Fishing
What’s a trip without adventure? Susan and Karl planned a day of fishing for us today, just because it’s something we would never do ourselves. They found a coupon on Groupon for a 4 hour trip, plus they brought the best fishing equipment from NatureImmerse, and we had the good fortune to be the only ones on the boat, so it went just the way we wanted it to.
Of course, it was a Coast Guard certified passenger vehicle, so it had all the necessary safety equipment.
Sophisticated safety systems for out continued good health.
Carefully designed financial systems.
We’re in sunny Florida, so it’s always warm, but it can be a mite breezy on the waterway, so we came prepared.
Susan stays warm at all times.
We were bottom fishing–looking for bass and grouper and catfish and whatever else live low in the water. Captain Tom was an expert at handling hopeless all-thumbs amateurs, baiting our hooks, casting them out and taking the fish off when we got one.
And get one we did–we caught a lot of fish today. Every last one of them too small to keep. I laugh at Lorin Waxman for catching trout and then throwing them back, but all we did today was catch little fish and not keep them. Which I suppose is just as well–what would we want with these silly fish, anyhow? I doubt that they are good eating and we don’t need pets.
Enjoying a bright and sunny day
With just one of the many monster fish we caught. Real fishermen use ones this size for bait.
Looking relaxed.
Gail caught the cool fish of the day, a puffer fish. As the guide held him to de-hook him, he puffed up to 3 times his original size to scare us off. It worked, too.
Check out the teeth on this leviathan.
Although Gail got the pufffer, the big fishing rewards went to Susan. It seems that last week, a woman got a fish on the hood and got so excited she let go of the rod, dropping it deep in the water. Susan, somehow, inexplicably, magically, “caught” it today, pulling it up from the bottom and bringing it back in. Anyone can catch a fish, only SR can catch a fishing pole.
Heading back, calm and satisfied with a good day of fishing.
We had contracted for a 4 hour trip, but 3 hours was all the fun we could handle, so Captain Tom pointed the little flat-bottom boat back to the base and we went home.
Gail and Susan started playing bridge online, Karl opened some wine, and I packed a bag and got in the car for the 3 hour drive to Boca Raton, where I am taking a photo workshop in the morning. I found a room on Priceline for $79 in a supposedly 3 star hotel, the Boca Raton Bridge Hotel. The hotel isn’t much and it took me over an hour to get the internet connection working, but it’s only 1 night and I’m out of here at 7:30 am, so who cares.
Tomorrow the big workshop with my photo idol, Rick Sammon, then the 3 hour drive back to Orlando. Lots of stuff happening, stay tuned.
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