On Saturday April 30th I went to the Marine Basin to visit Captain Steve and watch his 36 foot Osmond Beal get splashed for the upcoming season. I’ve been fishing out here for over half a century from childhood to my senior years. The Spring anticipation never gets old.
The last time I fished with Steve was 11/11/21. Our last anchor drop produced a bale job with Blackfish chewing green crabs like they were hermit crabs. Hermits are the bait of choice for the irascible wrasse. It was the type of fishing that makes you come back. It’s strange how the last drop of the day produces good fishing more times than not. It could be timing, tide or maybe just trying different spots until the last one produces. I’ve heard party boat anglers say, “they save the best spot for the end of the trip to keep you coming back.”Whatever the case may be there’s nothing like the anticipation of a new season.
As I finish this Journal on a picture perfect day from a huge piece of driftwood on the Atlantic shoreline, it’s May 17th. An overnight front took all the humidity and clouds with it. The beginning of the season is palpable. Terns are diving on bait and a dragger is doing a tow from east to west. It’s time to get back on the water.
