John Lee

Ice fishing is the memory of American winters, nighttime snow, stacks of cordwood and people in heavy coats staring into holes.

When halfbeaks showed up in the Northeast this fall, I had to balance being mesmerized by their movements in the water with the urge to cast and catch.

Despite the decline in their stocks, cod and all they represent still beckon this traditional New England fisherman.

Fall stirs the drive to chase long and hard after fleeing fish.

A boyhood summer day spent landing scup by the dozen — think cut-offs and bicycles — planted a seed that grew into a lifetime of fishing.