Back at the Ranch

Just so you know -- you can't fish for largemouth bass while they are spawning. What?!? At least Jersey and PA let me catch and release, that's bad enough, but who ever heard of robbing a man of the primetime of fishing! Alas, one thing that I have to learn about NY is that there is a season for everything. The word varmint is not in their vocabulary. The squirrel I shot with the pellet gun out of my back door--that was illegal (Nov 1st thru Feb 28th only, with a bag limit of 6). The possum (Opossum, if you're in NY) I ran over with my truck--illegal (Nov 1st thru Feb 25th only). The snipe that Ryan nailed with the top bunk of an RV at 65 mph--awesome, but still illegal (absolutely illegal on the island -- upstate: Sept 1st thru Nov 9th only).

If I wanted to take a bass out of the lake and to my home and mount it on my wall I can only do so during the regular fishing season of the 1st Saturday in June through the 30th of November, and supposing that I do catch a fish that I want to take home it would have to be in excess of 15". Now I'm not in the habit of mounting bass under 15", but then again, the state record is only (and I say this with reservation), only 11 lbs. 4 oz. According to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife website, their average length of largemouth is 8-15", which is a neighboring state with a similar climate. So deductive reasoning would indicate that I would not be able to "harvest" the average bass because it would not be large enough to justify my keeping it.

I am allowed to continue fishing in December through March 15th, providing that I catch and immediately release any fish without killing it. The problem of course being that it is fairly difficult to get the boat out on the lake in those months due to the feet of ice which cover it. Still, I am permitted to fish then. But during that blessed 2 and a half month period, the holiday season of bass fishing, I cannot even be on the water, let alone wet a line. So, in the blissful moment when the males are more feisty, protective and aggressive than they've ever been, and the women are stuffed full of eggs; in other words, the prime fishing time, The New York Department of Environmental Conservation will not allow me to fish.

I guess I'll just have to stay at home and poach rabbits from my back porch (Nov 1st thru Feb 28th only, bag limit of 6).

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