Lee Schanz posted on May 25, 2011 08:51
Like most of the BWB pro-staffers, my passion for buck hunting is like an obsession. I read about it, think about it, teach about it and do it!
However, my first experiences in the north woods of Maine started with fishing. Like a lot of kids, I’d fish in a mud puddle. I first used worms for bait and a Zebco 202 rod and reel. Though I will dunk a worm in a secluded stream or two, my fishing progressed to fly-fishing. There is nothing more relaxing, than sitting in a fine canoe, with a fine fly rod, casting for native brook trout. I need to take the time to do it more often. The last few weeks, I’ve been busy. To busy! Between turkey hunting, moose shed hunting and meat cutting, I’ve been working 6 or 7 days a week. That couldn’t go on forever, so I decided to take a little time to myself. One of the benefits of being an outfitter is you accumulate some beautiful property. I’ve been blessed with a nice set of camps on a remote trout pond. So this past week, I took an old friend “upta camp” and we had a great time.
Every once in a while, you have an outdoor experience you’ll never forget. We had one of those days! Over a 9-hour period, we caught brook trout until our arms ached. We caught trout on Hornbergs, we caught trout on irresistibles, we caught trout on mosquitoes, and we caught trout on everything in our flybox!! We had top water action and deepwater bites. We fished the middle of the pond and the shorelines. We had action at the inlet and the outlet. It was FUN!
Finally, when we were cold and tired of catching fish, we returned to the dock, and to a warm, cozy cabin. After good food and hot coffee, we discussed how great it is to be alive, to be enjoying the outdoors and adding classic adventures to our memory banks.
It was easy for me to be sentimental on this particular trip. My friend has cancer. It’s not good. No one knows how long he has, but his life will be shorter than most. The good news is he’s prepared for it, prayed about it and at peace with it. I’m glad I shared this time with him, like we did 30 years ago as kids. Life is short, but life is good.
Lee Schanz, Jr.
BWB Pro-Staff