Chasing Bass and Carp on the local ponds

- Warm Water Action -

When the summer heats up and the trout start to hide in the cool deep pools, we are fortunate to have ample warm water fishing opportunities on the local ponds.

Matt's Troutdoors Productions but together a nice video about targeting these great fish on the fly.

 Enjoy the action!

Epic #Fail

I could not have imagined a more excruciating end to the to the Red Sox season this year. As fate was dealt by destiny's hand last Wednesday night, the only solace that I felt was, "Finally, this historic collapse of epic proportions of a MLB team was over".

For the next two days, it felt like I was recovering from a hard hit between the legs -- a semi-queazy stomach ache that is dull and hurts every time you move.

As I painfully watched Papelbon lose his first game this season, giving up two doubles with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, I knew that the equally epic comeback by the Rays would be complete. Johnson for the Rays had just tied the Yanks in the bottom of the ninth with a line shot over the right field wall -- in a ballsy move by Ray's Manager Maddon, Johnson was brought in to pinch hit having only a season .108 average and had not been at the plate in over a month. It was a true "Kurt Gibson" moment for baseball.

Three minutes after the rain delayed Sox and O's finished their game, Longoria for the Rays hit a line shot, walk-off homer, over the left field fence in the bottom of the twelfth to beat the Yanks and put the final nail in the Red Sox coffin for 2011.

The first thought that came into mind that dark evening was Red Sox Nation had just experienced the "Billy Buckner ball between his legs" drawn out over the entire month of September.

In the aftermath of this epic collapse, Terry Franconia resigned as Red Sox manager saying he was frustrated that he could not get the team to play as a team and that a different voice is needed in the clubhouse. There are reports that some players not scheduled to play during regular season games would be drinking beers in the clubhouse before the game and the general conditioning of the players was poor in some cases. The injuries that plagued the Red Sox this season are a testament to this observation.

Francona, bringing the Red Sox their first World Series Title in 86 years (2004) with the epic 8 game win streak (last 4 against the Yanks and final 4 against the Cardinals) and then staying undefeated in World Series play with another title in 2007, will go down as the best manager in Red Sox history.  He will be missed by most of Red Sox Nation.

The best quote I heard from a player on Wednesday night was Papelbon stating that "This game will not define my career".

Having a couple of days to let this sink in, I must admit that I take being a "fan" of the Red Sox a bit too seriously at times. It is only a game and, other than riding the ups and downs of the team, we have no effect at all on the success or failures of a team. Like most fans, there is an emotional investment that pays off with the camaraderie of other fans through both the highs and lows of a season.

-- Westford over 30 Men's Softball 2011 Champs - Floral Arts --

On a positive note for ball play this September, my men's over 30 slow pitch softball team won the league championship this year for the first time in league history. I've played on the team for 7 years and the first 4 years we were the worst team in the league. We turned it around and went to the finals against the same team for the last 3 years. This year we finally beat them in a back and forth battle -- taking the final game of a best of 5 series in a 22 to 16 high scoring shootout.

Go Pats!

Conserve

-- Westford Steam Team --

My wife and son volunteer with the Westford Stream Team whose mission is to document all surface water flowing both into and out of our town. They have been part of the team for the last five years collecting data on water quality to make sure upstream sources are not adversely affecting our water quality and to assure that the water leaving town is as good or better than when it arrived. I've had the opportunity to fill in for my wife a couple of times and have participated in the measurement process.

Our town is unique in this region of Massachusetts drawing all of our water from two local aquifers via either town or private wells. We are not part of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.

Our local stream water quality directly affects our drinking water.

My wife involved my son at the early age of 11. This on-stream lesson about how water quality affects fish populations has translated to a young man who wants to continue his education after high school in fisheries and wildlife management.

And also has created a pretty decent angler and a budding entomologist.

--Typical Measurement Site --

A typical measurement day starts around 3 AM with the team leader picking up a state certified water measurement meter from a neighboring conservation group. The meter is calibrated at the time of pick-up and again at the time of return. The leader meets the morning crew at the first stream test site around 5 AM and then a second crew relieves the first starting at 8 AM.

At each site, they take multiple water samples and use the meter to measure real-time temperature, dissolved oxygen, percent oxygen, pH and specific conductivity. They also observe and record water clarity, air temp, flow rate, channel depth and other environmental conditions at the sample site. A double blind sampling is used to assure accuracy and proper chain of custody should water data be required for legal proceedings.  The samples are sent to a lab for analysis of phosphorus, ammonia and nitrogen compounds.

My son produced and my wife edited the recruitment video for more volunteers. The Westford Stream Team has funding support from our local conservation commission and trust. They are also applying for state grant monies to expand the program and purchase measurement gear.

-- Snapping Turtle --

Not only does the team perform a valuable service to the community, the volunteers experience the beauty of our town's natural environment.

This morning they encountered a wild turkey, coyote, snapping turtle and a golden stone fly.

In two of the brooks, some small native fish where spotted. Typically brookies or red pickerel are found in our local streams.

-- Outflow from non-functioning mill --

It takes commitment and dedication to spend your early weekend mornings helping the community. Much of this team's work, along with the countless other volunteer conservation efforts around the country, go unnoticed and we all should support and help these groups with our time and money.

I personally want to thank the Westford Stream Team for their work and let them know that I truly appreciate the work they do in supporting water conservation!