Fishless
You ever plan a trip and get yourself all worked up hoping it’s a productive and fun trip? Especially planning a fishing/ camping trip with a small group of people that really don’t camp often? Talk about anxiety! Now, imagine those people being family. The last thing you want is to plan something poorly. You want it to be the best, something memorable, and fun. Especially, because it’s family! Yup, that was me last month.
My teenage daughter led us, the family, to the shores of the Atlantic in her high school performance with the indoor percussion band. On this particular Thursday, the band competed and qualified for the championship that was being hosted on that Saturday. Well, that gave us Friday off and a chance to explore the southern Atlantic coast. We wandered to the terminal of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry and there was the spot that our brilliant plan came in to action. While watching the ferry dock, my father-in-law, Joe, who we affectionately call “Poppy”, suggested we have a guys’ weekend. The guy’s weekend was to include fishing. But more surprisingly was the idea of camping too. I immediately seized the opportunity and began to send text messages to my brother-in-law. Both took the bait! Hook, line and sinker (Hahaha!! See what I did there? Ahem)! The guys’ weekend was on!
Our adventure leads us to the Wilsonville Recreation Area. A lake front campground nestled on the shores of Lake Wallenpaupack, located in northeast Pennsylvania. There you have the amenities of several restrooms with running water (some rustic) and showers. Boat slips are available to rent should one like to bring their own vessel. A small camp store to purchase essentials is available, playground and swimming beach. Lake Wallenpaupack boasts 52 miles of shoreline; it’s approximately 5,700 acres and has an average depth of 30 feet (sixty feet at its deepest). An ideal location to guarantee great fishing…. or is it? The first night lead to some torrential rain with a gloomy look ahead for fishing. We huddled in the camper sitting around the table playing games. A bit snug but everyone was comfortable.
The next morning was slightly overcast but there was sun and with a cool breeze – pretty awesome for a day on the lake. I rented a 17-foot whaler to accommodate us for 5 hours. A bit long but my reason was sound. We were going to fish all day and pull all kinds of fish out of the lake. I mean, it’s guaranteed right!? I mean how do you go “fishless” fishing for five hours on 5,700 acres of water? You don’t… Five anglers on a boat, most, well versed in the intricateness of fishing because, after all, we’ve watched YouTube videos. We’ve watched the Michael Iaconellis and the Skeet Reeses catch lunkers on television. The techniques that pros have are practiced among us. The bait the lures, the lines, the reels… We can do the same thing they do! We will not be “fishless”!
Well, five hours goes by and we are “fishless”. At first, my lid is blown. I’m thinking, “I let these guys down. I wasted time and money getting here. How is this possible? How can five guys….”. As we’re heading back to shore, I hear conversation. Not negative conversation but conversation with laughter. Not one person disappointed that we caught zero fish on the lake. Conversation that suggested “Hey, next time, instead of a whaler, let’s get a pontoon.” Next time? Hmmm, next time as in “maybe we can do this again”?
After docking the whaler and returning to our campsite, the fellas are determined to catch something. So they headed out to the shoreline and cast out. Boom! A Crappie! Boom! A Bass! Boom! Sunny!!! Boom…The fishing was more abundant off shore than on the boat. And the guys were having a blast. Memories were created right in front of my eyes. Everyone having fun and stories to be told, in the making. Unfortunately, it rains again that evening. We do the same. We huddle in the camper and tell tales of the day’s adventure. I sigh in relief. Although raining, we got in some fishing.
As the weekend drew to a close, everyone had a bit of a somber look. And then you hear those words, “Man! That was fun. Let’s do this again in the fall!” In the fall!? Ummmm, sure! Despite the rainy nights and the fishless boat ride everyone had a good time. And to me, that was worth the trip.
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