By Angela Mac, Vismay Ravikumar, and Melody Tang
LAYOUT EDITOR, STAFF WRITER, ONLINE EDITOR
Poison ivy tends to find him and mosquitoes tend to swarm around him, yet Andover High School junior Spencer Belson is always eager to cast his bait into the brook. As part of Memorial Hall Library’s Fish On! Series, Belson delivered an hour-long talk on February 28th, regarding fishing techniques and conservation efforts to the 38 attendees ranging from amateurs to seasoned anglers.
Belson began attending the series six years ago and decided that it was time for him to take the reins and share the lessons he learned while fishing with the Andover community. Working with Skip Montello, who runs the Fish On! Services, Belson made his own 41-slide presentation and was allotted an hour and a half on a Tuesday evening to run his own lecture, bringing with him various fishing apparatus such as a spinning wheel fishing rod and a variety of other equipment.
Belson took after his great-grandfather’s passion for fishing. Ultimately, however, he was taught by his grandfather, spending time with him up north in Maine. Belson was first exposed to fishing at six years old, starting off with fly fishing.
From both his great-grandfather and grandfather, he took the sport “into [his] own hands and explor[ed] the sport on [his] own.”
Fishing allows Belson to venture off into the pristine wilderness and gets him outside and away from the stress of academics and sports. In particular, Belson enjoys the social aspect of fishing, having met many friends as part of the Trout Unlimited Teen National Summit, some of whom he converses with daily. Trout Unlimited (TU) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring North America’s coldwater fisheries. Its annual Teen Summit is a leadership conference for TU teens that are committed to conservation.
Belson works with Trout Unlimited and the Native Fish Coalition to promote education and conservation ethics in regard to fish and its ecosystem. For Belson, advocating for dam removal is substantial. The Ballardvale Dam is the last working dam on the Shawsheen River. It prevents the passage of fish, which are coming from the oceans in order to spawn. Dams create a big pond that backs up and warms water. With such low water levels, fish like River Herring and American Eels struggle to survive. However, the daunting task of removing a dam begins with the local citizens advocating, researching, and voting. Although it’s not an easy process, the Ballardvale Dam has been proposed to be removed.
When it comes to removing a dam, Belson said, “Showing up to town meetings or just spreading the word [and] just being in support of the dam removal” is a great way to support the cause.
Belson also promotes everyday conservation. By practicing ‘catch and release’—the immediate release of fish back into the water—and using barbless hooks, anglers can conserve the planet with each fishing trip. Belson also participates in the Spring River Herring Count on the Shawsheen river. Every spring, citizens volunteer to count fish to track their migration upstream. It is a great way for high school students to get involved in the community.
While many fishermen keep their fishing spots secret, Belson rebels against the status quo, stating ardently that he does not believe in that. Andover has a plethora of fishing spots, with Harold Parker, Pomp’s Pond, Foster’s Pond, and Shawsheen River being a couple of local bodies of water stocked with fish.
Fishing and writing, both of which are Belson’s passions, are combined in his blog, “The Current Angler,” which he started during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Belson has a multitude of blog posts on his recent pursuits with regard to fishing, primarily about the state of fishing in the local area.
Belson’s endeavors aren’t limited locally, having gone up to Maine this past fall. According to Belson, Maine is home to the largest Brook Trout in the country. He recalled he was happiest in Maine because he was catching the biggest and “undoubtedly the prettiest fish.”
This coming summer, Belson has plans to visit Montana, as it’s a must-go for any angler. If he could fish anywhere in the world, his first stops are Labrador, Canada; New Zealand; and Patagonia in South America.
In the future, Belson hopes to pursue a degree in environmental science with a focus on fisheries and hopes to be a professor in the field of fishing and work on conservation efforts.
Fishing is a part of Belson’s life that he will never let go of. Each time that fish bites onto his bait and he reels his fishing rod, Belson feels a rush of adrenaline. If he had to explain the fishing process to someone who has not the slightest clue how to fish, Belson would advise them to “just get out there,” and to “never overthink it.” At the end of the day, Belson reminds everyone that fishing is a guessing game even for tried anglers, and that there is no wrong way to do it.
