When I was growing up there were three lakes in Upstate New York that were a major part of my life. Eaton Reservoir, Erieville Lake, and DeRuyter Reservoir. We often went fishing on all three catching walleye, bass, pickerel and perch. My dad spent hours in the yard with us practicing casting. He would tie a small weight to the bottom of the line and we would practice casting and reeling learning how to go slow and slightly bob the lure to give it the realistic look of a small critter swimming.
By the time I was 8 I knew how to tie a line, cast, real, filet a fish, what depth each type lived at, what a female fish looked like and what a male fish looked like. I saw what a fish looked like when it was pregnant. I knew that you had to burry the fish guts pretty deep when done so that dogs or other animals would not come and dig them up. I knew what kinds of bait to use and that walleye really liked my small brown sparkly squid bait. The Reservoirs were a place to save fish as well as catch them. When we went to visit the dam I would grab up the little minnows that had been washed over and put them back in the water.
DeRuyter Reservoir has a couple small islands. The shores of the islands had lots of clay on the banks. One day we stopped by a smaller one and my mother used the clay to make a small face. She used small spiral shells as eyes. It was really neat and held up pretty well. The islands were fascinating and that made that lake the most interesting when I was really little. I would have to say my favorite was Eaton. The reservoir has the large side and then a smaller side that is more of a pond. The pond side has lots of lily pads, birds and turtles. The larger side has lots of nooks to take your boat or kayak. One summer my husband and I made several trips in both a canoe or kayak to fish.
I have seen some of the greatest things on the Eaton Reservoir. When I went to Morriseville College I drove from my home in New Woodstock and crossed the dam in Eaton. One morning the fog was thick and some how made a arch that a car could just fit through over the dam. It looked so cool! The best memory I have of the Reservoir though is from when I was pretty little maybe middle school. We had learned in science class that there would be a meteor shower that night. It was deep winter and I begged my dad to let me go ice fishing with him. We sat on the still frozen lake with more stars then house lights showing and watched as thousands of meteors cascaded across the sky. I honestly get choked up thinking about it even today. It was the most stunning image I have ever witnessed.
The water is part of who I am. It helped me grow the way it would help a plant grow. I will always be nostalgic about those lakes. Where ever I settle it will forever need to be near a clean and wild body of water.
By the time I was 8 I knew how to tie a line, cast, real, filet a fish, what depth each type lived at, what a female fish looked like and what a male fish looked like. I saw what a fish looked like when it was pregnant. I knew that you had to burry the fish guts pretty deep when done so that dogs or other animals would not come and dig them up. I knew what kinds of bait to use and that walleye really liked my small brown sparkly squid bait. The Reservoirs were a place to save fish as well as catch them. When we went to visit the dam I would grab up the little minnows that had been washed over and put them back in the water.
DeRuyter Reservoir has a couple small islands. The shores of the islands had lots of clay on the banks. One day we stopped by a smaller one and my mother used the clay to make a small face. She used small spiral shells as eyes. It was really neat and held up pretty well. The islands were fascinating and that made that lake the most interesting when I was really little. I would have to say my favorite was Eaton. The reservoir has the large side and then a smaller side that is more of a pond. The pond side has lots of lily pads, birds and turtles. The larger side has lots of nooks to take your boat or kayak. One summer my husband and I made several trips in both a canoe or kayak to fish.
I have seen some of the greatest things on the Eaton Reservoir. When I went to Morriseville College I drove from my home in New Woodstock and crossed the dam in Eaton. One morning the fog was thick and some how made a arch that a car could just fit through over the dam. It looked so cool! The best memory I have of the Reservoir though is from when I was pretty little maybe middle school. We had learned in science class that there would be a meteor shower that night. It was deep winter and I begged my dad to let me go ice fishing with him. We sat on the still frozen lake with more stars then house lights showing and watched as thousands of meteors cascaded across the sky. I honestly get choked up thinking about it even today. It was the most stunning image I have ever witnessed.
The water is part of who I am. It helped me grow the way it would help a plant grow. I will always be nostalgic about those lakes. Where ever I settle it will forever need to be near a clean and wild body of water.
No comments:
Post a Comment