There is so much written and talked about that is negative about the environment that it is easy to forget our successes. Here in my corner of Maine loons are present on every pond inland and not at all uncommon on the salt. A marked increase from early in my career. Eagles are now a regular part of almost every trip no matter where.

Over the years lots of things have changed; many that we barely notice. For instance a cooler used to be an almost disposable item in my world. They lasted most of a season but certainly not longer.  Ice lasted for perhaps a day. Today I have had my Yeti for 5 years and just replaced the latches all set for another 5 near as I can tell. A block of ice lasts at least 3 days if not longer in it.

Over the years I have come to realize how important it is for a guide to manage expectations. That point was made for me yesterday with a boy on board. We were striper fishing and he hooked a few, landed a few including a nice 25 inch fish. All were larger than anything he had ever caught before. In fact he broke several off due to inexperience with bigger fish on light tackle.