"Ice
Fishing in a One Horse Town"
January, 2001
And
yes the horse got shot!
Sullivan
County is a peculiar place. Monticello had two tackle
stores...real ones, you know...with tackle and (duh) bait.
This past week, my brother Mark and I drove upstate to
get our yearly ice fishing story and I need to pick up
some BASIC ice fishing supplies. No nuclear high tech
government secret toys...just some simple ice fishing
needs... is that asking too much?
The store that I loved in Monticello, has been sold over
to who I don't know or care to know.
Owner
X or employee of owner X was giving us the Sullivan County
hospitality routine:
"Hey,
big guy, where's the bait?"
"Oh,
you talking to me?"
"I don't see anyone else here."
"No, we don't have any live bait here."
"Then what's that swimming in this here water
tank?"
"Oh those, I guess we have a few."
"May I buy them dear sir?"
Mister X crawled over, sighed and took a half a dozen
sorry looking bait fish and handing them to us, looked
at us like we were from Mars.
"Uh,
I'd like two dozen."
Mister
X looked at us with that wonder dog look and said,
"I need them to feed my fish."
He
had one large fish swimming around alone in a tank. This
was the saddest tackle store that I have ever seen in my
life. So, my brother and I were in search of a tackle store
that was: 1. opened and 2. carried the items needed to get
this story off the ground.
We
drove to four towns and four tackle departments in majorly
advertised department stores, where they hadn't even received
their ice fishing equipment and supplies yet...and here
it is January. Hello?!
We
drove into the night searching.
This
was sad. "Rude" was the topic that comes to mind.
You,
Customer.
Them,
Store Owner...You have cash to trade for goods.
Them,
Store Owner...Take cash, give product back.
Them,
rude treat you like buffalo butt.
You,
pissed off, blow vein out of neck...leave empty handed.
Store
Owner...no cash, no trade, bad business man.
Fisherman
get shot gun to blow hole through ice. Be
Happy!
I
thought getting fishing supplies on a Caribbean Island
was tough. Try Smallwood, Monticello, Honesdale and all
the towns in the middle. Bring your own stuff, buy ahead
of time. Don't depend on anything and don't eat at fast
food places. Need vaccine. Die. Go to Heaven. Maybe.
We
finally got all of our supplies.
I
need to say that 8 years ago, I lived in this area and it
was not in the shape it is in now. In Narrowsburg there
is a well stocked tackle store. But they're on a "winter
schedule"...translation, they're open Saturdays and
Sundays 10AM to 3PM.
Beach Lake, in Northeastern Pennsylvania, about 10 miles
from Honesdale, is a great lake for crappies, bass and huge
pickerel. A most productive ice fishing lake by far.
Upper
Woods, also in Northeastern Pennsylvania, is a pure trout lake full
of rainbows, brookies, browns, paladinos and even a few lake trout.
After my tackle store nightmare we had blown a day...so Beach Lake
was our best shot. A fellow fisherman on the lake drilled me a few
holes with his gas auger (I had run out of shot gun shells to make
my own holes). The boys a few yards from me were fishing on a good
drop off from
the shallows where the bass were hanging out and caught these two
nice puppies. Well, I wish I had more to report from this oddessey,
but unfortunately, I don't. I did catch a cold and and sucking down
flu medicine. So I didn't go home empty handed!
To send us
your fishing reports, Click
Here.
After my tackle store nightmare we had blown a day...so Beach Lake was our best shot. A fellow fisherman on the lake drilled me a few holes with his gas auger (I had run out of shot gun shells to make my own holes). The boys a few yards from me were fishing on a good drop off from the shallows where the bass were hanging out and caught these two nice puppies. Well, I wish I had more to report from this oddessey, but unfortunately, I don't. I did catch a cold and and sucking down flu medicine. So I didn't go home empty handed! |
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To send us your fishing reports, Click Here.