Mid Winter Dreaming Of Lakes Of Blue And Seas Of Green

Boating is our thing. We like it. No that's really not accurate. 

We love it! 

Add in a generous amount of fishing and, in my mind, you are as close to Paradise as you can get on this good green and blue planet. 

I say "in my mind" because the wife doesn't quite share my enthusiasm for the fishing part but she's a very good sport about it. And when she's along I try not to become too greedy about it. 

But dragging a Grey Ghost behind us from my fly rod and with Big Ray by my side,

....or drifting and casting a dry fly onto still evening waters,  is about as good as it gets. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it....

Salt water or fresh...either or.

We are very fortunate because we live only two miles to the Belfast boat landing. On many occasions we have dropped everything we're doing, especially easy if what we're doing is mowing the lawns, packed a picnic basket, loaded up the Jeep with two excited dogs, and head out for Penobscot Bay. Perhaps our destination will be one of the deserted islands which on that day we call our own or maybe a drift down the Passagassawakeag River from the old Belfast and Moosehead Lake RR trestle to the head of Belfast Bay. We lovingly call it

 Riding The Passy.

Or maybe do some exploring around Islesboro, just to take in the ever changing sights on 

Penobscot Bay.

On those days when the salt water conditions aren't conducive to a 17' boat with only a 50HP motor, we'll strike out for the warm, friendly and close-by waters of 

Lake St. George 

 or Lake Megunticook 

or Swan Lake.

  On any of these fine bodies of water we'll do some swimming, floating, or tubing. And maybe a squeeze in a brief moment of bass fishing on the fly. Or perhaps we'll just shut down the motor and let the warm breeze push us around a bit.

So even now, during the middle of January, with winter barely month old, my thoughts are increasingly drawn to blue water and calm, green seas. 

More than likely, this coming May we will find ourselves exploring some place where we have never been before. Worrying about rocks laying just under the surface of some new lake or the shoals and tides around some new island. But for sure we will be returning to those special spots, fresh or salt. The places that we always return to year after year. And which, make us smile invigorating our bodies and lightening our spirits.