Downtime

[sand flea]

Earlier this week I was hanging out with a buddy in a bar while I lamented the end of the fishing season. I thought about putting up my rods, spending Saturdays cleaning my reels and watching lame fishing shows.

How unfair is it that our hobby disappears for 1/4 of the year?

Then I thought of a line from Melville, where he talks about huddling under a blanket in the middle of winter. He feels sorry for the rich who can always afford to heat their rooms because they are always warm, and because they have never been cold they will never truly know what's it's like to be warm.

I think it may be the same for us (except for our southern brethren below the frost line ;) ). Just a thought, but perhaps that first tug on the line in late March will be sweeter because we'll have spent months wondering what it would feel like.

[BentHook]

I feel your pain. We get about a month of downtime if we don't fish the InterCoastal Waterway. But, I could always run 50 miles south of Koslow and it would be like summer time all over again. :)
What we miss, is the sound of a shovel scraping the sidewalk as you remove those snowflakes.I guess there is a downside, like when the plow comes thru and puts 3' of snow in front of your driveway just after you shoveled it out.
When I really start to feel blue, I turn on cable TV, fire up the fake logs and watch the snow storms blasting away at the NorthEast. :D

[jkcam]

Sand Flea

You just have to change stategy. I know from personal experience, having fished with the local ledgendary and since passed, Bill Pike (his true name) that you can catch White Perch in the Severn River just about all winter. Bill, who was a wonderful guy, and without a doubt, the most knowledgeable W/P fisherman in the area, would go looking for grass shrimp throughout the winter and score the Perch on virtually every outing. There were times when the river and much of the Bay were solid ice. The ice could put a damper on the fishing. :rolleyes:

I have to admit, the winters were a major factor in moving to Florida. I do miss the Severn and the Bay, it is a great area. Just honker down, it won't be long till the Stripers are back. Best to you in 05.
jim