Local "Graveyard" Being Cleaned Up

That was the gist of a TV news segment I saw on WAVY-TV10 earlier this evening. The "graveyard" in question is the one that dots that one oxbow as you head south out of West Neck Creek...the one with all those ol' boats that have been towed in over the years and "left for dead." The plan is to get rid of every one of them, and the work already is in progress, as I understand it.

I can't help but wonder if this cleanup will be everlasting, or if the mess simply will start anew soon after the last pile of trash is hauled away. Reckon time will tell, but if I were a betting man, my money would be on a new graveyard taking shape unless there are plans for some kind of law enforcement to be involved.

Also wanted to say that I got back on the water yesterday for a few hours...the first time since this past November. Wayne picked me up between 7:30 and 8 a.m., and we headed to the Pungo Ferry launch ramp. When we wrapped things up, Wayne had put a limit in the boat, and I had started the new season with a resounding skunk. For that matter, I never even had the first bite.

Given that fact, I made a decision to make a change I once promised myself never would happen. I stripped the braid from a couple of reels this morning, then took them to Ocean's East and had them respooled with 12-pound hi-viz mono for fishing crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and such. Plan to stay with the hi-viz braid for soft plastics and topwaters for the time being. Whether I stick with this plan long-term depends on the results of this testing period.

Reckon this decision somewhat confirms that you really can teach an old dog some new tricks...or at least make him willing to try them on for size. One thing I know for certain is that I'll truly be sweating bullets the first time (if ever again) I hook up with a sizable fish on that 12-lb. mono.

Incidentally, if it has been a spell since you were in Ocean's East, you may not be aware that they have opened a new room to the far right as you walk into the store. This new addition is where all the spooling services take place now.