Things You Learn

There are things that a man learns when he spends as much time as I do on a river. Most importantly, on the rivers, creeks and channels in southern Virginia Beach and northeastern North Carolina, is knowing whether the water is high or if it is low. If the wind has been blowing from the north, the river is falling, and if it has been blowing from the south for any length of time, the waters are high. Most anyone in this part of the country will know this. Along with this, is knowing that if you can get to a place or pass through a channel when the water is down, you most always can make it when the river is up. 

A man should know that if he is going to make it through a relatively shallow piece of water that he is familiar with, it is best to do it at full speed. Most would want to go slow, but that only increases your chances of spending your time cursing the thick, uncompromising mud and yourself for not bringing a shove pole. A man knows that in these waters, a shove pole is not to be forgotten at home and that it is a necessary, standard piece of equipment on any boat. By looking at the water, a man should know if it is choked with grass and where he can navigate through it. A man should also know where the deepest water is in a creek - even without electronics. Electronics fail. And motors fail, so a man should know how to work on and maintain a boat motor. 

When you come across fishermen working a bank or drifting, a man should know to slow down and not throw a wake at them. He should also know when it is duck season and give any blind - floating, shore or deep-water - a wide berth and remember that they have guns! A man should know the difference between a muskrat, beaver, otter and a nutria in the water, and the difference between a water snake and moccasin. A man should also be able to read the skies and know whether it is time to keep going or to leave.

With time, this man has learned where some of the best places are to watch the sunrise on the North Landing.

Schedule your ecotour to explore this environmental wonderland.