Picturesque Lake Ellis

Approximately ninety miles from downtown Manhattan, Lake Ellis sits peacefully in the town of Dover Plains, New York. Three hundred acres of fresh natural spring water fills a lake surrounded by the beauty of upstate New York. In the middle of August, before leaving for college, my grandfather and I spent time together fishing on the lake. This period spent fishing was not for the strict sport, but as a bonding experience shared by a grandfather and his grandson.

At five o'clock in the morning, my grandfather and I met at his house prior to our fishing venture. Planning on fishing all day, we packed a cooler consisting of sandwiches, water, soda, snacks, and beer. After packing the cooler, we walked down the hill to the bass boat that sat untouched at the marina. We removed our rods from the cases that were located under the front compartment and then proceeded to check the fuel level along with the engine oil. Prior to inspecting all aspects before starting, I jumped to the dock to untie the ropes holding the boat to the dock. My grandfather started the engine, causing a cloud of exhaust fumes to rise from the back of the boat, dispensing an aroma of gasoline into the air. As he smoothly reversed the boat in darkness he remained focused and full of composure.

As we followed the buoys to the deeper waters, the engine's idle created a drone within the valley. The lights of the summer homes overlooking the lake illuminated the shores of the fishing hotspots. Casting the lures into the dark waters, we sat there hoping that the fish were eager to bite. We viewed the sunrise on the horizon over the Appalachian mountains of New York. The sky began to shine a pinkish-orange glow and the fog on the lake was now visible. As the fog cleared out, the shore on the north beach of the lake was present with seven whitetail deer that grazed on the clover of the bank. Two of the deer possessed massive antlers that were visible from one hundred-fifty yards away. The other five were females that did not have antlers. The bank that the deer grazed on was my grandfather's land. He spends much time each year in the planting of the fields near the lake to attract the wildlife. He felt very proud that he had drawn these animals to his land. He spoke very softly trying not to scare them from the noise of his voice, until, he coughed and the deer went running into the wooded area that surrounded the field; this caused us both to chuckle at our careless actions but continued to cast our fishing lines toward the shores in excitement for the first bite.

The first bite occurred at eight o'clock when my grandfather's rod tip dipped toward the water, causing the drag on the reel to bring about a winding noise. He began to angle the fish as I watched in excitement with the net in my hands waiting to scoop up his catch. Splashing and jumping out of the water, the fish finally got within range to be netted and was brought into the boat. My grandfather was very proud of his angling skills as he posed for pictures with the fish. The pictures were comical as he held the fish with both hands as it flopped around sporadically and eventually dropped to the bottom of the boat. As the fish dropped, it caused a loud thud in the aluminum bottom of the bass boat. The catch was a four-pound bass that we placed in the boat's holding tank to be brought back to shore and butchered.

The birds were chirping in the trees that bordered the lake. Robins, blue jays, hawks, and crows tweeted, squawked, and established a sense of peace on the lake. The quacking of ducks and the croaking of bullfrogs also contributed to the tranquility on the water. As we continued to catch and release large mouth bass, we experienced a moment unlike any other. A majestic bald eagle soared through the valley that the lake was perched upon. We both gazed in amazement and shock for what was experienced.

...