Best Boat Buzz

I had the best day of my entire life yesterday. Ok, so I have been known to be a little melodramatic. All that aside, listen up…….I caught a blue fish! That’s right, you heard me. Look, just look at this magnificent beast ( oh the drama).

I have caught garbage fish only occasionally…… by sheer luck. I would use a frozen clam on a rusty hook and hope for the best. I am more of a pleasure boater than a fisherman. All that changed this season while watching boat after boat pull into the marina loaded with fish. Stories unfold and laughter abounds. I wanted in, I wanted to be part of it. I decided to take it seriously and learn more about the fishing game.

Who knew that fishing was an art form, a real science, not me. Who knew that leaders, sliders, 20 ft diver lures, the right way to jig, one inch mackerel chunks, the outgoing and incoming tides all have a role in success at fishing. Who knew that as the summer wanes into fall, huge schools of blues begin following the baitfish south looking for warmer water. Not me, until now. Lesson number one came from Brian.

I met Brian (my fishing guru) and his first mate (Melissa) bright and early. First stop was near the jetties at the mouth of the Merrimac River to drop a line and drift. I caught the blue on a chunk of mackerel. It all happened so quick….I dropped the line, I felt a tug and then a full out battle ensued. This thing nearly pulled me out of the boat. Brian knew it was a blue right away because of the angle and speed of the line.
I was quite sure he was wrong and I was reeling in Moby Dick. Those suckers put up a huge fight and they have razor sharp teeth. After what seemed like hours I got the fish to the surface, my guru gaffed the poor thing and hauled it on board. Blood was everywhere……all over me, the boat, the fish, it looked like the Boston Massacre. Mess and all, I was ecstatic. We threw it on ice and off we went.

We weren’t done yet, we cruised out to Halibut point and did some trolling. Honestly, we didn’t have much luck there. But, on the way out we saw some whales, right in front of us! We jetted closer for a better look. It is tough to get a full size picture in here but, you can see them in the distance.

You would think this would be more than enough pleasure for one day. However, it does not stop there. A few porpoise were swimming off the port bow. The porpoise swam over and began playing with Melissa almost taunting her, she took the bait……as the porpoise stopped and posed, Melissa somehow straddled one and went for a ride on it’s back, circling the boat. The camera happened to be malfunctioning at this point. Sorry, no pictures. Spotting them was enough for me.

What better way to wrap up a spectacular day than watching the moon rise over the river….

Wonderful company, great weather, whales, porpoise and catching a blue. I know exactly what Thoreau meant.

Keep checking back for the best boat buzz/ fish stories on the net! Also check out “fishing tails” for a great pic of a couple of great guys who caught a huge tuna. I will also be updating the dockside dining page too. I had dinner at a new restaurant in Salisbury Beach, The SeaGlass…………….check back soon for the review. Update: The review is posted.