New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff
Simmering in summer heat with a cool evening on the Suncook River
Tuesday 07/01/2008
Today was a sweltering day around here and even on the coast. But lets back up to last evening when I finally got an evening cruise in on the Suncook River with neighbor and life-long friend Rick. I just don't know where times seems to vanish these days, but last evening was my first trip on the Suncook River this summer. My raft remains in dry dock as it is in need of some repairs after the ice damaged it this winter.
Rick and I got out on the river about 6:30 from his place a mile or so down river from me. We decided to head down river with Bear Brook State Park flanking us to the east side much of the way. I did notice right off some good numbers of red oak acorns forming on the tree lined shore. Won't the ducks be happy this fall. One muskrat paralleled us for part of the trip.But not much else for live entertainment to be seen. The wood frogs were singing away on both shores and back eddies in parts of the three hour long journey down river and back just as darkness swept over the river. How sweet the sounds of the frogs and a few sporadic bird calls and songs. I did hear a scarlet tanager close by. We stopped along our return trip and harvested some nice dry pine branches for a wonderful fire in his pit on his deck once we returned. How the stars came out and filled the sky visible over the river. The bugs were not at all bad.
This morning I hooked up with another long-time friend Jean for a trip to Portsmouth and headed out for a day of striper fishing. We had great luck catching live mackerel at 2KR right off and filled his live well with a couple dozen quickly. I did land and release a nice 25 inch striper as soon as we stopped on our way back into the river. Then another quick hit on another live mackerel. And that was it for the day. We plied our usual "hot" spots and tried a couple new ones he recently learned about and caught fish at last week. But nary a bite, though we were marking fish. Still a picture perfect day on the sea and river.
I'm seeing red colored deer practically every day in my travels. Over the weekend I headed up to the Fish and Game's Owl Brook education center in Holderness to the annual Hunter Education instructor annual recognition day. It was only my second official duty since I became a commissioner. As usual there were lots of faces I have come to know over the last 30 years or so. Don Lindh from the Londonderry Fish and Game Club where I took hunter safety in 1964 was in attendance. I can't recall if he was one of my instructors or started soon after. But he has been at it for decades and has been one of my life-long friends as a member of the club which I joined as a junior member right after I took the course. So I have known Don and my other instructors for nearly 45 years. Where does time go?
