Gone Fishing (Back Whenever)

Dear readers,

I love living by the ocean.  It is awesome for many, many reasons.

Now if you ask my dad, he will be quick to say that one of them is the fishing.

Starting about six or seven years ago my dad has taken my brother and I out for a day of deep sea fishing once a year in the summer.  Conclusive evidence (one fish, two fish, tuna fish, more fish) suggests that my brother is the veritable good luck charm on the boat.

The proof. I wasn’t on this trip of abundant bluefin tuna, so it’s all my brother.

Here’s a run down of how these “5 to 5” fishing trips go…

Wake up extremely early.  And by early I mean so early the late night owls are still awake.  3:30 am.

Really brings to mind the expression about sleeping cities

Stare out the window in a daze as dad drives us and a good family friend (and/or visiting family member) who usually rounds out the fishing quartet,  to the marina.  Then sign some stuff (too early to register) and get Mexican fishing licenses as we generally will be in Mexican waters for the majority of the day.  Load up boat with our things.

Time to fill up the bait tank. Birds of all kinds eagerly gather.

Here’s where my brother and I differ.  While he immediately finds a place to pass out, I like to watch as we fill up the bait tanks.  Why?  Well, it’s interesting to see, but then there are the pelicans and egrets, herons, and sea lions to watch!  Now we’re truly off, and it’s around 5-5:30 am at this point.

Sure, they may be dirty sea dogs to the fishermen, but I still think they’re pretty darn cute

Eat a doughnut.

Watch the sunrise.

It is a sight to behold

Speed across the ocean and grin madly when we bounce over a particularly large wave (ever been on a roller coaster?).  Sleep for a hour or two until we get far enough out.

Heading past Point Loma and into the open ocean as the sun comes up

Fish!

We’re pretty good…

So good, I “caught” a pelican once and my brother even manged to get this thing!

We still have no idea how he hooked a sea urchin

Most often we will catch Mahi-mahi (also known as Dorado), Yellowtail, maybe even a Bluefin tuna or two.  Fun fact, “Mahi-mahi” means “very strong” in Hawaiin – a fitting name because they are fighters.

Mahi-mahi are also very pretty fish.  Just this past trip we saw at least three or four schools swim around the boat and it was beautiful to watch them swerve this way and that in reflections of brilliant blues, yellows, and greens.

Mahi-mahi/Dorado are gorgeous fish. And not to worry, the species is very safe and we stick to our limits!

While fishing is certainly fun, my favorite bit of these trips is just being out there on the ocean (and spending time with my guys, of course).

Brother and I are a couple of goofballs all right

I love the feeling of the wind as we speed over the water.  I love the views.  I love the wildlife!  We have, without fail, always seen at least one or two pods of dolphins swim next to the boat every time we go out.  My dad caught (and released) a small shark last year.  There are some way cool jellyfish species out there, awesome and cute flying fish, and we’ve even seen a whale do a full breach!  Now that was humbling.

Pacific white-sided dolphins

Just like the road trip to Texas, I just come back from a day out on the ocean feeling refreshed.  Ok, and tired and fish-scaly – but internally refreshed!  You don’t have a worry out there, laying back on the bow or sitting in the back of the boat, sun beating down and making the water sparkle.  Life is just…good!

Plus, we come back with lots of delicious fresh fish – I’ll have to share some of our favorite recipes sometime! – and we love sharing it with friends.  So, readers, do you have any fishing stories of your own?  If you enjoy fishing, or have wanted to try it, it is a wonderful activity to try if you’re in San Diego during fishing season.  For me, it’s a once a year tradition that I am definitely on board with.

We come home from our trips bearing lots of fish, plenty to share and enjoy!

Well readers, I finally got a new post out over the craziness of the past few weeks and I promise more to come.  As always, thanks for reading, cheers!  Until then…

Mischief managed

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