Saltwater Aspirations

Weather around here is warming up and after a snow storm last week, I finally think that we can expect spring to get here very soon. It is New England, so we all love (or is it hate?) to talk about the weather forecast.

Who can blame us though? One minute things are blooming, and the next the temperature drops 30 degrees and it's snowing in April. Let's just hope it's not this April though. With the winter weather we just had, I really want to believe that Mother Nature will cut us a break and we will have a wonderfully mild and beautiful Spring,  Summer and I will dare to wish for Fall too!

I've got goals for this summer. Weather, don't fail me now!

Last year was the first year I actually paid attention and took interest in my other half's skilled craft as a professional saltwater fisherman. With my purple rod, I managed to catch 7 species! Not bad. Of course, like the Charter customers the Capt. gets, at the time, I took 100% of the credit for what I caught. Anyone who knows the industry would know that it was not something I did on my own really. I needed a lot of help. It was so much fun!

I was pleasantly pleased with my self at the end of last summer. Being stubborn and wanting to know the entire process, I actually did bait my own hook with gross clams. I tried to get used to handling the fish after I hooked it. Taking it off the hook was hard for me. A lot of times, the Capt. needed to do it for me because I would fumble the fish and get stuck on the fact that a living, beating creature was squirming in my hands.  He made it more humane by speeding up the release!

One of my fishing goals for this year is to get quicker and better at all of the moving parts. I want to intuitively observe more of the professionals I am lucky enough to tag along with. Although they coach me well, it really helps to see how they get the job done. This is new to me, because normally my eyes are on the scenery while I am out there!

Species I Hooked in 2013

1. Striped Bass

2. Bluefish

3. Black Sea Bass

4. Cod (in only 40 ft of water!)

5. Scup

6. Dogfish

7. Bergal

I think it must be easy to get overconfident on summertime goals while it is frigid and cold outside.  I really want to go for big game this year. I would love to go offshore and catch my first tuna. I respect that I may not be ready for this endeavor yet, but I would like to see one of my mentors hook one while I observe (really just get the heck out of the way or do as I'm told is more like it!).

Even if I don't get a chance at a tuna though, I can't tell you how great it will feel when the sun is higher in the sky and shining, the Sound is glimmering and I get to spend time out on the water learning how to be an angler with my love. Warm weather on Cape Cod is a gift in itself. I enjoy many outdoor activities here. My new love of fishing is taking on a life of it's own though and there is just one more profound reason for me to be outside breathing that healthy salt air in one of the most beautiful places on earth!

Hooked!

Repost from coastaljules.blogspot.com Aug 2013

Over four years ago, I met my boyfriend Tim, who at the time was the Captain of privately owned sportfish yacht. As we started to get to know each other, I began to see a life I never knew existed. I never thought there was much to fishing. So there's a rod, a hook and something like bait used to lure it in. How involved could it be?

I had seen plenty of fishermen on the shores of the coastal communities I frequented. As a young girl, I definitely had a big romantic fascination with the fishing boats coming in and out of Menemsha harbor on Martha's Vineyard, where I spent a lot of time in the summer. As a fairly imaginative individual, I would daydream about fantastic stories of what it would be like to be at sea or be in a family of a commercial fisherman.
The reality that I am still trying to understand is that there is way more to fishing than the rod, the hook and the bait and tackle. It takes a great deal of skills and patience.  Seasoned saltwater fishermen need to consider many factors, including weather, species and other things that I don't have any clue about.  Tim now makes his living as a charter fisherman. Over the years of just being around Tim, I have come to realize that his skill and passion for the sport is something to be admired. Not everyone can do what they are passionate about and great at for a living.
In previous years, Tim would take me out fishing and I just couldn't wrap my hands around the idea of actually picking up a rod and joining in on the angling. It seemed so intimidating with a lot of pressure! This comes with the territory of being an experienced master Captain and fisherman; serious about something that is a hobby to most. I tagged along on tuna trips, bass trips, etc. I would focus on the sights like whales or the seascape. I would sit away from the rods and follow my own  agenda of enjoying the day, which consisted in taking in the scenic beauty of the ocean and fresh sea air.

Last year, we moved into the Cape Cod Canal region of Massachusetts. My hobbies include hiking, kayaking and most anything outside. The Canal trail became my standard go-to running and walking track. I began to notice the surfcaster culture of the area. I became mesmerized by it. Some of the canal fishermen call themselves “canal rats” and actually have bikes with fishing rod holders on them.  Fishermen stake out a spot in accordance with the tide or how the fish have been rumored to run and move with the bike or on foot if needed. Friends and family often congregate in beach chairs and picnic. The culture seemed like something I could definitely be a part of! I had continual conversations with Tim about surfcasting vs. boat fishing all last winter.  For Christmas, he had his friend make me a beautiful custom rod wrapped in royal purple and my name painted on it. Being someone who prefers fishing from a boat over surfcasting, whenever he hasn’t had a client, he has brought me out on his boat for fishing lessons this summer. I have been having the best time.  

In June, I caught my first striped bass on his boat. I needed a lot of coaching but the experience was so exciting! My enthusiasm is expressed by screaming and hollering like an 8 year old when I catch a fish. The vivid colors of my rod are a perfect match to my level of enthusiasm. I am literally hooked on fishing now. Since June, I have caught cod, black sea bass, bergall and plenty of striped bass on my pretty purple rod. I have found such enjoyment out of this new hobby. I am learning from and spending time with an expert, who also happens to be my love. Each time I go out there, I learn something new. I can’t wait to get out there this weekend!

I'll keep my day job but still enjoy the thrill of fighting a fish and the satisfaction of knowing that I am, contrary to my prior beliefs, not too old to learn and enjoy new things!


This is a repost from Summer 2013 (coastaljules.blogspot.com)
Jules is excited to get out on the water fishing again! Many fish to catch and so much more to learn in Summer  2014!!