Awesome post, James. Even with its pretentiousness, I love MV. Last year I discovered shark fishing there. I also started getting curious about brook trout on the island so I was happy to read your post.
Thank you Jesse. MV is a special place and has been a big part of my life. Trout there are special, absolutely worth your time if you don't mind that kind of fishing--bow & arrow casts etc.
Interesting essay James and a subject I know very little about. I am fascinated by flyfishing and the focus on trout especially. In the area I regularly hike, I do see several people flyfishing in a small side channel of the Ottawa River. Observing from the shore on my hikes, the people flyfishing look like they're almost meditating. I suppose in some way they are. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Neil. Fly fishing is absolutely meditative. I highly recommend and think you'd enjoy it. The brain vacillates between working in overdrive and not working at all--just being and enjoying the rhythm of the cast, the feeling of the rod loading and shooting line. Physical poetry. It's also a great reason to visit new regions, new trails, new rivers and waterbodies.
Excellent essay, James. I really appreciate your emphasis on observation and appreciation. The life cycle of anadromous fish, in particular, is so important to our overall ecosystem. Thank you for featuring the video on the Kamchatka peninsula. It's a really volcanic area and seems so remote from Martha's Vineyard, but the oceans and the fish connect us.
Great photos show the beauty of the Vineyard on the wild side. I appreciate the review of issues on stocking ponds. Best is the image of the brook trout, swimming around below the surface. And thanks for the plug on my Vineyard history books. Much appreciated. Tom Dresser
Lovely post, James. Twice a year the county stocks the creek behind our house with trout. I've contemplated getting a license and joining the anglers who show up to fish there, but for now I'm content to watch the fish and the birds they attract, namely the Osprey, Belted Kingfishers, various herons...
There is excellent ice cream there. And anadromous/diadromous fish are fascinating things too few people know about! Perfect examples of ability to go from ecosystem to ecosystem in nature.
Thank you Teyani. Those fish are way smarter than we think! I've always wanted to fly fish Montana. I release 90% of my fish too, except for specific species that make good tacos. Very glad you like the photos, thank you for reading.
Thank you for this very interesting post James. Martha's Vineyard was so different when I was child and then it got way over gentrified as so many blue collar coastal towns did in Massachusetts. There is absolutely so much more the Vineyard. I really enjoyed reading this.
Awesome post, James. Even with its pretentiousness, I love MV. Last year I discovered shark fishing there. I also started getting curious about brook trout on the island so I was happy to read your post.
Thank you Jesse. MV is a special place and has been a big part of my life. Trout there are special, absolutely worth your time if you don't mind that kind of fishing--bow & arrow casts etc.
Maybe next summer..👍🏻
Interesting essay James and a subject I know very little about. I am fascinated by flyfishing and the focus on trout especially. In the area I regularly hike, I do see several people flyfishing in a small side channel of the Ottawa River. Observing from the shore on my hikes, the people flyfishing look like they're almost meditating. I suppose in some way they are. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Neil. Fly fishing is absolutely meditative. I highly recommend and think you'd enjoy it. The brain vacillates between working in overdrive and not working at all--just being and enjoying the rhythm of the cast, the feeling of the rod loading and shooting line. Physical poetry. It's also a great reason to visit new regions, new trails, new rivers and waterbodies.
Physical Poetry--love that.
Excellent essay, James. I really appreciate your emphasis on observation and appreciation. The life cycle of anadromous fish, in particular, is so important to our overall ecosystem. Thank you for featuring the video on the Kamchatka peninsula. It's a really volcanic area and seems so remote from Martha's Vineyard, but the oceans and the fish connect us.
Thank you Heidi. Nature is the common denominator across humanity, be it anadromous fish or birds.
Great photos show the beauty of the Vineyard on the wild side. I appreciate the review of issues on stocking ponds. Best is the image of the brook trout, swimming around below the surface. And thanks for the plug on my Vineyard history books. Much appreciated. Tom Dresser
Thank you Tom, happy to link to your MV writings—great sources for a fuller understanding
Lovely post, James. Twice a year the county stocks the creek behind our house with trout. I've contemplated getting a license and joining the anglers who show up to fish there, but for now I'm content to watch the fish and the birds they attract, namely the Osprey, Belted Kingfishers, various herons...
Thanks Nate, stockers definitely bring the Osprey. A perk of fishing those areas is it provides twofold entertainment: fish and birds
How did I not know that there are fish who live in both salt & fresh water?!?
Have only been to the Vineyard once . . . I remember a ferry ride, renting bicycles, and some really good ice cream :-)
There is excellent ice cream there. And anadromous/diadromous fish are fascinating things too few people know about! Perfect examples of ability to go from ecosystem to ecosystem in nature.
My brother goes fly fishing, and has shared how durned smart fish are! I never knew.
He’s found a sweet place in northern Michigan, and one in Montana. The fish he has caught(and released) are kinda incredible.
I love the other photos you took on MV, especially the black and white of the sheep peeking out from the barn
Thank you Teyani. Those fish are way smarter than we think! I've always wanted to fly fish Montana. I release 90% of my fish too, except for specific species that make good tacos. Very glad you like the photos, thank you for reading.
Thank you for this very interesting post James. Martha's Vineyard was so different when I was child and then it got way over gentrified as so many blue collar coastal towns did in Massachusetts. There is absolutely so much more the Vineyard. I really enjoyed reading this.
Thank you Pamela. Martha's Vineyard is definitely different than it was. For me the place is about trails, fish, and birds.