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It's been said that Maine has only three seasons:
winter (of course); mud season; and black fly
season. Massachusetts, at least to the striped
bass aficionado, has only two: striped bass season
and hell. We've made the mistake of falling for
a fleeting lover, and unless you're rich enough
or poor enough to be an itinerant fish bum, you'll
have a five and a half month wait from the time the
bass leave in late October until they return from
the Chesapeake in mid-May. Perlerorneq
is an Inuit word that means "sick of life" and
refers to the extreme depression brought on by
the long, dark, Arctic winters. It perfectly
describes the off-season.
While we wait we seek solace in other things; fly
tying, book reading, alcohol drinking. Then in
March comes the first flicker of hope: The Fly
Fishing Expo. This is a show held every year
during the second week of March, and is timed
in such a way as to give those of us who are
about to jump out of our skin ("I'm ready to
stick fish hooks in my veins," one friend lamented)
something of a sedative to get us through the next
two months.
Fly-fishing shows are a chance to check out new
gear, buy fly tying materials, and meet and mingle
with famous fly fishers (odd that there is such a
thing). The usual suspects were at the Expo; Lefty
Kreh, Lou Tabory, Jack Gartside, Bob Popcovics, et.
al. Some of these fishers are good sports (I once
got a free private lesson on tying the clouser deep
minnow from Bob Clouser himself) while others are
curmudgeons, and I say that with respect and affection,
as I believe curmudgeonism to be one of the higher
levels of fly fishing (and am nearly there myself).
This year I had an opportunity to talk with Jim Murphy
of Albright Tackle. I've known Jim for a number of
years, and have always had the deepest admiration for
him because it was he, when he was with Redington,
who introduced the unconditional guarantee on low-priced
rods. The rest of the manufacturers had to follow suit
(even Loomis, albeit kicking and screaming), and if you
ever slam a car door on a low or mid-priced rod with
an unconditional guarantee you should say a silent
'thanks' to Jim. I cast the Albright EXS rod, an
attractive rod with high quality components that can
throw line as far and accurate as a Tom Brady pass.
Though Albright's top rod, it is still a reasonable
$350, and as soon as I can justify to the bride my
need for yet another rod I'll add it to the quiver.
I had an awkward moment when I bumped into a former
fishing partner, which can be as uncomfortable as
seeing an ex-spouse. He's a good guy, a very good
fisherman, and we fished together for close to ten
years, but there was always this competitive vibe,
and I found myself trying to out fish him because
I knew he was trying to out fish me. That's not
what fishing should be about and now I usually
fish alone to avoid that
'ha-ha-I-caught-more-than-him-oh-no-he-caught-more-than-me'
emotional tug-of-war. But we're still friends and
ended our conversation on a positive note, though
we were both astute enough not to suggest any fishing
dates.
There are always a few good bargains at the show.
(Fly fishers dig owning fly fishing stuff and I
think a review of past economic trends would indicate
that fly fishers have, through the years, been in
a good bit responsible for post-recession economic
recoveries.) I can usually find something I need,
though the bride says I already have everything I
need (and then some) so it's really something I want,
but that's just splitting semantical hairs. This year
it was a Scientific Anglers Spey Line that retailed for
$69, on sale for $10. Every year fly lines are on
sale at the fly-fishing expo, and every year I buy
a few, bring them home, and put them in a box with
all of the unused fly lines I've bought at past
shows. One of these years I'll have my own booth
and just sell the lines I've accumulated.
I also bought something that was way out of character
for me: a guided steelhead-fishing trip to the Salmon
River in Pulaski, New York. I usually won't pay
(or travel) to fish, but a friend and I have talked
for the past few years of taking this trip, and, in
the grip of a too-long and too-cold winter, I decided
it might just be the catharsis I need. We leave on
April 1, fish a bit on our own, take a guided float
trip down the river on April 2, and fish on our own
some more on April 3.
I'm particularly excited about this expedition because,
though I've never fished for steelhead, I've always
felt I had an affinity for steelhead fishing, what
with being named 'Micus,' pronounced "my kiss," which
is the Latin name for steelhead and rainbow trout
(Oncorhynchus mykiss). I'm hoping with that
kind of karma I can't miss, because afterward it's
back to perlerorneq until the striped
bass arrive in May. ~ Dave
About Dave:
Dave Micus lives in Ipswich, Massachusetts. He is an
avid striped bass fly fisherman, writer and instructor.
He writes a fly fishing column for the Port City Planet
newspaper of Newburyport, MA (home of Plum Island and Joppa Flats)
and teaches a fly fishing course at Boston University.
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