years, except the few times I went as a kid with my father. The learning curve, I suppose, is a bit different, but I guess I am subject to the same judgments as any. So I guess honesty is in order! Did I catch a lot of fish? To me, yeah! It was a big, big improvement over last year, due mostly to my trip to Oneida as a Marshall at the B.A.S.S. event. Watching the two pros I was paired with--John Murray and Brent Chapman--provided me with enough inspiration and instruction to help me catch more fish than I did last year. I can't say exactly what I learned other than a sense of patience and perseverence, but I do know that my skills improved. My best day was three fish on a local pond (in Hampstead, NH), each about 2 1/12- 3 lbs, and my worst was an obvious zero, though I feel like I learned from nearly every day I was out. Of note is my latest day on the water, which was today. I travelled farther than I should have in my tiny, electric-powered boat and was fortunate to have met someone on my way back who was kind enough to tow me the rest of the way. I hadn't caught a fish to that point, but as he was pulling in to the ramp I decided to cast out a few times. I caught a decent fish on my fifth cast, my only of the day. Just goes to show that the least likely of circumstances sometimes produce.