7/1/13

Rain in Seward, Fishing in Homer

 

Monday afternoon, July 1, finds me sitting on the second floor of the Seward library looking out onto the bay.  It’s raining hard, a cold rain that chills to the bone.  The hubby is asleep in the camper trying to ease the shoulder that’s acting up again.  The little sport cat catalytic heater is providing him warmth as the $15 fee includes no hookups.

We are camped right on the bay in one of the city’s many waterfront campgrounds.  I can almost see the Casita nestled between the big rigs sitting halfway between me and the ocean.  The bay is calm, at the moment, and sea-green.  The rain and mist obscure the mountains except for a steep green hill that overlooks the town.

Not too sure if we are staying another night or leaving this afternoon.  Guess it will depend on how hubby feels.

I’m struggling to find the right words to describe our fishing trip last Friday.  We are not real fishermen….but camping with ocean  surrounding us and everyone else fishing spurs us to book a trip.

Bob’s Trophy Charters, http://bobstrophycharters.com, is next to the campground on the Homer Spit.  After learning that the expense for a half day trip, $115…senior citizen rate, is not outrageous, I am getting excited.  They assure me that we need not know how to do anything.  Another 20 bucks is necessary for the one day fishing license.  We will be fishing for halibut..limit is two a day per person. 

Hubby remains calm, not nearly as excited as I am.  But as we walk to the dock to board, I see glimpses of the kid coming out in him.

HOMER boat docks

 

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We are off after a short safety lecture.  I did take note of where the life vests were stored.

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Capt. John and his crew of two took great care of us.  No pictures as we were working too hard!

I am handed a large pole with a fish threaded into a large hook.  Instructions are to pull the lever down, hold the two pound weight in your hand and slowly let the line down to the ocean floor.  After hitting bottom, move the lever up and reel in the line until it’s one foot off the bottom of the ocean.  I follow the instructions perfectly and immediately a whale (not really) takes the hook.  It felt like a whale trying to pull it up!

The crew rushes over and pulls in the halibut after I get it to the surface.  It’s a keeper!  (I have no idea of the size.) 

I catch 4 halibut, throwing two back, before my arm completely gives out and I quit for the day.  Hubby stays with it longer and we wind up with more halibut than we can keep.

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Humpback whales

Two humpback whales put on a show as we are cruising back to the docks.

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The Nauti-Lady arrives back in her slip around 7 PM, an hour later than expected.  We are so exhausted…it’s fast food tonight. That’s ok as we will be eating halibut for the next 7 days!

19 comments:

  1. Oh wow, what a day. I tried that off the coast of Oregon - never again, I had my head over the side of the boat the whole time! At least the rain, is giving you some down time which is probably needed. This was exciting.

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    1. I had some concerns about sea sickness but, luckily, there were no problems. Loved the waves and being out on the boat!

      Thanks for your comment...are you sticking around and going to Farnum Creek rally in September?

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    2. I am still planning on going to the rally in Sept.

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  2. WOW. How exciting! But no photos? Enjoy that halibut. Can you freeze some & ship it home?

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    1. I took a few photos after I quit for the day. I can't describe how hard it was to pull in the line...even when there was no fish on it! Took me three days to get over the trip!

      Everyone was shipping their fish home but it was very expensive and we had not budgeted for the trip let alone the shipping expense. We had 7 lbs processed and frozen and it's in the fridge and cooler.

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  4. Sounds like an awesome fishing trip. Hope David gets to feeling better. I had trouble with a shoulder about a month ago. The worse pain I've ever had in a joint. Diagnosed as Bursitis. 800 milligrams of generic ibuprofen twice a day for a couple of days did the trick.

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    1. Thanks Jerry for the tip. I think the dampness here has mad it worse. Just gave him 800 mg...we will see if it helps!

      It was a fishing trip to remember!

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  5. Looks like a great fishing trip!! hope that shoulders gets better!

    Safe travels!

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    1. Thank you! This is a great adventure and we are taking the bad along with the good!

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  6. Sorry you're getting the rain :-( The fishing trip sounds wonderful.

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    1. I know we should not complain about the rain as we have had wonderful weather for the past month but it is taking away the joy.

      Heading away from the coast hoping that will bring on better weather.
      Enjoying your trip through your posts!

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  7. Imagine pulling in the big one had to be so exciting. But to have the whales appearing...even better! Hope the shoulder gets better as my Jer had bone spurs removed and a long recovery...that's a tough joint when your ailing! Rest a good thing...we're fan of Arnica cream if you pass a health food store. Hoping you see sunshine today!

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    1. We will be sure to look for the Arnica cream....your baking soda advice worked wonders on his last reflux attack.

      Thank you for all of your help. It means a lot to us!

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  8. When this was written around 2 PM Alaska time, I was totally unaware of the national tragedy of losing all the young firefighters.

    Our thoughts are with all affected and our hearts hurt for Arizona.

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  9. Wow is all that comes out of my mouth....all that and icing on the cake with not one, but two humpback whales...and all that halibut to feast on your return trip....sorry to hear that David's shoulder is acting up...wishing for a speedy recovery...safe journey...Horst

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  10. Thank you for your kind words....hope your trip is meeting your expectations! Safe journey also to you.

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  11. So enjoying traveling along with you via your blog as you experience the Alaska adventure!!! Alaska is our "dream" trip!! We have just recently purchased a "new to us" Casita from Bob and Beverly Weddington from Cincinnati, Ohio. We should pick it up late next week. We are so excited about joining the Casita family and actually camping again. We full-timed for a little over a year and truly loved every minute of it but needed to return to a sticks and bricks due to family obligations. Now we are going to be able to travel and camp with our Casita!! We are so excited!!
    You guys stay safe and continue to make wonderful memories!!
    Mike & Gerri Jones
    www.freedom2roll.blogspot.com

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  12. So nice to hear from you! Glad that you are enjoying the trip! Buying a Casita has changed our life for the better. We have made so many great new friends and it's the new friends that are influencing us to travel even more.

    Very happy for you and looking forward to reading your posts about the new Casita baby.

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