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20 - Valley News
Back from the ponds
T
he blackflies are back, and so are the tourists, just as the fishing season has finally hit full stride. Whether fishing on the river or stream, or on a lake or a pond, all anglers should be aware of the necessary common courtesies inherent to the pursuit. Despite our focus on angling, we must recognize that we all share a common natural resource with a variety of other users. Whether visiting the waters to fish, swim, paddle, bird watch or to simply enjoy the show, safety should always be the ultimate object of any outing. The fun and the fish are simply byproducts. In this regard, a lot of anglers and other river travelers are likely to be in for a surprise this season, when they first return to their old, familiar fishing hole. In many cases, the deep, dark pools and productive riffles that many have enjoyed on local rivers, will have changed dramatically. The familiar ‘honey hole’ may have silted in, and the shallow runs could be mucky, or thick with debris. In many cases, the riverbanks may have collapsed, log jams have formed and even the course of a river may have shifted. As the weather continues to heat up and the waters begin to warm, swimmers in particular should exercise caution, especially before diving or jumping into the rivers and streams. Scout the pools with a mask and snorkel, and be sure to look before you leap. The old familiar swimming hole may no longer be as deep. Rivers and streams are a very dynamic medium. They operate on an unabated continuum, which is ever changing, ever flowing. Experienced anglers and veteran paddlers understand this process, but very few of these veteran ‘river mongers’ have ever experienced the type of high water incidents that occurred during last year ’s high water events. The floods, which were considered to be both 100 year and 500 year events, served to reshape not only the river corridors, but in some cases, entire communities. The repercussions of these back to back natural disasters are still being felt. Such is the yin and yang of flowing waters. They soothe us, entertains us, and provides us with unlimited entertainment and intangible health benefits. And yet behind their obvious beauty, embracing depths and caressing currents, there lurks a savage heart and a relentless power. Try though we may to arrest the flow, or harness it for our use, the flowing waters will continue to prove they have a mind of their own. While some may believe we own the waters, it was quite
obvious, that man is not in charge last summer. Nature rules, as it always has and always will. We are simply visitors that are graced with a splendid opportunity to enjoy the waters while we can.
...and off to the brook
Over the past month, I have focused the majority of my angling adventures on a search for brook trout in the ponds. Increasingly, it appears that more and more anglers have had a similar attraction to the ponds, likely for the same reason. As a result, it has become increasingly difficult to find a lonesome pond, that is truly lonesome anymore. When I encountered nearly a dozen vehicles at the canoe launch of a popular local pond recently, it proved just too much traffic for my taste. Although I truly enjoy catching big brook trout on remote waters, I prefer to do it alone, or at least with very little company and no audience. As a result of the apparent overpopulated human population, I decided to retreat tfrom the ponds to the less traveled recesses of a much smaller fishery, on a nearby trout stream. Although the stream’s channel has been severely reduced by ever encroaching alder beds, it’s flow has sprouted a productive trout fishery in recent years, and the sinous channel has been altered by a long series of multitiered pools. These new pools are a naturally occurring phenomena. They are the result of a beaver ’s never-ending quest for fresh food and new dams. Tireless workers, the beavers have ravaged the alders in order to construct new dams, and in the process, they have created ideal habitat for brook trout. Fortunately, they’ve also cleared lanes that are just wide enough to pass a canoe, and barely long enough to permit a cast. After launching my canoe, I quickly managed to make my way downstream to the location of a series of recently constructed beaver dams. The main dam was formed in three tiers, and the waters cascading over them provided natural oxygenation. The cold water was rich in oxygen, and insect life. Alder spiders dangled from the tree branches, and mayfly shucks littered the banks. The pool at the base of the dam was barely four feet deep, and it was hardly three times as wide. It was about 20 feet long, and full of fish with nowhere else to go. In an hour ’s time, I had caught and released dozens of small brookies. Some were barely the length of a finger, and not one of them topped a foot. But there is something to be said for the old adage, “If you want more, desire less.” Maybe it can be found in the special charm of spending a desolate day casting a small fly to small brook trout on a small, quiet stream. There were no trophy trout to be had, no long carries, and nobody to share in the excitement. But there were speckled jewels that proved to be eager for the fly, and I spent the afternoon catching them by skittering a dry fly across the surface. Like finned missiles, they would explode out of the dam’s deep waters to attack my offerings on almost every cast.
June 9, 2012
It is difficult to capture the allure of a small stream, wild brook trout and complete solitude. Photo by Joe Hackett
Best of all, there wasn’t another soul in sight, or sound the whole time. I had the magnificent natural playground all to myself, with the exception of one irritated osprey, and a few does that snorted from the banks. I was lost in the pool, and I lost count of both the trout and the time. The outing did not put any dinner on my table, and there were no bragging rights associated with landing a fingerlength fingerling. Yet, I returned home wearing a wide grin, an empty creel and with the unparalleled satisfaction of knowing I could do it all over again. And, I expect I will! Joe Hackett is a guide and sportsman residing in Ray Brook. Contact him at brookside18@adelphia.net.
Anna McShane age 8, of Essex, caught and released this almost-24inch small mouth bass while fishing the Boquet river below the dam in Willsboro on May 24 with her grandfather, Robert McShane of Willsboro.
20-ish reunion scheduled
Garage sale set in Tupper Lake
Comedy night fundraiser set
JEMS seek vendors
ELIZABETHTOWN — If you attended high school at ELCS around 20 years ago, give or take a few years, you and your family are welcome to celebrate our 20-ish Reunion! See old classmates and hang out for the afternoon at a no-frills ADK get-together at the Elizabethtown Fish & Game Club on Sunday, July 22, at 2 p.m. Please bring your own grill food and beverages, a dish to share, and a donation for the Fish and Game. Please pass this along to classmates, teachers and friends with whom you have contact. Locating everyone is a challenge, so help spreading the word is appreciated. The event “20-ish ELCS Reunion” can be found on Facebook.
TUPPER LAKE — The Great American Garage Sale will take place on July 6 through 8 in Tupper Lake. Residents of Tupper Lake hold their own garage/yard sales from Friday until Sunday. Maps will be available and last summer, nearly 40 household sales were held. The maps will be available for free beginning July 4 on the tupper-lake.com website and at The Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce. Those wishing to participate can for an entry fee of $15. Application deadline is June 28. For more information, visit tupper-lake.com.
TUPPER LAKE — On June 15, Off The Comedy Productions will present a fundraising comedy show to bring Colin Gillis home. The doors will open at 6 p.m. and the show will begin at 7:30 p.m. The event will take place at Knights of Columbus in Tupper Lake. There will five comedians in total. Tickets are available at the door. There will be a cash bar and snacks. Thanks to the generous donation of the comedians, there will be a raffle for a 32-inch flat screen television.
Canoe races scheduled
Black bears the topic at ADK
TUPPER LAKE — The Adirondack Watershed Alliance will host the Tupper Lake 9-Mile canoe, kayak and guideboat races saturday, June 16 at the Tupper Lake Rod and Gun Club. There will be a 5-mile open touring and a 9mile NYMCRA classes race. Entry fees are $25 per paddler, $20 for AWA members. Race day registration are from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Volunteers and paddlers are always welcome. For more information contact AWA Canoe Race Hotline at 891–2744 or grace@macscanoe.com.
LAKE PLACID — Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) is presenting a special program, “Life History of the Black Bear.” Join NYS DEC Wildlife Technician Ben Tabor for an exploration of New York’s black bear population. This presentation will be held on Saturday, June 9 at 8 p.m. at ADK’s High Peaks Information Center, located at Heart Lake in Lake Placid. This presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, contact ADK North Country office in Lake Placid at 523-3441 or visit our website at www.adk.org.
JAY — The Jay Entertainment and Music Society is looking for Craft Vendors for their Annual Jay Day Celebration and Fundraiser on Saturday, Aug. 4, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Jay Village Green Route 9N in Jay. Vendors will be provided a 10-by-10-foot space and must supply their own tables and decorations. Tents provided by the vendors are permitted. Cost for each space is $30. Space is assigned but allocated on a First Come First Serve Basis. Vendor applications are available on our website at www.jemsgroup.org. For more information contact Pat Coolidge at 946-7617 or email to pcoolidge@frontiernet.net.
Chicken dinner in Westport WESTPORT — There will be a chicken & biscuit dinner Thursday, June 21 at the Westport Federated Church. Serving starts at 4:30 p.m. with takeouts available. Cost is $9 adults, $4 children 12 and under.
BRTF hosting auditions WESTPORT — The Boquet River Theatre Festival (BRTF) will be holding auditions for their production of “Once On This Island, Jr.” Saturday, June 9, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Federated Church in Westport. Please wear comfortable clothes and shoes you can dance in. BRTF is a not for profit children’s theater program for kids ages 813. The program runs daily from July 23 through Aug. 9, culminating in three productions at the Whallonsburg Grange Aug. 10-12. The cost of the program is $185. For more information, visit www.brtf.com, the BRTF Facebook page, or contact Alyssa at boquetrivertheatre@gmail.com or Gigi at 932-5726.
Tandem biking event slated SARANAC LAKE — The Third Annual Saranac Lake Tandem Rally will take place on Friday, June 15, through Sunday, June 17. There will be 47 tandem bicycles, including quads and triplets, scheduled to be in the village for the weekend. The tandem rally is not a race. There will be touring rides ranging from 15 to 55 miles. For more information, visit the website gtgtandems.com.
Martin Whiteface Open set WILMINGTON — The 2012 J. Peter Martin Whiteface Open Golf Tournament will be held Saturday and Sunday, July 14 through 15. Entry fee is $150 for non-members and $75 for members, which includes tournament jacket, practice round July 13 after noon and two rounds and carts. For more information, call 523-7888.
Westport to hold special meeting WESTPORT — There will be a special Westport Town Board meeting Tuesday, June 12 at 6 p.m. for the purpose of discussing town building options. The regular board meeting will follow.
AARCH to host photo collection KEESEVILLE — “Adirondack Style — A Photographic Celebration” will be presented at the Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) Clayton Family Resource Center and Gallery in Keeseville with an opening reception Friday, June 29, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Poetry readings set WESTPORT — The Westport Central School Student’s Poetry Reading night will take place Wednesday, June 13, at 7 p.m. at the Westport Library. The event will feature poetry readings, a selection by student So Young Park, Poets from the community and the Westport Library Workshop will also read selections.