Thursday, August 9, 2012

Christmas in August

The NFL pre-season started tonight.The New England Patriots are playing the New Orleans Saints tonight.

If the Red Sox don't go on a huge run here very soon, then they will be off the radar very quickly.

As for fishing, I did some more scouting today on my bike because my office is being renovated and is completely torn apart so I worked out of the house. So for lunch today I went for an hour bike ride.

I have fished this body of water (Haggetts Pond) from the shore before for bass but I never explored beyond a small section that is easily accessible. Today I decided to take advantage of the day at home and the beautiful weather.

There are trails that encircle the pond and some of them are built on what was once the Lowell and Lawrence Railroad.  Lowell played a major role in the Industrial Revolution and is called the cradle of the Industrial Revolution. Lawrence was the scene of the Bread & Roses Strike of 1912.


The above picture is an opening that appears shortly after getting on the trail. I have fished on the far side of the water pictured here. Also, you can bring electric motor boats, canoes, kayaks, etc. on this pond. If I get a kayak, then I plan on putting it in here in the fall.



A little further down the trail I found the bench in the picture above. As a matter of fact, there were a half dozen more as I biked further down this trail. Pictured is the bike I bought. I have added the water bottle, a bike lock and a new gel seat. Next week I plan on buying a rack and bag. I am using a backpack right now but want to add the rack so I can put in a spare tube, tools, etc. I also plan on getting a tire pump that I will attach on the frame. 
REI is offering a free bike maintenance class next week that I plan to take.


This is the view from the bench. The water is clear and the shoreline is rocky so I plan to throw some bass flies here some day in the near future.

I am heading to Boothbay Harbor, Maine tomorrow for work so on my way back I am going to head to the ORVIS outlet in Kittery, Maine to see if I can find a four piece fly rod. If all goes right, then this fall should be packed with striper fishing, trout fishing and bass fishing on the Quabbin Reservoir (Quabbin Reservoir).

10 comments:

  1. Mac, are you going through your second childhood?

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    1. Hey Howard,
      I can see how you got that impression but the kids are older now and I have the time to do the things that I like.
      There are no skydiving or bungee jumping days ahead but my wife did agree that I could get a 30' Grady White boat once our youngest son is out of college.

      I think a nice pick up truck is necessary too now that I think about. A BMW motorcycle too.

      Wait...all I need is this ash tray. No...all I need is this ash tray and this paddle game. Nope....all I need is this ash try, this paddle game and this remote control.... What do you think I am some Jerk or something? For the clip of Steve Martin's The Jerk go here: http://tinyurl.com/6syanlr.

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  2. Very nice. And your plan on autumn fishing the Quabbin sounds good. It's a big piece of water for sure.

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    1. Hi Alan,
      Thank you.
      I hope to fly-fish the Swift this fall too. Mike C are you reading this??????

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  3. I once heard a joke about a Catholic Priest, Protestant Minister, and a Jewish Rabbi talking about when life begins. Catholic Priest said at the time of conception. Protestant Minister said at the moment of birth. Jewish Rabbi said you're both wrong. Life begins when the dog dies and the kids move out. Soon Ed, soon.

    Mark

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    1. Hey Mark...I wasn't sure where you were going with that joke but I like the ending. Thanks.

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  4. Mac,
    I am reading this....haven't hit the swift since the last time I told you about. I almost went today but with the weather and a 4 pm commitment I stayed local. I kayak fished the assabet got some nice largemouth.

    I looked into haggett's pond. It is near where I work. I think for boating it is only open to andover residents. And I am not sure kayak are allowed.

    I tried to respond to you kayak post did you get that?

    Mike

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  5. Hi Mike....I did not get the your response about the kayak post.

    I will have to check the rules about kayaks on Haggetts Pond. I did some quick searching with Goggle and there are conflicting reports. I will swing by town hall and check.

    Have you ever fished Ames Pond in Tewksbury? My brother-in-law caught a five pound large mouth bass there a few years back. The entrance is next to the McDonalds on Route 133. You can put small boats in here and there are no residency rules that I know of. It has become tougher to fish from shore as they are building up around the pond's perimeter but you can go there on weekends without any issues (i.e. the businesses are closed).

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  6. Actually a co-worker and I have been talking about fishing Ames sometime after work. He just bought a kayak.

    I actually fished it years ago from shore on a weekend until I was asked to leave by security.

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    1. No doubt it is getting tougher from the shore but I usually go before early before security wakes up from their naps.

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