Angling in The Smile of the Great Spirit article

[madrasahs]

The title is new to me, but it appeared in Foster's this morning. A Gilford doctor wrote it, and it's mostly about fishing Winnipesaukee.

But the article makes interesting reading even for former fisherpersons like me.

Thoughts on Winnipesaukee boat size, speed limits, lures, fish stories, and water quality appear.

http://www.citizen.com/December_2004...d_1229_04a.asp

[Grant]

...to the bookseller and get a copy of this tome!

This is a must-read. I got it this summer, and have enjoyed it immensely.

Thanks for the link.

[Mink Islander]

Hal Lyon has a camp on the north side of Bear Island. This is a really entertaining book and covers a lot more topics than simply fishing. Glad to see such a long article in the Citizen.

[WeirsBeachBoater]

Great book in regards to fishing on the Big Lake. I think he would have been better served to keep his thoughts to himself on the powerboat issue addressed in the book. It interupted the flow and I really picked up the book to read about fishing, not about his personal opinion on big boats. Other than that he repeated himself a few times, but all in all enjoyable to read.

[fatlazyless]

Have been reading that in bits & pieces lately. Buy it thru amazon.com 2nd hand elcheapo via the Lake Links or the BearCam and spin off a 5% commission. If you want to learn about downrigger fishing for trout & salmon, then this is it. Plus, it's more than just about fishn', it's got lots of people-fishn' tales.

[arthurc]

I met Hal Lyon on Main Street in Meredith hawking his book.I had read a review of the book and was anxious to read it. Got a personally autographed copy for $20.00. Great book. Nioe guy.

[JDeere]

Hal’s opinion on boats, size, speed etc., are relevant when discussing fishing the
Big Lake. The lake has become a very dangerous playground. I had a very close call 2 years ago while trolling for salmon. It was very early AM and I saw a boat bearing down on me. He missed me by 50 feet or so. There were no other boats in the area and I assume he did not see me until he veered of at the last second either that or he was just having some fun for himself nad trying to spook me....he did... I was just about ready to jump out of my boat. I fish much less than I did in the past because it just aint worth it anymore.


Anyway Hal is a good human and he wrote a great book to be passed down through the generations. IMHO!

[Grant]

Couldn't agree more -- his assessments of the Lake and the role of the increasingly large bathtub toys are all valid and relevant and worthy of further discussion and consideration. Unfortunately, I think it's primarily the folks who remember the Lake the way it "once was' who protest about things like McMansions, obscenely large boats, too many bass tournaments, and the demise of the peaceful, friendly place we all knew (and know) and loved (and continue to love).

Flame on, all ye who dare...

[WeirsBeachBoater]

You sound like a kid in the playground trying to start a fight. Opinions Opinions Opinions, we are all entitled to them I guess. I think that planing boards are dangerous, the let out there lines so far off the side of these salmon fishing boats that are almost invisible. Secondly I find most of these trollers dangerous because more than half the time the pilot of the boat is looking backwards at the lines that are out and not at his heading. So that is my opinion. I suppose there is someone out there to call me on that. Lastly I am not going to bring up a certain instance of poaching on an island, that might look bad for an author of a prestigious wildlife book??

[Mink Islander]

Yeah I really worry that some guy in a Starcraft trolling at 1-1/2 to 2 MPH might get distracted watching his lines, lose control and run over another boat! You gotta be kidding! As for planer boards, I don't use them, but believe they stay well within 150 ft of the side of the trolling boat -- and all the ones I see are bright orange and readily visible. If you think you might hit them, it may just be that you're not staying a safe (or at least courteous) distance away from other boats in the first place. It's pretty easy to identify a boat trolling the lake from a long ways away and adjust your course accordingly. I have been amazed at the boats that will buzz by me at close distances even at 6:00 in the morning with the whole lake wide open - and I mean within 75 ft sometimes. Hard not to think there's something intentional about that behavior.... Like many of the grumblings you read on this site, the core issue is all too often simply lack of common courtesy.

But back to the original thread, the book's an interesting read. No, it's not just a "how to" book on fishing Winnipesaukee -- though it covers the topic very well. It's partly that, partly a chronicle of a number of the "characters" who have passionately pursued the art of fishing in these waters for generations and, yes, partly the reflections and opinions of a man who spent his life on the lake and seen the changes we all have seen. That's what makes it such an interesting read!

[JohnNH]

Your comment about the planner boards is perfect. While I have never used them on Winnipesaukee, I have used them a great deal on Lake Ontario. In most cases they are bright orange with rod or orange flags on them that stick up at least a foot. Most of us pull them at about 40 to 60 feet off the side of the boat. Anyone that has a problem getting around them and more importantly - seeing them has other issues.

Separate note:

I am a Bass fisherman and often encounter boats trolling out in the broads in the early season. I consider myself an average bass angler and when I spot a boat that is obviously trolling, I give them an extra wide birth and always pass them on the bow = they are likely dragging planner boards and/or lines behind the stern. When I say a wide birth = 2 to 3 hundred feet away.

Question for you:

How far back do you let your lines go?

When I am on Ontario after those Browns & Salmon, I use a few line counter reels and stagger them at 50, 75 & 100 feet.

Good luck next spring,

John/NH

[Mink Islander]

A downrigger is on my wish list for this season. Depending on the time of year I'll have anywhere from 3 to 9 colors out plus 75-100 ft of mono.

[JDeere]

Originally Posted by WeirsBeachBoater

Lastly I am not going to bring up a certain instance of poaching on an island, that might look bad for an author of a prestigious wildlife book??

I think you brought it up and since you did why not you explain the certain instance of poaching so we can all understand what you are referring to.


With the attitude you display I wonder if you were the boat bearing down on my stern. Guess you are right it was my fault for trolling along at 1.5mph just after sun rise and looking behind me…………..except the boat on the collision course was coming from behind……………still must have been my fault for being in the way.


Mink Islander nailed the issue it just boils down to courtesy. Who cares of someone uses planners and they are 50 feet out from the boat. I try to give all folks who are fishing as wide a berth as is possible. Much more than the 150 feet. Why would I buzz through the area and disturb their fishing.


Anyway no point in going on about this since I have read the forum for awhile and there are those who get it and those who don’t and it appears that will not change.

[WeirsBeachBoater]

"Anyway no point in going on about this since I have read the forum for awhile and there are those who get it and those who don’t and it appears that will not change."

That is right, opinions never seem to change. Sorry to disappoint you but I am far from the boater that was bearing down on you! First, of it was that early in the morning, I would probably be trolling just like you, not out in my boat. Secondly it is always the few rotten apples that spoil the bunch, whether it be a power boat within 150 feet, or a fishin boat that looks like a porcupine, trolling near a channelway.. We all have to stop painting with such a broad brush!

As far as the poaching reference, Hal Lyons was cited a few years ago for poaching a deer. So I get perturbed that he points fingers when he is not the model outdoorsman himself....That is all I am going to say about that.

[madrasahs]

Originally Posted by Grant

...Unfortunately, I think it's primarily the folks who remember the Lake the way it "once was' who protest about things like McMansions, obscenely large boats, too many bass tournaments, and the demise of the peaceful, friendly place we all knew (and know) and loved (and continue to love).

Unfortunately? Isn't it important to anchor a respect for "the Lake the way it once was"?

However "peaceful and friendly" a newbie Lake user may consider himself -- whether boat, PWC, or snowmobile -- he shouldn't accept today's presence of lost plastic toys, plastic bags or discarded Avian water bottles scattered about the lake.

The boating folks who used to scoop up the plastic, the tennis balls, floating limbs, bimini tops, dimensional lumber and other flotsam are harder to spot nowadays. Part of that lost ethic is the increasing appearance of "obscenely large boats", whose operators can't see, much less retrieve, floating junk.

Ridge development, the surrounding Winnipesaukee watershed, groundwater extraction, tree-shaded waterfronts, groundcover, lawns, silt control, "bad-air", big-boats, noise, turbidity, shore erosion, alcohol, and reckless operation are all issues that need to be periodically offered in order to raise the consciousness of Lake enjoyers (and users).

The last time this issue came up http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...81&postcount=6, "Grant" could be counted among those who agreed with it: http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...87&postcount=8.
The McMansion thread: http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...light=gadzooks

The alternative is "demise".

[glennsteely]

Although everyones opinions about the lake are different, every one of them makes sense. I can remember picking up trash out of the water with my grandfather, also picking up trash bags along the road that some "renter" dumped because he (or she) did not know where the dump was. I agree about the resources being abused and the lake not being as clean as it used to be, but, what we need to do is educate, not argue with each other about it. There are some really great minds on this forum, I am amazed more often than not by the depth of conversations and the passion of the opinions shared on the forum, and I am very proud to be a part of this, it was a great day, the day I found this site. Nothing, besides my daughter, gives me the joy of being alive as much as talking to other people, from far and wide, who share my intensity of love for Lake Winnipesaukee. We just have to realize that ALL people dont share those feelings with us, to some, the lake is a limitless playgroung, there for their personal abuse and destruction.... and you are right, the alternative is demise, and it is inevitable......unless we educate.......Love to all who Love and respect the Lake......to the others.....@$%@ off!!!! GS

[Grant]

Originally Posted by madrasahs

Unfortunately? Isn't it important to anchor a respect for "the Lake the way it once was"?

The last time this issue came up http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...81&postcount=6, "Grant" could be counted among those who agreed with it: http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...87&postcount=8.

Perhaps you misunderstood my use of "unfortunately." What I meant that it's unfortunate that only those with this appreciation are alarmed/offended/dismayed by the burgeoning presence of such things as plastic, giant boats, McMansions, ground cover, algae, noise, water quality, development -- all the stuff mentioned in your excellent list.

My stance has never, and will never, change. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool preservationist.

[cougar]

I was given this book as a gift this winter, shortly before leaving on a ski trip. What a wonderful re-awakening of the memories of halcyon days of my youth spent fishing from a dingy in front of BIYC (remember that one?).
I had it half read even before arriving in Salt Lake, and finished it within a few days thereafter. No serious lake fisherman should be without this!
Of course, upon my return I had to get my fill of all the new hot lures at AJs in Meredith. The work-a-day world hasn't allowed time to even wet them yet, but they sure have dressed up the old tackle box. I was even able to pick up a few extra copies of "Angling" for my lake buddies from AJs. Great book, great store, and a great gift idea !