New Home Waters

Larry Eckart

Well-known member
Guys (and Dani),

In his book, A Fly Fisherman?s Blue Ridge, Christopher Camuto speaks eloquently of ?home waters.? In his case, ?home water? is the place he fly fishes for trout close to home. In our case on this website, ?home waters? would be the places we hunt and fish closest to home.

I now have new home waters, yet to be discovered. After 35 years, I retired last week as a full time Lutheran Pastor. This week, after two years of planning, my wife Kathy and I moved from Hilton Head, SC to Apex, NC (outside Raleigh) where she has family. We are excited about this significant change in our lives.

As I write this, it is the day after we moved. You know what that means. Box city. I?ll be lucky to find my tee shirts and shorts. A local sparrow has decided to welcome us by building a nest in our front door wreath. It?s nice to watch but we scare the mother every time we walk by.

I have no idea what will be my home waters but I will enjoy the discovery process. Furthermore, I look forward to introducing myself to the trout of the Blue Ridge and the sea trout of the Pamlico Sound area. Both those places are 2 ? to 3 hours distant. Oh, and I?ve heard a rumor that there are fish in the coastal surf, especially in September. I plan to get reacquainted with camping, campgrounds and staring into a fire.

Squirrel hunting. I plan to take up again a sport I loved as a young man. It involves many of the aspects of deer hunting without the pressure.

Duck hunting. I will have to go through the learning curve all duck hunters must go through when learning new waters. I perceive a distinct tension between the duck hunters who are native to coastal North Carolina and the many newbies who have moved in, following the growing job markets in the Raleigh and Charlotte metro areas. I understand the protective nature of those who have grown up hunting their home waters.

So I plan to use my Old Town 119 and my Mad River Duck Hunter canoes to explore the back waters and stay away from the fray. Hopefully.

I have read articles where it can be an ugly confrontation between native men and transplants driving in from Raleigh with their identifying vehicle: a pretty Tahoe. One incident two years ago involved a man who felt the local waters were ?his waters? and confronted two other hunters with his gun. After the man stormed away he eventually regretted his action: the man he accosted was an officer!

I want none of that. At least I don?t drive a Tahoe.

Having spent the last nine years in Hilton Head, I shall enjoy my time in the fresh water marsh, no mater what.

And to prime the pump, in the first week of October I will take a road trip with old friends to northern Ontario for both ducks and grouse. I can smell the balsam fir from here!

And if my home water holds only panfish and bass and wood ducks, I will be a happy man.

You might guess that you will be hearing more from me in the months to come. You would be right.

I was blessed and am blessed to have many choices. Including the choice of the company I keep on this website.

Larry
 
Congrads on your retirement. Sometimes half the fun is figuring out the best way to hunt or fish a new area. Guess we won,t be hereing about a rail shooting story from the salt marsh this fall but sneaking woodies in a canoe is just as much fun! Enjoy the exploration.
 
Congratulations on your retirement and the new challenges that await. Spend significant time staring at maps, making notes, and then get out there and see if what looks good on maps actually looks good in person. I still do this constantly, even in my own "home waters," always looking for the next "spot." That's a large amount of the fun for me, and never gets old.
 
I've often thought, it's not necessarily where the "home waters" physically reside, but rather the memories involving those waters that makes them so great. My father-in-law always says- "memories don't make themselves". Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you, there.

Congratulations, and good luck with the transition.
 
Congratulations on retirement Larry? My first ten days have been nothing but tasks to complete. Sounds like we are in the same duckboat.

Maybe you can join the DU branch where you want to hunt and make some buddies that way?

Mark
 
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Larry ,

Congratulations on your retirement, and welcome to "The Geezer Squad".

It reads as though you have some wonderful plans and adventures ahead, God Willing.


Home waters tend to find us, as much as we find them. The closer they are the better.

Squirrel hunting, panfish, Bass and Wood Ducks are wonderful ways to refresh ones self, and very rewarding in my world. You never out grow them.


"You retire TO something, not from something." - Bud Grant


Best regards
Vince
 
Congrats on your retirement Larry, I wish you the best. Retirement is definitely all it's cracked up to be.

Though I've been retired 8 years, I'm just now finding "new home waters ". Not in a new location but with my first ever Kayak. Already 3 fish fries from a spot I never fished before due to a no motor regulation.

Ain't life grand!
 
Congratulations on your retirement Larry! If you happen to pass through the Bay of Quinte area on your way to northern Ontario and would like to get in a day of diver hunting please let me know, it would be a pleasure to have you out for a hunt.

All the best,

Gary
 
Congratulations Larry! I am so very jealous! I also look forward to reading about your adventures learning the new world of yours.

Exploring new places sure can be a lot of fun
 
Larry,
Retirement is great. I always think of my experiences in this way. First time fishing a new spot versus the 20th time yoiu fished it. fun difference.
I remember my first duck hunt. I was a little apprehensive and we stopped for coffee as the clouds grew. I said to my buddy "what are we going to do if it rains?" My buddy said "Get Wet" LOL
Ken
 
Larry, congrads on your retirement. The move will take a long time to figure where everything is or should be?
You'll find out you can't find time to do things as you had time for before. As for fishing and hunting, join the local gun club or fishing club.
Good luck happy hunting...
 
Sounds great Larry. Hope you find some great new spots to enjoy your time. Being an avid fly fisherman myself, I'm hoping you get a chance to do that too. I always read Chris Camuto's reviews in Gray's Sporting Journal, they are always well written.
 
Congrats Larry,
Glad everything is going to plan, hope we can get together sometime. Harder for a young working family man to have time to get out there to hang out with a retired man but I'm sure we will find time to get together.

Here is a website I frequent quite a bit to find out the fishing conditions in the smoky mountains and to get certain flies sometimes.
http://www.perfectflystore.com/

Look forward to the stories to come of your adventures.
 
[size 4]Congrats on entering this new phase of your adventure, Larry. May you & Kathy enjoy many good years in your new home!
 
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