This is pretty much how it went.
I was at the bait store parking lot @ 5:40 AM and waited until 6AM on the dot and got our huge box of crabs. Very inexpensive at outfitters in Whethersfield. First time there and his prices where 100 percent less then the local bait shop. (Thanks Lung for the tip.) I had a completely empty trunk with tarp down and there was no smell coming for the box.
Next, I arrive at the launch as the sun is rising, around 7:30 A.M.
On this particular day, the sky was INCREDIBLY blue...it was chilly @30 degrees...and there was a beautiful mist rolling off the water. There was not the slightest of breeze and the ocean looked like a pond. I parked my car and walked my gear over to the yak launch.
I was the only one there! Next I get a text form Lung asking if I was on my way. I confirmed I was there and no one was at the launch yet.... (Yes, I forgot to text him that morning confirming I got the crabs...part of the reason I think was because I called the bait store the night before to confirm they had all we needed..)
So as soon as I look up in the parking lot, the trucks, trailers and boats start a rollin in the parkin lot....at a very fast pace...because it was such a cold night, quite a few peeps had some difficulty getting their motors going but everyone finally got em goin and were off on their way.
Lung arrived, texted me a description of the vehicle and I headed over to say hello...we then headed over to the launch, he did his thing and when he saw my fishing gear he made it clear, for the type of fish we were chasing that day, my stuff was not going to work. For a split second I recalled respooling two of the three open cast reels the night before with new 10lb test line and setting the drag properly in prep for the hope of catching something large and anticipating a long drawn out fight. BUT, I also knew Lung knows his stuff so why question what he said. He was nice enough to offer me an appropriate, salt water rod and reel and we left the launch probably at 8:30AM.
We arrived at our destination. There was no one else in the area. It was starting to warm up a bit with the sun rising. Out came the box of crabs and Lung showed me, "Now you take this hook and go through the outside of the crab knuckle, bring it into the body and then twist the hook and pull it back out a knuckle. Well, that effin easier said then done...it was very hard for me not to crush the crabs with that death grip I had on them...I tried various ways of doing it to work for me and Lung reminded me several times the proper way....it was probably 20 minutes and Lung began slamming these fish...like you hear people say on TV, "Oh you look so much different in person" so did the fish...they looked much prettier in real life...and big....because of my my baiting I wasn't doing too well, but then I got a bite and Lung explained with THESE fish, they are not going to set the hook on their own....you have to wait just for the right second, have the line with no slack and when you feel the bite SET THE HOOK HARD. So, I finally got a bite and did as instructed....Turns out I just about ripped a Porgy in half. Lung keeps catchin the blacks and releasing and finally I get the bite and set it. And BANG! I lost my balance, and my breath at the same time....and Im pumping the fishing pole up and down which Lung explains is a "no, no." Keep the pole up with these fish once you have them on the line and just reel. This is re-learning to fish "102." I managed to get the Tog to the side of the boat so Lung could net her....It was beginners luck...it was one of the largest so far....Lung kept catching and releasing without making any noise...I didn't even know sometimes when he had a black until it was in the boat....most of them keeper size, but he had them on and off the hook and back into the water in seconds. The tide was moving, things were changing a bit, I finally got another and could not believe the pull. Once you've got them on the line it is a huge steady strong pull you have to be prepared for...and I usually was not....that's what made it so much fun for me.
Other boats are seeing we are being productive and are not shy about getting very close to us, including a charter... It didn't matter, Lung continued to catch and release as these people watched him fish. I told him, "dude, are they fishing or just watching you fish?" "Cause, no one is catchin s*** off that boat."
High tide hit...then the bite turned off like a light...Lung opted to head to another area, as the wind was picking up quite a bit.....we ended up in a nice sheltered spot from the wind...I had my typical sandwich ...Lung had his occasional puff on a cigar that never seemed to be quite lit because I really didn't smell it.
So we began fishing in this secluded spot comfortably...there was still enough chill for my "coconuts" to shrink up into a tiny cold little "sack" making it almost impossible to find my wienie on a bobbing boat leaning against a post and take a "WIZ" without punching myself in the sack...it probably took a full minute to accomplish this task. Like a gentleman, Lung was not snickering, that I know of anyway and remained in the stern until my squirt was over...
It wasn't but a few minutes and Lung got himself another nice black fish and put him back in the water...I decided to try some of my own gear with some squid strips....lots of small, couple medium porgies, a small sea bass....I was takin it easy while we waited for the tide to turn back again....before you knew it, it was about that time to shove back out...and when Lung said, the winds probably died out a bit, I almost said "you just jinxed us" but I didn't want to sound like an ungrateful prick.
However, once we arrived, I discovered the winds were a whippin and this looked like an entirely different location from earlier in the day....I could not stand upright and hold a rod let alone, bait the hook....of course Lung went about fishing as if it were the same conditions as the morning, be bopping about the boat, baiting and slamming the black fish again, catching and releasing as he went...I managed to get some crab on and then my brain finally absorbed everything he coached me on that day...now I was finally feeling more comfortable with how to fish for the Blacks....and I landed a nice one, then a small one.....then I got hung up on some rocks and the Cap had me back in biz in no time....I hooked up with what felt like another hot one...and it went down into the rocks....I couldn't get him out and it was difficult not to be impatient. Lungs advice was give the fish some line to come out and try every once in a while...I did this and every once in a while I would feel a wobble...and I would yank on the pole pretty hard hoping I was going to some how pull the fish through the rock pile.
At which point Lung politely said something to the effect of "Please don't break my ugly stick, it can take only so much pulling." He said it with a laugh but I realized I must have been looking like a retard abusing the equipment he was kind enough to loan to me. I got the hint and immediately accepted his offer to break me off and set me back up again.
The bite was back on and Lung was catchin and releasing...it was starting to get dark out there and a little spooky...I was exhausted..Lung got the boat tidied up.....got the slimy fish in position for some pics. I remembered Carp wished he'd taken a pic of Lung on the last trip, so I pushed him into taking a pic with a fish.....
I have a picture of me and my daughter from three days ago...I'll post it....My pic on the boat with the fish makes me look about 40lbs heavier, but fug it...I'm going to leave it up. After all, this is not a dating site, ah reckin!
So we get back to the boat launch.....I've got the brain fog goin on and what do I see as we approach. Some old dude just a waitin to hear the fishing report. There has to be a name for these people. Being I was not the one who had any responsibility or physical labor to do at that point, I had no problem with being polite yet evasive about where the fish were caught. Eventually, the guy starts in on lung about some new lure you don't have to use any crab on, blah, blah.....and I couldn't help but laugh because Lung was like, dude...it's not true...sorry, that's just the way it is...and this freaking guy wanted to stage a full scale debate while Lung is driving his boat into the trailer and squaring it away. Lung finally cut it off and was like "Sorry mister, I'm not trying to be rude, but I've got things to do and I want to get out of here."
I've got quotes on all things I slightly remember. I try to get as close as I can for the sake of the post...but they are not all word for word....you get the point.
Lung asked me to drive his truck and boat out of the water with him in it while the old dude is still there talkin to him...I have no idea what they were saying, but I asked where he wanted me to pull the boat up to and park and I could not hear the answer over them talking....and since I'm known for being the inflatable freak on the ocean, I've never pulled a boat out of the water and if anything went wrong, I was not going to be able to hear shouts from behind yelling "STOP!"
I obviously drove it extremely slow but pulled it out and parked...The fish I walked away with did not matter...just the fact I had a giant fresh fish to eat for dinner was thrilling for me...but when I returned home, I realized Lung gave me the largest four fish of the eight, showing once again his kindness...
As a "clincher" I arrived home on fumes. I decided to fill er up...I get out of the car and limp to the pump...Im pumpin....and some dude walks up to me and asks me if I have had good luck with my 2004 1.8T Passat. To which I replied with a grin, because it was true, "No, I have not had good luck with this car and it's had many major repairs."
He wanted details of COURSE! and following suit to someone I looked up to that day, I politely told him every recall, the type of synthetic oil specs, all about my head gasket nightmare a year ago, a web site forum just for Passats and so on.
That's it. I am finally making this. The End! "
I was at the bait store parking lot @ 5:40 AM and waited until 6AM on the dot and got our huge box of crabs. Very inexpensive at outfitters in Whethersfield. First time there and his prices where 100 percent less then the local bait shop. (Thanks Lung for the tip.) I had a completely empty trunk with tarp down and there was no smell coming for the box.
Next, I arrive at the launch as the sun is rising, around 7:30 A.M.
On this particular day, the sky was INCREDIBLY blue...it was chilly @30 degrees...and there was a beautiful mist rolling off the water. There was not the slightest of breeze and the ocean looked like a pond. I parked my car and walked my gear over to the yak launch.
I was the only one there! Next I get a text form Lung asking if I was on my way. I confirmed I was there and no one was at the launch yet.... (Yes, I forgot to text him that morning confirming I got the crabs...part of the reason I think was because I called the bait store the night before to confirm they had all we needed..)
So as soon as I look up in the parking lot, the trucks, trailers and boats start a rollin in the parkin lot....at a very fast pace...because it was such a cold night, quite a few peeps had some difficulty getting their motors going but everyone finally got em goin and were off on their way.
Lung arrived, texted me a description of the vehicle and I headed over to say hello...we then headed over to the launch, he did his thing and when he saw my fishing gear he made it clear, for the type of fish we were chasing that day, my stuff was not going to work. For a split second I recalled respooling two of the three open cast reels the night before with new 10lb test line and setting the drag properly in prep for the hope of catching something large and anticipating a long drawn out fight. BUT, I also knew Lung knows his stuff so why question what he said. He was nice enough to offer me an appropriate, salt water rod and reel and we left the launch probably at 8:30AM.
We arrived at our destination. There was no one else in the area. It was starting to warm up a bit with the sun rising. Out came the box of crabs and Lung showed me, "Now you take this hook and go through the outside of the crab knuckle, bring it into the body and then twist the hook and pull it back out a knuckle. Well, that effin easier said then done...it was very hard for me not to crush the crabs with that death grip I had on them...I tried various ways of doing it to work for me and Lung reminded me several times the proper way....it was probably 20 minutes and Lung began slamming these fish...like you hear people say on TV, "Oh you look so much different in person" so did the fish...they looked much prettier in real life...and big....because of my my baiting I wasn't doing too well, but then I got a bite and Lung explained with THESE fish, they are not going to set the hook on their own....you have to wait just for the right second, have the line with no slack and when you feel the bite SET THE HOOK HARD. So, I finally got a bite and did as instructed....Turns out I just about ripped a Porgy in half. Lung keeps catchin the blacks and releasing and finally I get the bite and set it. And BANG! I lost my balance, and my breath at the same time....and Im pumping the fishing pole up and down which Lung explains is a "no, no." Keep the pole up with these fish once you have them on the line and just reel. This is re-learning to fish "102." I managed to get the Tog to the side of the boat so Lung could net her....It was beginners luck...it was one of the largest so far....Lung kept catching and releasing without making any noise...I didn't even know sometimes when he had a black until it was in the boat....most of them keeper size, but he had them on and off the hook and back into the water in seconds. The tide was moving, things were changing a bit, I finally got another and could not believe the pull. Once you've got them on the line it is a huge steady strong pull you have to be prepared for...and I usually was not....that's what made it so much fun for me.
Other boats are seeing we are being productive and are not shy about getting very close to us, including a charter... It didn't matter, Lung continued to catch and release as these people watched him fish. I told him, "dude, are they fishing or just watching you fish?" "Cause, no one is catchin s*** off that boat."
High tide hit...then the bite turned off like a light...Lung opted to head to another area, as the wind was picking up quite a bit.....we ended up in a nice sheltered spot from the wind...I had my typical sandwich ...Lung had his occasional puff on a cigar that never seemed to be quite lit because I really didn't smell it.
So we began fishing in this secluded spot comfortably...there was still enough chill for my "coconuts" to shrink up into a tiny cold little "sack" making it almost impossible to find my wienie on a bobbing boat leaning against a post and take a "WIZ" without punching myself in the sack...it probably took a full minute to accomplish this task. Like a gentleman, Lung was not snickering, that I know of anyway and remained in the stern until my squirt was over...
It wasn't but a few minutes and Lung got himself another nice black fish and put him back in the water...I decided to try some of my own gear with some squid strips....lots of small, couple medium porgies, a small sea bass....I was takin it easy while we waited for the tide to turn back again....before you knew it, it was about that time to shove back out...and when Lung said, the winds probably died out a bit, I almost said "you just jinxed us" but I didn't want to sound like an ungrateful prick.
However, once we arrived, I discovered the winds were a whippin and this looked like an entirely different location from earlier in the day....I could not stand upright and hold a rod let alone, bait the hook....of course Lung went about fishing as if it were the same conditions as the morning, be bopping about the boat, baiting and slamming the black fish again, catching and releasing as he went...I managed to get some crab on and then my brain finally absorbed everything he coached me on that day...now I was finally feeling more comfortable with how to fish for the Blacks....and I landed a nice one, then a small one.....then I got hung up on some rocks and the Cap had me back in biz in no time....I hooked up with what felt like another hot one...and it went down into the rocks....I couldn't get him out and it was difficult not to be impatient. Lungs advice was give the fish some line to come out and try every once in a while...I did this and every once in a while I would feel a wobble...and I would yank on the pole pretty hard hoping I was going to some how pull the fish through the rock pile.
At which point Lung politely said something to the effect of "Please don't break my ugly stick, it can take only so much pulling." He said it with a laugh but I realized I must have been looking like a retard abusing the equipment he was kind enough to loan to me. I got the hint and immediately accepted his offer to break me off and set me back up again.
The bite was back on and Lung was catchin and releasing...it was starting to get dark out there and a little spooky...I was exhausted..Lung got the boat tidied up.....got the slimy fish in position for some pics. I remembered Carp wished he'd taken a pic of Lung on the last trip, so I pushed him into taking a pic with a fish.....
I have a picture of me and my daughter from three days ago...I'll post it....My pic on the boat with the fish makes me look about 40lbs heavier, but fug it...I'm going to leave it up. After all, this is not a dating site, ah reckin!
So we get back to the boat launch.....I've got the brain fog goin on and what do I see as we approach. Some old dude just a waitin to hear the fishing report. There has to be a name for these people. Being I was not the one who had any responsibility or physical labor to do at that point, I had no problem with being polite yet evasive about where the fish were caught. Eventually, the guy starts in on lung about some new lure you don't have to use any crab on, blah, blah.....and I couldn't help but laugh because Lung was like, dude...it's not true...sorry, that's just the way it is...and this freaking guy wanted to stage a full scale debate while Lung is driving his boat into the trailer and squaring it away. Lung finally cut it off and was like "Sorry mister, I'm not trying to be rude, but I've got things to do and I want to get out of here."
I've got quotes on all things I slightly remember. I try to get as close as I can for the sake of the post...but they are not all word for word....you get the point.
Lung asked me to drive his truck and boat out of the water with him in it while the old dude is still there talkin to him...I have no idea what they were saying, but I asked where he wanted me to pull the boat up to and park and I could not hear the answer over them talking....and since I'm known for being the inflatable freak on the ocean, I've never pulled a boat out of the water and if anything went wrong, I was not going to be able to hear shouts from behind yelling "STOP!"
I obviously drove it extremely slow but pulled it out and parked...The fish I walked away with did not matter...just the fact I had a giant fresh fish to eat for dinner was thrilling for me...but when I returned home, I realized Lung gave me the largest four fish of the eight, showing once again his kindness...
As a "clincher" I arrived home on fumes. I decided to fill er up...I get out of the car and limp to the pump...Im pumpin....and some dude walks up to me and asks me if I have had good luck with my 2004 1.8T Passat. To which I replied with a grin, because it was true, "No, I have not had good luck with this car and it's had many major repairs."
He wanted details of COURSE! and following suit to someone I looked up to that day, I politely told him every recall, the type of synthetic oil specs, all about my head gasket nightmare a year ago, a web site forum just for Passats and so on.
That's it. I am finally making this. The End! "
