muskee (part 3 of seven)

Finding the spot is easy depending on which spot we are looking for.  That is, finding the general area is easy.  Suppose we want to fish at the lighthouse or at eagle wing or at picton.  That is easy to do, in a commonplace sense.   In a precision sense, fishing at the lighthouse or at eagle wing or at picton is very open to interpretation or as jessy larkins says, “interpertation”.  For instance, the lighthouse can be seen from far away.  Plus it is on an island.  If the lighthouse is in view, does it count as fishing at the lighthouse?  Again, what side of the island counts as fishing at the lighthouse?  Depending on who you ask, the interpretation could be varied.  I will say that only the channel side of the lighthouse and down to 213 and as far out as the middle of the channel (but why would you be fishing in the middle of the channel?) can be construed as ‘fishing at the lighthouse.’  The other side of the island, the fishers landing side, would  be fishing the foxy’s run, strangely enough, even though its much closer to the lighthouse than foxy’s.   This is also more close to isle of pines, but no one says they are fishing at isle of pines.  

But suppose we can pinpoint an exact location on the surface of the river.  Getting in that spot and staying there is more difficult.  Due to strong currents and winds, it is hard to stay in a spot.  Finding the spot is obfuscated by the homogeneity of the surface of the water.  Then to find the spot, a spot, one spot, we tend to define it by the landscape on the bottom of the river.  Empty the river of water and you will see a very interesting geology.  Some places are large flats of mud and shells with the crazy erratic thrown out. Very deep places, I have heard, are barren moonlike landscapes where jagged or smooth granite rocks are covered in a thick layer of huge zebra mussels.  The topography is endless and variable.  In a relatively short distance the water can drop from 10 feet deep to 80 feet deep.  Such features, peaks, valleys, boulders, holes, swells, flats, weeds, are interesting to the fish and consequently to the fisherman.

Sometimes we know there are certain features in a certain area and we want to find them again and fish them again.  The best way is to actually look.  The water in the river is clear and thirty feet down is about how far you can see.  If you get into the water the visible range extends for a little farther. I myself keep a pair of goggles in the boat for just this purpose.  At the most simple remedy, the goggles go on and you stick your head in neck deep over the gunwales and take a look.  In deeper water or unswimmable times, the fisherman has modern technology at the ready.  This includes a combination of sonar and satellite guided navigation instruments.  The interpretation of the former and the accuracy of the latter are up for debate.  Instrument based navigation has its time and place but should not be relied upon solely.  The best guide is experience, patience, and good luck.