HOTEL ‘JEEP TRAIL HAWK’ pt.1
The Massachusetts and Connecticut tour - June 2019
by
Wayne Boon
Part 1.
Sat here in my studio during the summer of 2020 trying my best to piece a good looking blog together for the website, I’ve just been struck, yet again by the fact of just how much different a world we live in today than only a few months back.
I’ve not done any of my usual fishing trips this year due to the circumstances we all find ourselves in to varying degrees depending on our family situations, location and time frames…
Phew!! Yeah, 2020 has been a sledge hammer blow to the norm for sure….
Whilst I look back to my fishing trips of prior years with much fondness… I also look forward to the future with much optimism and anticipation…
With that said, I’d like to share with you one of my favorite trips in recent years. It’s a June 2019 journey that starts with a flight from Los Angeles to Boston. Below are the notes I wrote to myself in my journal just for archival purposes and I thought you might like to skim through them here along with some nice accompanying photos and videos.
It’s quite a long one for this blog section, so it’ll probably end up being a 2 or 3 part blog, I hope you enjoy reading it…
Itinerary: June 14th - July 1st 2019
Hotel Name? Avis rental Jeep 4x4 Trail Hawk New Jersey Plates N52 KCP
In June this year, I traveled from my home in Los Angeles, California to Boston, Massachusetts to go fishing while meeting angling friends new and old. I wanted to hit it hard and to make it as intense a fishing trip as I could possibly do/endure.
I initially thought about finding a lake to bivy up on for the two weeks but settled on staying mobile by renting a vehicle to rove about in while visiting friends on their home lakes.
I left the possibility of staying in a hotels open but ultimately figured that would waste too much fishing time. So that left the reclining passenger seat of the jeep that ended up being quite comfortable actually…
Yeah, that’s what I thought, Jersey plates in Massachusetts? lol…
I talked to my angling friends in Boston well in advance to beg for some loaner rods, a mat and net. That meant I only had to bring my terminal tackle, reels and a few trusted bait options.
We’d also decided to put a social on in Boston to invite all the local American Carp Society members. I have to massively credit Martin and Tim Columbo for taking on the brunt of the work for this. More info below…
It turned out that by June 30th, the day before I flew back home to Los Angeles, I’d spent 12 of the 16 nights sleeping in the Jeep while fishing various lakes as close to 24/7 as was possible…
Some might call that, prepping for my Van Life which is surely to happen some day in the not too distant future for me lol… #vanlife
I’ll let the photos and a few vids do most of the talking but here is a brief itinerary as it worked out over the two weeks or so:
Before we get started here, take a look at this… Now, I’m no geography major but I think something maybe missing from the dashboard map graphic on this Jeep? lol… Answers to wayne@americancarpsociety.com
Had a drama free, comfortable flight and no problems picking the car up.
I drove about 70 mins from Logan airport, negotiating the numerous traffic roundabouts and ‘no right turns on red’ signs to meet Martin at a lake via a map pin he’d sent me earlier.
Martin had brought his bank sticks for me to use and a very welcomed plate of his home made speciality; Spare Ribs, Mac & Cheese with a side of veggies. What a life saver that was!!
He’d also brought Bob Harnish’s rods for me to use during the trip (thanks again Bob!!!). I’d packed my reels, alarms and as much end tackle and bait as I could fit into my case so I thought I should be fairly self sufficient with the loaner kit…
Martin and I sat, talked and got caught up with each other’s news before we said goodbye for now and I got back on the road another 45 mins to meet-up with Clifford Sharp at a Toyota sales and service garage.
It felt a strange place to meet lol but it was on the way home and convenient for Clifford who was very kind to let me use his spare net, mat, chair and bait/water buckets etc. so now I was fully kitted out and ready to rock…
Clifford had arranged a few night sessions around his very busy schedule and I was so very grateful for everyone’s hospitality already and I’d only been off the plane a few hours.
Martin had recommended a swim for the night earlier so that’s where I headed next in the dark.
June 14th Friday night - Martin’s Swim #1
Arrived around 11pm after a few little unforced detour errors and eventually set up and got the rods out. First impressions of the area were a little sketchy if I’m honest but beggars can’t be choosers is always my motto… and I knew Martin had some very nice fish from this swim so my fingers were crossed!
It had quite a steep bank to negotiate should I be lucky enough to have a bait picked up, so after I got both rods in, I practiced a route down to the water from the Jeep a few times before I got settled into the reclined passenger seat for the night. It was a very still, quiet night except for a chorus of frogs croaking and after a really long day’s traveling, it didn’t take long for me to fall asleep.
I got woke up about 2:30am, not by a screaming run but by a wicked, guttural coughing/hacking-up… Sitting bolt up-right, wiping the condensation from the Jeep’s windows, I squinted down the slope, through the dimmed streetlights and could just make out the shapes two guys and a lady sat under some low hanging branches to the left of my rods .
This is a great start! I was thinking to myself…
They were obviously inhaling something that wasn’t that great for them lol… their problem but it left me feeling a little nervous with all Bob & Cliff’s kit down there on the bank and me with nothing more that a 3 foot bank stick for protection.
I decided to get out of the truck and slam a few of the doors to let them know they weren’t alone.
Immediately I get yelled at, “Hey Buddy are they biting?” I return with, “Naw, it’s a been a long quiet night so far…” in as low and gruff a voice as I could possibly conjure up but thinking back on it, what came out probably sounded more like a Mickey Mouse voice more than anything lol…
Anyways, everything turned out alright, they were cool and fairly respectful under their prevailing conditions… The rest of the night was pretty quiet except for some guys racing their cars up and down the country lane at crazy speeds around 4 am and some pot smokers talking and giggling in a parking lot 50 yards down the street…
No bites until 6:30 when I get a screamer on the left hand rod, I was already down at the rods and so I lifted into the fish and felt that rush of Adrenalin as I watched the rod hoop over and the fish strip line from the spool…
I eventually got the upper hand and when she turned on the top for the first time I could see it was a gorgeous dark, semi plated mirror… After wanting to meet all the Boston American Carp Society guys, this was the reason I traveled all across the country and I’d manage to hook one on the 1st session!!
My huge elation turned on a dime and a gut wrenching ache took over when she suddenly turned, shook her head with a massive lunge and the hook slipped…Everything went slack and I just collapsed, sat down on the wet shoreline shaking my head in complete disbelief……Oh noooo…
I don’t know if I tensed up when I first saw her scaly flank on the surface and not being used to the rods, wasn’t fully prepared for the lunge that was obviously going to happen near the net? The drag was correctly set on my trusty LCs…but I don’t know?
It was probably just a bad hook-set? Either way it ended with the same result.
I got my act together, re-rigged and got the bait back out on the mark…
I fished the spot until 1pm when I reluctantly packed up as I had arranged to meet Martin at another location after he finished work later in the day.
I also needed to get to the store to stock up with some supplies and to buy a head light and a can opener, both of which were sitting on my work bench back home in Los Angeles.
June 15th Saturday night - Martin’s Swim #2
By late afternoon I met up with Martin and Clifford at a small pond they wanted to show me on the way to the main session for tonight… It was a lovely little water, seductively over grown all around it’s Bankside if you know what I mean.
It looked like no one had fished it seriously in years. Well, we were there, so it seemed rude not to squeeze through a small hole in the bushes to put a couple of rods out for an hour lol… I’ll let this quick phone captured video and photo tell the rest of the story but it was here I ended up catching my very 1st Massachusetts’ Mirror…
It was just after dark when we arrived at the evening’s main event but we soon got set up and started waiting with great anticipation to start the real business of catching some awesome scaly characters. It was a wonderful night with great company but we had to be patient until daybreak before the alarms started screaming. Unfortunately, Clifford missed out on the action because he had to leave at 4:30am to get ready for work. Here are some nice photos of the morning’s efforts. Enjoy…
Sunday June 16th - Left Martin’s swim to go meet John Mcgreevy, Pat Fallon and Chris Breeds at one of the many township lakes in this area. It was my understanding that only the people that lived in the surrounding town were able to fish the lake but one of the crew must have pulled some strings. I was happy fishing with more great friends and so wasn’t going to ask any questions. It was a quiet morning, I blanked but Chris and John pulled in some nice commons in the early afternoon.
John was so very kind and invited me to follow him back to his home for a sandwich, a couple of craft beers and even more importantly a Shower!
Dude! You have no idea how grateful I was to you for that invite! So lovely to meet your family too my bro!!
Sunday night and most of Monday June 17th - I left John’s place totally refreshed to meet Clifford at what was one of the spookiest swims I have ever fished!! lol… I can’t say too much more with out giving the swim he and a couple of other friends have spent some serious time working.
Another great night on the bank in an area that felt like I shouldn’t be fishing but I was a guest and so didn’t ask any questions again…. Anyone see a pattern developing here? lol…
Anyways, the night was punctuated by more great and thought provoking conversation, screeching Bats and Owl hoots and one middle of the night run! Meaning I was awoken by my alarm’s remote and before I knew it, I was running from Hotel Jeep Trail Hawk, down a very slippery, root covered bank in the pitch black of night to reach one of my rods with the alarm screaming at me, hurry up!!
In doing what I was told, and in keeping with the spooky surroundings, one of the tree roots grabbed my left foot and I was sent flying down a 45 degree bank. I ended up near to tears, crumpled on the floor in pain as yet another of the roots met my right knee with such force that I just lay there for, well, I’m not sure how long but it must have been a good 30 seconds with my screaming alarm still insisting that I come and attend to it’s needs! I eventually got to the rods and gently lifted in to what felt a good fish but by the time I’d gained 20 yards of line back, I felt the line grating over what felt like sunken timber that the fish had had time to bolt through and round due to my delayed response…
The fish was snagged up in the submerged timber and eventually shook the hook. Surprisingly, I got all my end tackle back… I replaced the hook, baited and cast out to the same spot. My knee had swollen up like a balloon by the time I got back to the car and it was very stiff and painful… Clifford slept through the night and hadn’t heard any of my commotion but was up well before daybreak again for work. I got out of the Jeep to let him know what had happened through the night and to confirm the next session his busy schedule would allow us to fish together. I thanked him again for sharing a wonderful swim and wished him a great day.
Cliff hadn’t been gone 15 minutes when I had another screamer on the same rod which was placed under an over hanging branch where surprisingly, I’d found a fairly clear and hard bottom. It just felt good. Anyways, I landed this one without any fuss or real fight to talk of… It was a very, very old common, with looks in keeping with this swim’s character and it’s spooky surroundings. A beautiful dark colored elder statesman. I wouldn’t be surprised if this fish was older than I am.
I called it, “The Crypt Common.”
I stayed until early afternoon in hopes of another fish and to take some photos of the swim in daylight but I got so hungry, I had to leave to go get some food and to stock up for tonight’s session…
Monday night (June 17th) - back to Martin’s swim #2 and caught some lovely fish again with Martin! Knee still very painful…