The Lucky Spot

      I awake with a cold nose on my neck its still dark not even any moon light peeking through the window I try to listen closely to the wind but all can hear is panting and a collar jangling to and fro. I peek at the clock 5:30 right on time I haven't set it since I adopted my puppy last November it been almost a year and besides a few misses he wakes me like clockwork. I roll the handle down from my lazy boy and drop my legs to the ground in a ungracefully plop been sleeping here since I rung my back out hiking the smokies back in May. I stand stretch and moan my knees and back pop simultaneously I whisper an old favorite I'm much to young to feel this dam old, sleeping for months in a chair will do that to you I flick my flops on and step to the bathroom to see man about a horse my dog continuously by my side I step back out grab his leash open the door to the apartment and rumble down the stairs. The breeze outside is chilly but not cold and smells of the first days of fall. The wind is out of the south west and the tide should be high at nine got to get moving. Rush the dog up and stumble back up the steps head to the fridge stumbling over a rubber bone and half a rope that I swear was longer when I went to bed. I fumble with the gate grab a cup from the strainer and get the jug out and fill the glass to the top and gulp down the sweet smooth tea ahhh. I toss some chicken like treats to Levi and grab a slice of cold pizza, perfect to fix this headache. Minutes later I'm dressed and headed to the car I jump in crank it up and immediately pull away while running the window down. There isn't much traffic yet but I'm sure Fridays rush will catch one of the poor working stiffs I'm sitting next to at the light but me I'm headed in the other direction  I can smell it before I can see it the sweet air sours with the smell of the Patapsco its a good smell like the hoppyness in a good beer. As I cross Stoney Creek I get my first glimpse of water the breeze is steady here not subtle as it was 2 miles inland but still out of the south west. I make my left and head deep into the neighborhood passing people jogging and loafing to there cars almost to the end I pull in open the gate and head for the garage roll open the door and start to gather my gear. My kayak is all rigged up on its cart and ready to go I at least got that much right before I decided to go out and have a few which led to many. I roll it to  my car and push it up on the rack throw my rods on top and jump in its half a block to the launch. The lot is empty except for the squirrels and a lonely goose. I drag the boat down grab my cooler and rods and begin to rig her up. The water is cold on my feet as I steady the boat and sit down summer has finally given up its hold but the fish are here like always I know they are. It will be a tough paddle quartering the wind for the first half so that I can get below the hump and drift to the north east across it. there not much cover here just mud bottom theres rocks near but not here nobody would fish here and I would not have either if it weren't by chance along while ago. Its just a small hump indistinguishable from the rest but different in every way. Its subtle in direction steepness not much but enough or so I guess it has been the spot long before I started paddling to it back when a motor on a small john boat unfit for the bay and a old fish finder found it by accident. Its where the motor stopped running and where we dropped anchor to work on the motor and decided to fish and drink where we sat. It turned out to be productive we caught our limit in minutes beautiful fat bellied stripped bass on a small hump most just ride by to get to the good spots. So we fished it every year for awhile and it produced more than not and then it was forgotten. But now I paddle and fish and the spot is close enough to get to only about 1/2 mile out so I have to get back there but with no electronics it gotta be by feel alone I know where it is in my minds eye. Halfway there and the wind seems to be picking up the closer I get to where I want to turn and jig past where I think I should be . I feel exhausted already as the fog starts to clear from my head I paddle a little further and hydrate before I turn. I run where I think my spot is with no luck I know Im close three more long paddles and nothing. Finally I readjust take my bearings and head a little east. I'm the only one out here but when I turn I can almost see that old boat anchor there where we used to fish . I ready my rod and slow jig as I drift north east the wind has slowed and the drift is perfect three twitches in and I feel it not a strike but weight then nothing then bam FISH ON I hold on for the sleigh ride shes dragging me to the channel like she can see the cruise ship bearing down on us I pull back and tighten my drag she darts left and then right  I'm wearing here down she slows  my anxiety grows I really want this one in the boat  she dives and then turns course I paddle with my free hand to turn around as I pull on the rudder with my feet and finally I swing side saddle and crank she headed to me . As she come across my bow I see her side flash in the sun shes a hog the sweat beads down my nose as I pull her closer I reach hard almost pulling my self in touch is fleeting as she humps backwards out of my reach then NOOOOO! the line goes slack she gone.  I paddle back to the start beating my self up how could I let her go so close. I drift many more times with no bites now running low I turn west and head back to the beach. I may not have caught her but the lucky spot never fails I don't know whats on that hump I just know it there.

roof top tomatos and peppers

The roof garden is looking good this year. Set up a timed soak hose watering system and it seems to be working well. I cant wait to dig into some juicy home work grown tomatoes YUM!

I have some more in planters at home I will update their progress later.

Just a thought.....

      If I wasn't so jaded I might find it strange that my wonderful governor has run on bringing jobs to Maryland (and probably putting money in his pocket) by opening up casinos in which only relatively lower paying service jobs are available and no products are actually made. Only money wasted IMHO, but its for the children kinda like our state lottery was until we used it to build stadiums. However he will turn around and freight train through gun bills that protect no one and run over 400 manufacturing jobs in a growing industry that actually produces a product and pours in tax dollars out of the state. I wish Beretta good luck in finding a new home Maryland doesn't know what its loosing. I'm not surprised like I said I'm jaded.

Mallows Bay Bassin

A wet but beautiful fishing day of the Potomac at Mallows Bay. Mallows is a interesting place to fish with over 230 scuttled steam ships hulls as structure that hold some decent bass. Went with my nephew and friend Chris we caught 20 or so bass and I managed my first snake head although it got away from me before I could put my knife through its head and got away they are some slippery bastards. pics of some of my fish and my friends biggest

My Adventure in Bass Fishing

The 27 of April was the inaugural event of the Mid Atlantic Kayak Bass Fishing Tournament set up by Matt Baden of The Hobie Life Blog  at Mattawomen Creek Maryland. I really wanted to fish this tournament because I have never fished at Mattawoman nor have I ever fished for large mouth bass in tidal water. I new my chances of winning weren't good because of not ever fishing for bass this way and the fact besides wading for small mouth I have not fished for large mouth in about ten years. But ya cant win if you don't go and try. My week was hectic I haven't had the kayak out since fishing the M&G in mid March and my upgrades were still only half done. Work was not cooperating either with trying to catch up on the projects I left  when I went on vacation. My intentions were to get everything together early in the week but that just never happened and since my gear and yak reside at my buddies house I didn't even get to them until late Friday evening. I put the yak on the car strapped it down threw my tackle boxes in and went to bed. the plan was to be up by 4:30 and get my rods together get gas breakfast and hit the road its about one and a half hours to the launch.
     Well as usual with me I woke up late at 5 am went to the closet for rods and was only left with two had forgotten that I left my other 2 poles at work.  and to top it off my two piece spinning rod had the wrong end on it from my micro rod. O well it only take one rod so off I went hit royal farms store to fill the tank and the belly grab some water for the day and be on. Ahhh but not so fast after grabbing breakfast I went to pop the cap on the gas tank and it wouldn't open my 21 year old Honda wasn't having it the panel was stuck so two screwdrivers and a key later I managed to get the hatch open now I was really running late.I contemplated not going but plans were set so even if I missed the tournament at least I could get some fishing in and beside Mattawoman is loaded with snake heads and it on my list to catch some this year. I tore down the road and made it just in time to check in pay and get my card right at 7:30. it took me another half an hour to get my stuff together and shove off. Before I launched I was going to head right out of the ramp because the majority of people headed left but a navy guy on a bike that was checking out my kayak said his honey hole was to the left he said use a white jig next to the hiker biker trail and I cant miss.
       So I launch left worked in and around the pads with top water and worms I had two hits right off breaking the second one off looking back now I guess it was a snake head this lead to a problem in my haste I left mt hook box in the car and only had two worm hooks and I just lost one of them. I decide to just paddle pass everyone and hit the wall and see what I could jig up. When I arrived their were several bass boats working the wall so I worked the wooded shore with no luck until they left and then jigged down the wall to no avail I then proceeded to fish back the creek.

       About half way back I had my first nice hit and catch unfortunately it wasn't a bass but a healthy crappie.

It was still a nice fish and the skunk was off then on my next cast I broke off my last worm hook.

I pulled my kayak to shore and went through every hatch and the best I could come up with was a fluke hook off a bottom rig that had dropped out of the box last year. I fished it heading back the river without any bite then finally about 4 hours in I got a hit. The bass swirled next to me teasing and then shook off. the hook never even came out of the worm. I took my pliers and bent the hook out more and finally caught my first bass.

 

 

 

 

         My next cast went long and when I pulled it back it landed in about two inches of water and all hell broke loose a snakehead was sunning itself in the shallows and blew up on my bait I yanked back buried the hook deep and the fight was on. He ran past me then back jumped and snapped me off not only did I lose my first snakehead but also my last hook it would be no more soft plastic from there on.

         I made my way to the very back of the river where it narrows this was more familiar ground for me Using a Rapala broken back I managed to catch 3 more bass and a yellow perch one more 10 1/2" a 9 1/2" and my winning catch at somewhere around 4"



 

 

 

 

Its a Monster it hit a four inch broken back.

 

 

Matt was nice enough to give a consolation prize for smallest fish a nice AFTCO sticker pack, all and all a great day, fun tournament and good crowd 32 anglers in all.

 

 

In hind sight had I followed my intuition to head away from the crowd I would have been where most of the larger fish were caught and where the top fisherman went but I'm not sure I would have had any better luck there. The winning number was 49.5 total inches for three fish I managed a paltry 30 1/2 but I learned again that being prepared is half the battle hopefully I have my stuff together by the next tournament.



Mexico Vacation

I have been absent from my blog for about a month the longest I think since I started Livin the Dream. Well March ended with Md's normal snow one day hot the next and blasted us into April with 80 degree temps which got the blood boiling for some more fishing. However it was not to be cause the work load was intense and vacation was looming on the horizon. I spent the last two years paying a new bill 100 a month so I could head some place tropical every couple of years when winter is dragging its ass getting out of here, but ma nature blessed us with tropical weather before I left out I felt so cheated. We spent the 12 thru 19 in the Rivera Maya at the Iberostar Maya resort. It was an awesome resort weather was spectacular hovering around 87 the entire week but it was also windy which through a snag into my fishing plans. I had to go to plan B it was terrible hanging out at the pool bar all day taking in the views. I hung in there though also managed a few trips to town and climbed a big rock pile I think they call them ruins even learned a bunch from our tour guide about Mayan culture that I didn't know much about. The trip didn't come off completely as planned however the day before I left my 95 year old grandmother passed away and I ended up missing her funeral then air tran managed to destroy two suit cases one of them as we were checking in because our lazy ass check in person couldn't manage to do her job and place the bag all the way on the carousel so the zipper caught ripping the front pocket clean off the bag and spreading its contents all about. then they managed to leave out bags out in the rain for an hour as the jockeyed our plane to the gate. It a good thing you don't need many clothes in paradise. My other plan was to stay away from the TV newspapers blogs and any other news outlets for the entire week. That lasted until Monday when the only talk around the bar was the happenings in Boston. I will say that you get a different perspective getting your news on foreign television they don't seem to be as sensationalistic as US news sources they actually give you what they know and leave it at that. Even with the bad the trip was still good that's life after all. We drank some for grand ma she was Irish  and enjoyed every minute of what we had so enough of chatter here are some pictures.

 My hang out the pool bar

                                                         Tough life at the bar with the girlz

                                                        Crab smoorgasboard

                                                            Front desk

                                                            The Snake Bar

                                                     Climbing Cobe

                                                                          Mexican wildlife Playa Del Carmen

                                                                  The Beach

                                                               Me and Speedy

   The room didn't spend alot of time here but a good place to sleep off tequila

 rappelling in the cenote

                                            More Mexican wildlife coaties

 snow the week before we left

 Preparing for Mexico

Baking bread and old houses

Went and enjoyed  a walk at the park today with the dog and the wife still looking for spring here, it was in the upper 30s while we were out,  a brisk beautiful morning. We hiked about 3 and a half miles at Downs park along the Chesapeake the bay looked nice and smooth even with an steady wind from the north, made me want to be out fishing. Left and stopped to get some burgers at Five Guys and noticed my tire was almost completely flat so hopped on over to the gas station and aired it up and hoped that would get me home which it did. Once home took some soap and a spray bottle and found a hole. Got the plug kit out and promptly broke the reamer. This was the second Harbor Freight tire plugger I have broke. I broke the one I put in the wife SUV back in January it doesn't pay to buy cheap tools I about nearly drove the reamer through my hand. Luckily when I broke the wife's I bought a good set for her car so I pulled that out and manage to plug the tire. Then came in and me and the dog took a nap for the rest of the afternoon and I needed that been fighting off a cold for about a week and a half now. When I woke up I got inspiration to do some baking and just happen to have some over ripe bananas so through together some banana bread and put dinner on. Venison goulash and corn bread YUM!

Yummy banana bread

 

While I was uploading my cooking pictures I came across pictures of my mothers last house that she owned before she past. I took pictures of the work that my brother in law and I did when my mother bought it so I figured I would post them here.

The house was built in 1910 and we remolded the entire first floor new hard wood, ceramic tile,  granite fire place surround and wainscoting I will miss that old house but not the amount of work that needed to be done to the rest of it somehow I lost the pictures of the bathroom that I built it was truly unique with a walk around shower wall so my 95 year old grand mother could just use her walker and walk in. If I find them I will post them later. Spent the rest of the night getting tax stuff together and lets just say I need to move to a new state and possibly a new country.