 |
 |
 |
| |
For the Monitor
By JOHN CORRIGAN
Happy fall. May the fish be with you. Hard to tell when autumn really
starts in New Hampshire. Until recently, Labor Day was the unofficial
end of the vacation season. That was before kids started going back to
school during the last week in August.
The calendar marks today as the equinox, when we really lose traction as
the days grow shorter until winter arrives in the weeks - days? - before
the New Hampshire primary.
In the wake of rains that chased hot weather from the region, Sunday
afternoon offered sunny but cool weather without the distractions of
Patriots football or a pennant race. What kind of scheduling nitwits put
Sunday Night Football up against the final Red Sox-Yankees game of the
regular season?
Anticipating heavy NASCAR traffic, I decided to stay close to home. The
Contoocook River where it flows through Concord above the Penacook dams
seemed a good choice. I was partially inspired by a co-worker who told
me a few stories about fishing the section in his long-ago youth. (Am I
going to catch it tomorrow.)
I launched the kayak at the public boat launch near the Rolfe Canal near
River Road. As expected, the water was fairly cool. I was surprised that
it was quite clear; I worried that the river would turn murky after the
storms.
A reader from New Boston recently sent an e-mail asking for some tips on
outfitting a kayak for fly and spin casting and trolling.
Until two years ago, I was a confirmed canoe paddler who had never stuck
his legs into a kayak's cockpit. I liked the look of the angler's
package on the Old Town Dirigo in the L.L. Bean catalog. It's the
classic "sit in kayak" or SIK. I haven't tried one, but many anglers
like the "sit on top" or SOT style. It's a basic decision, one probably
best made after testing a few models.
In selecting a fishing kayak, look for one with good "primary
stability." That means it will be fairly stable for casting.
High-performance kayaks offer better "secondary stability." Such boats
are ultimately harder to capsize, but they can feel tippy.
If you fly fish, avoid the simple rod holders designed to hold the butt
end of a standard spinning or baitcast rod. Remember that the fly reel
attaches at the end of the grip, not above the hand.
A place to keep the paddle when casting or playing a fish is important.
A leash is one approach, but I don't like the idea of the paddle
drifting about in the water. Contoocook River Canoe fabricated a simple
system that works fine. A section of elastic cord knotted at each end is
held in place through two holes drilled just below the cockpit. The cord
wraps around the paddle and is secured by a "C" shaped fastener.
One drawback to my paddle retainer is that I keep banging my thumb and
knuckles into the hardware. Next spring, I'll have it repositioned
toward the bow, out of the range of clumsy paddle strokes.
I try to anticipate minor disasters. I carry a spare paddle, paddle
float, self-rescue rope, and a pump for clearing water after a
misadventure. Even experienced canoe paddlers can benefit from a day of
kayak lessons. Pay close attention to the instructions for escaping from
a capsized boat. It's easy to panic while dangling underwater.
I know the Contoocook holds some decent bass because I have caught them
there, usually by paying close attention to advice from Mark Beauchesne.
The river is certainly full of good shoreline structure. I found a good
mix of natural and manufactured bass cover around the ruins of some
bridge abutments.
I worked a large subsurface contraption similar to the zug bug trout
fly. The bass version was larger, featuring rubber legs and lots of
peacock herl. Two loops of monofilament made the hook weedless.
Had I been a kid fishing for panfish with a bobber and worm, I could
have rated the day a success. Sitting in that retrofitted kayak and
waving a fly rod, a couple of sunfish didn't seem like much of a return
on the investment.
Even a weedless fly can survive only so many encounters with bass
structure. A hard yank on the line after I snagged the fly in a place
beyond my reach severed the leader.
That gave me an excuse to switch to a floating line for the multi-tip
system, the fist time I have tried this on the water. As expected,
changing just the tip proved to be much easier than substituting spools
and running a line through all the guides on a 9-foot wand.
In the coming weeks, the shorter hours of daylight will offer some trout
fishing in the mountains as well as late-season futility on salmon
waters. Fall may not offer the glories of springtime fishing, but it's
way too early to hand up the rod. |
|
 |
|
 |
|
