Went tuna fishing again this weekend, but somehow the biggest catch of the weekend was a tide pool scavenger hunt winning 6 inch squid. Not sure how I feel about that. Not good actually.
Had my kiddos 4th birthday party on Sat and turned it into our big summer BBQ - I think we hit 75 people with kiddos. Anyway, had a shark themed party, and wifey went all out with a scavenger hunt on the beach - for both kiddos and adults with prizes for each (Mako vodka for the adults - see the theme thing she did there?).
I set up a whole point system for different shells, sea glass, crabs, and even lobster (Team Jackal member Ethan naturally dove the rocks off the beach and came back w/ the only lobster - for 20 points). Kids were all armed with nets and buckets and parents got into it. My mothers greatest talent in the world may be seaglass hunting and she set off with a vengeance knowing different colors were 5 points each. With parents fighting with kids over nets, and everyone knee deep in different tide pools, things started to get crazy.
Out of nowhere I hear the kids erupting screaming "Squid!". I turn around and my nephew Brado is holding a live squid that jumped onto the rocks out of the tide pool and he grabbed. It was squirting ink and the kiddos were in a delirium and chanting his name like a scene from Lord of the Flies. It was pretty impressive, and crazy to see. We took it back up and Ben cleaned it and I threw it on the grill. We all pretended to like it, and forced the kids to take a bite to teach them a lesson about harvesting the ocean - or just to laugh at them as they all pretended to like it and not throw up. Ben later told me he cleaned the squid and left the guts to dry on our windowsill to dry out the beak or something weird that he thought was doing me a favor. We left without remembering it so it should be nice and dry (ripe) by the time we get back this weekend.
My mom then paraded in with 6 different colors of seaglass and took the adult championship with an unprecedented 54 points. Squid was obviously not on the board, so Brado took a prize as well and there have been text battles ever since about who the real champ is. Even if the squid was worth a lobster, still wouldn't hit the 54. But who the hell wins on seaglass and not one live animal?
End of the day, the squid catch was legendary, and sadly bigger than anything else we caught this weekend.
Went tuna fishing Sunday and achieved a new level of disappointment. Somehow got the green light to leave the carnage of the party at 3:30 am and we were on Stellwagen before sunrise. Boats all over SW and SE corners as we trolled through with rigged ballyhoo. Whales, birds and bait (sand eels) everywhere but nothing doing. We cruised off alone and switched to squid bars. Within 20 min it looked like a piano dropped out of the sky on our short bar 20 feet off the stern. Reel screamed and bent, for about 5 seconds - then went limp. We reeled in the line to check it and the hook was gone. Somehow pulled the &#)#)#*$)#* crimp. On a store bought (won't name the store but no longer in business) rig. BIG fish, but still no excuse.
Didn't see one fish the rest of the day, one boat with a bent rod, or hear one word of positive chatter. Very weird given the reports from the days prior and the 100+ boats out there. Limped home to clean the house and hit the tide pools again with the kiddos. Went to the same tide pool, and saw another freaking squid - which became another marine animal I couldn't catch.
At this point, it all boils down to the Headhunt. It may be all I have left. First batch of shirts are in and are sweet. Great new material that is the nicest yet. If anyone wants one early, hit me up and I'll make it happen - have a box of them ready to roll.
Now for the obligatory request to get the registrations in. Only have a few in so far and I know of at least 15 boats out there who say they're in. And where's the chatter? Petey? Corduroy? Burnie? Dangler? Sean? Awfully quiet out there - which I hear Monomoy is still as well.
It will all change soon.
Had my kiddos 4th birthday party on Sat and turned it into our big summer BBQ - I think we hit 75 people with kiddos. Anyway, had a shark themed party, and wifey went all out with a scavenger hunt on the beach - for both kiddos and adults with prizes for each (Mako vodka for the adults - see the theme thing she did there?).
I set up a whole point system for different shells, sea glass, crabs, and even lobster (Team Jackal member Ethan naturally dove the rocks off the beach and came back w/ the only lobster - for 20 points). Kids were all armed with nets and buckets and parents got into it. My mothers greatest talent in the world may be seaglass hunting and she set off with a vengeance knowing different colors were 5 points each. With parents fighting with kids over nets, and everyone knee deep in different tide pools, things started to get crazy.
Out of nowhere I hear the kids erupting screaming "Squid!". I turn around and my nephew Brado is holding a live squid that jumped onto the rocks out of the tide pool and he grabbed. It was squirting ink and the kiddos were in a delirium and chanting his name like a scene from Lord of the Flies. It was pretty impressive, and crazy to see. We took it back up and Ben cleaned it and I threw it on the grill. We all pretended to like it, and forced the kids to take a bite to teach them a lesson about harvesting the ocean - or just to laugh at them as they all pretended to like it and not throw up. Ben later told me he cleaned the squid and left the guts to dry on our windowsill to dry out the beak or something weird that he thought was doing me a favor. We left without remembering it so it should be nice and dry (ripe) by the time we get back this weekend.
My mom then paraded in with 6 different colors of seaglass and took the adult championship with an unprecedented 54 points. Squid was obviously not on the board, so Brado took a prize as well and there have been text battles ever since about who the real champ is. Even if the squid was worth a lobster, still wouldn't hit the 54. But who the hell wins on seaglass and not one live animal?
End of the day, the squid catch was legendary, and sadly bigger than anything else we caught this weekend.
Went tuna fishing Sunday and achieved a new level of disappointment. Somehow got the green light to leave the carnage of the party at 3:30 am and we were on Stellwagen before sunrise. Boats all over SW and SE corners as we trolled through with rigged ballyhoo. Whales, birds and bait (sand eels) everywhere but nothing doing. We cruised off alone and switched to squid bars. Within 20 min it looked like a piano dropped out of the sky on our short bar 20 feet off the stern. Reel screamed and bent, for about 5 seconds - then went limp. We reeled in the line to check it and the hook was gone. Somehow pulled the &#)#)#*$)#* crimp. On a store bought (won't name the store but no longer in business) rig. BIG fish, but still no excuse.
Didn't see one fish the rest of the day, one boat with a bent rod, or hear one word of positive chatter. Very weird given the reports from the days prior and the 100+ boats out there. Limped home to clean the house and hit the tide pools again with the kiddos. Went to the same tide pool, and saw another freaking squid - which became another marine animal I couldn't catch.
At this point, it all boils down to the Headhunt. It may be all I have left. First batch of shirts are in and are sweet. Great new material that is the nicest yet. If anyone wants one early, hit me up and I'll make it happen - have a box of them ready to roll.
Now for the obligatory request to get the registrations in. Only have a few in so far and I know of at least 15 boats out there who say they're in. And where's the chatter? Petey? Corduroy? Burnie? Dangler? Sean? Awfully quiet out there - which I hear Monomoy is still as well.
It will all change soon.
