Athol Daily News – Sportsman’s Corner: Not just a net

This writer owns at least six landing nets. One is an L.L. Bean hand net with a magnet on the cord which allows it to be on the back of my fishing vest and available easily when wading while fly-fishing. Another has a six-foot handle and was used when fishing Lake Ontario because, with multiple lines behind when trolling you needed the extended reach as you could not stop the boat. Others have handles three and four feet long or are large hand nets, but none of them are the net that is kept in the boat. That honor belongs to a three-foot handled net with a nylon mesh bag that was the net my father used when fishing Quabbin over 50 years ago.

There is no question that the nostalgic value is important to me as it brings me back to times fishing with my father out of Gate 31 in New Salem. This was pre-downrigger and he was a “dyed in the wool” deep-troller who used lead-core line to get down to whatever depth the trout were suspended. Usually he preferred a “sewn-on” shiner following a Dave Davies spinner string and it worked well for lake trout and the occasional brown or rainbow trout.

Last weekend, another big bass grabbed my Yamamoto Senko and, for the second time this summer, the net was put to use. This time, a scale was brought out and the fish weighed four and half pounds on the classic Zebco De-Liar. After releasing the fish, I noticed that the net mesh bag was torn in two places and ruined. After those five decades of use, it was time to replace the mesh. Finding a replacement bag took some measuring (and converting measurements from metric to English) but one was located, and the package arrived Tuesday. The replacement job looked easy — remove two screws then take the net bow off the handle and change bags. The screws came out easily, but the bow was stuck in the handle. To make this column shorter than a novel, we will just say it was a challenge. Many different tools, a wooden dowel, WD40, a vice and a shotgun cleaning rod were all used and eventually the net was apart, the new net slid onto the bow and it was back together, as good as new.

Why, you ask, in a world where we “throw away and buy a new one,” didn’t I just use one of the others and save myself a few hours of frustrating labor? That net, like the first hunting knife and drag rope John E. Roche Jr. gave his first-born son 50-plus years ago, are special to me and help make a day afield better with the memories they generate. It would be a good bet that many of those reading this also have items of hunting and fishing gear that link them back to a person or event that bring back pleasant memories. “Remember the time …” begins so many great stories told while enjoying the company of hunting and fishing buddies. Hopefully, that was not the last big bass that the old net brings aboard!

This past week, the Mount Grace region was the scene of a brush fire which kept fire-fighters busy for few days. Helicopters drew water from Packard Pond that was dropped on the conflagration and the fire was battled for three days. The dry conditions have created a situation we should all be cognizant of and the report of discharged fireworks at the site of the fire’s origin is more than bothersome, as are reports of cigarette butts along the hiking trails. The pandemic has resulted in many people with time heading outdoors more frequently. Everyone needs to be responsible stewards of the land. Hopefully, the investigation will result in finding the individuals responsible. Anyone with information should contact Orange Police or Fire Departments.

This week, the New England Outdoor Writers held the first Board of Directors meeting since the pandemic and used Zoom for the proceedings. One of the members mentioned that there is not a single boat, new or used, available for sale on Cape Cod and it seems that the short supply of boats is widespread, as the demand has far outstripped supply. Most new boat manufacturers are looking a couple of months down the road for any new orders. Kayaks are also out of stock, as is a great deal of the more commonly used outdoor items and supplies.

As we move cautiously forward, hopefully the outdoor world will absorb the increased usage without serious incidents like the Tully Fire. As of press time, the Ruffed Grouse Society Hunt that is a high point of my fall is still on, albeit with a number of adjustments in the protocols and locations to satisfy the needs of the COVID-19 world. This writer is trying to figure out what that means to me and the dogs. Hopefully, there will no unexpected “bumps in the road” between now and then.