After a good night of sleep and several hours of semi-awakedness, I feel compelled to share my thoughts on the events of yesterday's Reel-Time Cape Cod Conclave.
It was a day, like any other day on the water, perfect in it's simplicity and single-minded purpose. A day to forget about the stress of everyday life and focus on the pursuit of our un-seen quarry.
It was also a day unlike any other. A day to share the hunt with forty of our best friends, previously un-met. A day when differences and opinions didn't matter, because when met face to face, we found that we had a lot more in common, than in difference.
I think what I'll remember most about this day, was the ease with which we all fit-in together. There wasn't a single member of our crew, who I wouldn't enjoy spending a day on the water with.
And the really amazing part of the whole thing is, that will all the billions of bits of data floating around in cyberspace, with all the useless information clogging our phone lines and airwaves, with all the pointless spam choking our modems, forty like-minded people managed to find our way to the perfect Cape Cod Beach, on the perfect day, to share our love of being on the water, and the pursuit of the fish.
And for that, I feel indebted to Dave Churbuck, Thorne Sparkman and everyone else who works beind the scenes to make Reel-Time the great resource that it is.
And as for the cast of characters who make up the day-to-day dialog of the New England BBS, how can I thank you guys enough? Guys like Larry B., Adam, Rocky, Mike Powers, who have so generously donated of their time, boats, techniques, " Secret Spots," and most importantly, their hard-earned knowledge and experience, without ever expecting anything in return.
Without all of you, I can't even imagine what my first year of chasing around the striped bass with fur-and-feathers would have been like. I am sure it could not have been nearly as successful, or as enjoyable!
I only hope that I can be just as helpful to someone else who's just starting out. Maybe next spring there'll be some other hapless victim of the, " Bass Virus." He'll be flailing away at empty water with his hand-me-down four-weight, tossing number ten Light Cahills at low tide.
With a big grin on his face.
Jay