Weekly Recap; 11/3/25-11/9/25

Whenever I start these articles, I look through the photos I took of the prior week to get an idea of my adventures.

Looking through the past week of photos, I did not do too much that I found worthy of documenting. Until the weekend that is.

Friday and Saturday were both days on the water. Happy with how the boat was running last week, I decided to go fishing. Launched in the Canal and ended up going out on the river before the storm got too bad.

I knew if I could get to this one spot, I’d catch my first smallmouth in a few weeks. Which I made it happen! On a Spinnerbait in an area out of the wind.

It was time to head back as the wind grew and the clouds came rolling in heavy. In the distance you could see rain over Grand Island. So I decided to run back to the canal and tuck in there and finish fishing my day. That was the plan anyway…

On my way back I got to a spot with heavy wind and current, both going in the same direction. The waves were choppy, but nothing more than probably 1.5’ or so. Out of nowhere my motor slowed down and then cut out.

Tried starting it again and nothing. So now I am floating down the river without a motor. Thankfully the trolling motor was working. The next step was to hop on the trolling motor and get as close to the shore as I could and drift down to Gratwick park , which was the nearest launch. The docks were out and left me nowhere to put the boat.

The anxiety and worry was real. Regardless, I have been in this situation before. After having to pass on Gratwick, I then floated down to Griffon Park. On my drift I called my Dad and thankfully he was able to go get the trailer and bring it to the launch.

All ended well, I was safe and even caught a fish, but these motor issues are getting old. They keep coming up again and again. It does not lead to much confidence in your vessel or even wanting to fish.

Regardless, we got the boat off the water and made some phone calls. Still waiting to hear back. Saturday morning came and I realized I needed to fish some more. The trolling motor worked so I figured I can actually just fish the canal. That is what happened. It was much slower than last week when I fished it.

Still though, managed to land three largemouth bass and they were all great fighters. Despite all the hassle with the boat, it still was able to get me on fish. No, they weren’t smallmouth of lake trout, but they were fish nonetheless and I need to be grateful for that alone.

The trees that still have leaves are remarkable. Plenty of great color remaining. The one tree (shown below) had this vibrant red unlike any other. Absolutely stunning!

Well, Sunday November 9th is the first day of snow! It had to come eventually. Sucks I wasn’t able to winterize the motor before it got messed up.

Reminder, in New York since November 1st it is time to wear your life jacket on vessels under 21 feet in length. Be safe!

Also, it is that time to change the wardrobe over. Base layers have come out. Outer layers have gotten heavier. Socks have gotten switched to all wool. The pants I wear this time of year, the Carhartt Steel Pant, is a heavier pant, perfect for layering and blocking the wind this time of year. They are almost 100% cotton. Historically, the term "cotton kills" comes to mind. However, the truth is that wherever I am wearing them, usually there is an outer layer like a bib, or I am close enough the civilization. The reason I say that, is that God forbid they got soaking wet, it is not like I am deep in the bush and could be in serious trouble of hypothermia.

Regardless, say they did get soaked to the bone on one of my winter creek walking trips? The first solution is to get moving; walking, jumping, squatting. Next, and hopefully you have a friend with you, is to make a fire! Dry out and warm up. It may not be a pleasant experience, but you wont die either. These situations rarely happen, but it is wise to have a plan of what to do if things go South.

Stay tuned... the leather JD Outdoors patch is just the start of a new project. There are many great things coming to JD Outdoors Co! New products, offerings and maybe even classes??? We shall see!

The song of the week;

Higher Truth by Chris Cornell

This song has been HEAVY on rotation! My favorite lyric from it...

"Come, lets sit in the sun, feel the world spin around, as the birds fly over head, can't you hear the waves, can't you feel the rain, as it falls upon your face..."

The latest episode of Two Angles on Angling podcast is up on YouTube! We have already recorded 127 episodes!!! This week we talk about the weather changes and the impacts it is having on us as well as the fishing.

Thank you for following the journey. It feels good to be back into a routine of podcasting and typing blogs. Looking back over the prior week really helps to "close it out" which helps us learn from the wins and losses, as well as make space to plan the following week.

Tight lines! See you in the woods or on the water soon!

Jordan H. DiVirgilio