A Fish Is A Fish

        Despite being the only one (besides my brother) in my family with a passion for fishing, I do tend to find time and opportunities to fit fishing into family trips with the help of my tolerant parents and to the chagrin of my annoyed sister. This time it happened to be Cooperstown in upstate New York. We were here to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame, a really cool museum, and before heading out, I found a place to rent gear. Cooperstown is located at the scenic beginning of the Susquehanna River, at the south end of Lake Otsego. The Susquehanna has always fascinated me; I’ve passed over the longest river east of the Mississippi in many places, each time thinking about the multitudes of vaunted Smallmouth Bass that call the river home. I’ve always seen the Susquehanna River as a great fishing destination and one that I would like to one day try out. On the last morning before we drove out, I found a place that rented out fishing gear in Portlandville, a bit south of Cooperstown. The staff was friendly and helpful, and recommended I head over to Silliman Cove on the south end of Goodyear Lake. Goodyear Lake is connected to the Susquehanna. When I was set up with the rod, reel, jig heads, and curly tail grubs, I went over to the cove. I fished for about 2 hours in total, but was not able to catch any Bass. I did get a few hits, but wasn’t able to hook up with any fish. There were times that I saw big splashes in the water and times when I saw small sunfish swimming close to shore, so the signs of life were there. Before I had to go, I asked the fishermen next to me if I could use a worm. I was determined to, at the very least, not be skunked. They kindly obliged and I quickly tied on a small hook. I hurried back to a spot I’d been at before where I saw the sunfish, and tried to hook one. The fish took the bait multiple times, but only one time was I able to make a solid hook set and bring the fish in. It was a small Bluegill, but I was glad to at least catch something from the river/lake. It was also notably my first fish in the state of New York.

        Even though I didn't catch anything especially big, I was glad to have caught at least something in this body of water in the limited time I had. As they say, a fish is always fish - and that’s your target when fishing. The lake was beautiful, too, and I really enjoyed being out there on the water in the morning. The search for the elusive Smallmouth Bass continues…