The Wall

I have always admired the walls of tackle shops adorned with surfcasting lures. At one of my favorite spots, Rivers End in Old Saybrook, hanging above the plugs for sale are dozens of retired ones, each with its own story to tell. Not only are plug walls cool to look at, it's a smart and easy way to organize them. For too long I've stored my collection in large plastic boxes. I'm not saying that's not a good way to stay organized, it can be and often is. But to rifle through boxes when preparing for a trip can be time consuming and frustrating. Cherry-picking them off a wall is much more preferable to me. And when I'm not fishing, I can spend hours just playing with the lures like I did with green plastic army men when I was seven years old. 

So I recently went to one of those big box stores that shall remain nameless and, for under $40, picked up some 2'x4's, a large section of peg board and some peg board hooks and, voilà!, my new plug wall was born. It doesn't matter that I probably definitely surf fish with eels and bunker more than lures these days, the wall looks pretty badass and when I'm in the middle of a Chinese fire drill getting ready for a impromptu surfcasting session, at least it will save me a little preparation time.

Taking Shape

Regretfully, this is not a post about a last-hurrah ice fishing trip or wild trout keyed-in on black stone flies. This post is about organization. Prior to purchasing our first home, my wife and I lived in two different places over the last several years, each of which was up a few flights of stairs--not really ideal for maneuvering with long fishing rods in low light or lugging a sled-full of ice equipment. So to say I'm excited about now having a large basement with a full walk-out and ample storage space is an understatement.

I have been logging respectable time in the new man cave over the last few weeks. It's like a big blank canvas and I'm trying to figure out the most optimal layout. It's very unfinished and will likely stay that way until, God-willing, we have enough kids to warrant a play room someday. So for now it will remain a dim and dusty angler's paradise, a place to hang my rods and tinker with gear.

It's perfect.

 

 

Priorities

It's been quite a while since I last posted here, but thankfully it's been all for good reasons. Most importantly, my wife and I finally purchased our first home in the town that we both grew up in. So around Thanksgiving, my free time underwent a major priority shift from fishing and writing to sanding and painting. We've had a lot of help from great friends and the transformation of making this house into a home has been unbelievable. There is still a long way to go, especially turning the basement into a respectable man cave, but I've been reminded on many occasions by longtime homeowners that the work will never end.

Another big development since I last posted here is that I've decided to continue my education after taking several years off. I'm currently enrolled in an online masters program, which is a new style of learning for me. It has further cut down my time on the water, but it's an opportunity too good to pass up and something that I believe will pay off in the long run.

 

It hasn't all been house and school work though. Of course I had to sneak in a couple ice fishing road trips this winter, which I hope to share here at some point down the line. In the meantime, here are few photos to give a small clue what we've been up to at the new digs.  Be well and tight lines!