Misc.- Go Fishing

Growing up, I rarely fished. Going out on a limb, I say I just don't have the patience for it. While patience with people is something I can handle, holding a line that disappears under the water and assuming a fish will bite it has seemed more than silly. In short, it had been years since I've cast out into any body of water. So when my buddy Mike informed me that part of his bachelor party would involve fishing in the Long Island Sound, my mind immediately went to "I wonder what sort of beer I will be drinking in the meantime" mode. Of course, I'd give it a go for Fish: we go back to elementary school and his looming marriage to longtime girlfriend, Vanessa, is something I couldn't be happier about.

Saturday, May 22: Set out of PK at 6:00 a.m. for Connecticut. By the time we arrived and threw down some greasy egg sandwiches, I was feeling good. The guy collecting fees for the trip convinced me to drop an extra $2 for the Biggest Catch pool. "You've got more confidence than I do," I said, "but I like your sales pitch. Count me in." And so we set off in the foggy morning for deeper waters.

There's something about the sea and its mysterious underlying depths that intrigues me. As we headed out to deeper waters, we had a good time chatting and learning the tricks of the trade, like baiting up a fish and why you bring a towel (stinky hands). Our first drop, the line went out wayyyy past the bottom of the sea, and so when we reeled up, a guy on the boat let me know that it was, in fact, not a good idea to let the line out that far. Anyway, as I'm reeling the line in, there's a bit of a tug. "It's caught on the bottom," I was told. Alright. So I kept reeling the line in and lo and behold, there was a little something on the line! No way! I managed to catch the first fish of the day! An 8 lb. striper later, and I didn't quit while ahead. Oh well. For a slow day on the boat, I was pretty pumped to have something to say for my adventure at sea...

While the fish didn't win me the pool (a larger fish was caught on the last drop of the day), I had a blast, though I will say the company on the boat made the trip more fun than the actual catching of the fish! Now the only thing I have to ask is whether striper counts as a new meat....


Winner: Keith. Hook, line, and sinker.