Contrary to popular belief, writers don't get that much time off. However, after nearly two years of non-stop writing, editing, and touring, I said "Enough is enough" and ambled my happy little butt up to a friend's nearby pond. And, whaddya know, I had a personal best: I averaged a line-tugger every 13 minutes. But the day wasn't all about quantity. I hooked Moby Dick before the sun ducked below the horizon. | |
CONSERVATION NOTE: My friend asked me to do a population survey (hence my measuring, not weighing, the fish). As you can see, though the bass's heads are proportional to their bodies (a good thing), all but three of the catches fell within an inch of the 1-foot mark (a bad thing). In a healthy, balanced body of water, fish vary in size. This--alongside finding only a few Bluegill, one of the primary sources of food for bass--is indicative of overpopulation. Given the pond's volume, approximately 75 of these guys need to be harvested in order to reestablish ecological equilibrium. |