One cruel paradox we fishwriters have learned to accept is that, at least here on the New England tundra, fishermen tend to do the bulk of their most focused and sustained annual reading during the stretch of calendar when there are virtually zero fish in our collective fore. Absent the cast of seasonal migrants that occupy the balance of our living hours not chewed up by work or other obligations such as eating, shaving, collecting toenail clippings, and bathing every other week whether we need it or not, we pursue any and all avenues of recreation we think might help ease the intensifying fish withdrawal symptoms. Among other activities, we use our Dark Months free time to catch up on the fishing magazines that drifted like so many four-square-foot, 50-page newsprint snowflakes where wall meets floor tiles in the bathroom from roughly May through the bitter end of November.Lisa Helme DanforthDec 1st, 2013
At the risk of beating one very dead horse, I can’t shake the feeling that we’re standing on the threshold of dark days for our striped bass resource. I wrote a bit about this in last month’s column, too, and I decided when I wrote that entry that I’d leave the subject alone for a bit. Trouble is, with each passing week, I’ve spoken to new people representing— in sum—quite a significant geographic fishing range, and an interesting crosssection of the striper-fishing world. On one hand, I think many anglers have begun to understand the overarching issues feeding the widespread recent concern over the health of striped bass stocks. On the other hand, given the sheer number of people with whom I’ve discussed the issue—and the range of specific interests these people represent— I’m alarmed that we seem so far from any real consensus about either the state of the resource, or the challenges ahead.Lisa Helme DanforthNov 1st, 2013
At the risk of beating one very dead horse, I can’t shake the feeling that we’re standing on the threshold of dark days for our striped bass resource. I wrote a bit about this in last month’s column, too, and I decided when I wrote that entry that I’d leave the subject alone for a bit. Trouble is, with each passing week, I’ve spoken to new people representing—in sum—quite a significant geographic fishing range, and an interesting cross-section of the striper-fishing world.Lisa Helme DanforthOct 1st, 2013
