This weekend after a failed bait run at 3:30 am, 12 hrs trolling with no hook ups or even knock downs, broken gear, frazzled nerves and a crew of people not speaking to each other on the way in, I've begun to reflect on how we got to this point... how is it that weekend fishing became the water based version of Ultimate Fighting? How is it that we got to this point....how is it a strapping young 31 yr old like myself, with a promising life in front of him, has aged 20 years prematurely, piled on a shiteload debt, has irregular sleep patterns and is finding the work week unbearable. How did I lose my mind?
Rewind back to about 6 or 7 years ago...
At the time we were keeping our 22 ft Center Console in Weymouth. We were enjoying the laid back weekend striped bass fishery. You were nearly guaranteed to always bring home dinner. Gear was cheap, gas wasn't an issue and bait was easy to catch. Our regular crew was on speaking terms. My wife loved me. This is what I'd called a normal hobby. When you left the boat, you left the fishing on the boat. You could concentrate on work during the week. Life was good
Then one day changed my life. Our regular bass fishing excursion to Minot Light was interrupted by our first school tuna experience. We got into some busting tuna and figured lets see what would happen when you threw a KastMaster at them. Fast forward 6 seconds and vaporized reel. Now this is fishing. I was hooked right then and there...
So I consult my mentor in all things fishing, my old man. He's a old commercial tuna fisherman who retired in the 1980s due to taking a giant to the dump for lack of a market, he has long since sworn off tuna fishing. He wasn't going to kill animals to take them to the dump. He warned me at the time... stay away, stay far away. I've never listened to his advice then, why start now. So we get outfitted with some Penn 113Hs, a squid bar and a green machine. We're in business. We start poking around Cape Cod Bay, nothing. Next thing you know, we're hearing about fish on Stellwagen.
So now we're making the run from our mooring at Wessagusset Yacht Club in Weymouth to the SWC in a 22 ft CC regularly. There's nothing more fun than getting caught out on the SWC with a very fresh NW wind. 3 hr ride back in 4-6 fters sucks plus all of the gas money. So after a 10 year break from Taylor Marine in Marshfield, back into a slip we went.
Now we've upgraded to Penn 50s. We're fishing 12" squid bars. We're doing the run to the SWC from Green Harbor now, we're keeping 1 fish in the Spring and 1 in the fall. We're now fishing in weather in a CC that we should not be fishing in. Just because the coastal and marine forecast says NW wind 15-20 knots diminishing to 5-10 knots doesn't mean it's going to happen. We're getting caught in squalls in the middle of Cape Cod Bay with 50 knot downdraft winds. This all comes to a head last year, when I take my father in law out for his first tuna fishing experience. 4-6 quickly becomes 6-8 and I've got him up to his knees in water in the cockpit in the middle of the bay. To say that he was scared shitless was an understatement. So now I've almost killed myself (several times), almost killed my father in law and my father has begun to take an interest again. "We're gonna need a bigger boat" is the consensus. DAD IS BACK!!
So now we've sold the Center console, we've bought a 27 Nauset (my father is an investor). We've upgraded the 50s to 80s. We're getting into this fucking pogie fishing. My wife hates me. The gas bill is ridiculous. I'm getting up a sub 3am times to fish. We're discussing tuna fishing all week long at work with several people. Planning starts on Monday, prep begins on Thursday. Family parties are missed. Finances destroyed. I've lost my f'ing mind. The fish are too big and now I have to get a raft, Epirb and gumby suits.
Where did we go wrong? How did I go from a harmless joint to a full blown black tar ****** addiction? I'm now in a full blown panic because my wife is 9 months pregnant and I've promised to take at least a month off. Do they make a patch?
I'm having withdrawals and it's only been since Saturday.
There are NO twelve step programs..your F'd. You got the fever, there is no cure, just more fish. Like anything you have to manage it, within your resources.
Just remember, you can't make money tuna fishing part time.
32' Downeast Glen Holland "Fortuna" 20' Aquasport project "in the works"
Home Port
Scituate Harbor
Best Catch
all of them
Occupation
school 1st mate and baitshop
change plans go for a whale watch and a lunch in p-town and when you slow way down becuase you dont want to get to "close" to the whales throw the rigs out really quick and just drive around "folllowing" the whales becuase you can see "them" on your fishfinder and your just waiting for one to come up
I had my wife aboard one day and we caught a small bluefin while trolling around and watching the whales......she actually "started" to understand my sickness!
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