Spring brings a number of rituals. Among them in our neck of the woods is fishing for schoolie striped bass. On appropriately sized tackle, they put just the right grin on your face, especially after a long, hard New England winter.
Other rites of spring include cleaning the gutters (postponed), cleaning up the yard (rescheduled for next weekend), and getting the boat ready to go fishing for schoolies.
Having the boat is certainly a mixed blessing. We could throw our waders on, grab a handful of flies and hit the shore to catch schoolies by the bucket full. (Seriously, please don't do that.) But the boat is a ticket to access different types of water and cover more ground in search of fish. It's freedom. It's fun.
It's an obligation. Prepping and launching took three afternoons that weren't spent fishing.
Is it worthwhile?
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| First striped bass of 2015 |
The smile says, "yes".
