sailing takes me away

Ever since i saw the Yacht rock videos I have been thinking about sailing. when Gas prices started to soar, I realized it would become the way for me to fish when there was no gas left. I read In the Heart of the Sea, by Nathaniel Philbrick and I realized that people have been sailing around the world for thousands of years and in completely last-minute rigged boats. The crew of the Essex survived 93 days in dorys made for whaling with improvised sails and rudders. Yes, it takes time and its not the way i am used to fishing but it could be done.
On a trip to Canada, I came across a 9 foot sailboat and all of its gear. I asked if I could use it. I rigged it the best i could and set sail using a paddle for a centerboard. It was a bit silly but it seemed functional until I unintentionally jibed down wind and flipped. I whistled for my family to come get me, they did and I had learned a valuable lesson: I forgot what the lesson was but I found the centerboard and sailed a few more times. On the last day i flipped again and this time I decided I would re-rig the boat by myself like the crew of the Essex after their run in with the whale. I have sailed a few more times since and i am going to be improvising a fishing device to use on my bigger trips. Nighty night, Caleb

Ice Ice Baby

Alright, stop- collaborate and listen, ice fishin's back and its an old invention.
That's right, ice fishing is back, and it's not just for Santa Claus and his elves. Even the cool kids like Caleb and I are doing it. While it didn't get cold enough to ice fish this past winter, the winter of 2007 provided totally awesome ice fishing.
We started out on Long Pond by drilling a hole with a drill that we bought from a totally sketchy guy in a parking lot in Pawcatuck. While it was a shady deal, the drill does the job.
We drill the hole and then set the bait in these adorable little traps. The bait we use is fish eggs. (are they salmon eggs?) Bright red and such. After a while, if you see a little flag go up, you might have a fish on the line! As seen here, on this fishing trip, Caleb and I totally snagged an ole' pumpkinseed!

Now, if you get too cold and you don't have any four-wheelers to ride of an ice cottage and fire to warm up, you can totally breakdance, as I am demonstrating in this picture.

Be careful while ice fishing. Make sure that you have AT least 4 inches of solid ice before shassaying out onto the floor!

Springtime Squiddin'

When the springtime comes around here in New England and the water gets the first little inkling of warmness trickling in, Caleb and I head to all of the local docks for what we like to call "squid watching." We don't always try to catch the little guys. Sometimes, it is just fun to sit on the dock and watch the schools of squid swim by in beautiful formations. They are very graceful and can change colors in the blink of an eye!
Catching squid is another story. To catch a squid, you have to have a special squid lure that looks like it has enough spikes to kill anything in its path. This is specifically made for the little squid's beak to chomp down on. When one comes up to inspect the lure (they do this very curiously) one must quickly respond and gently pull up on the line to secure the squid to its ultimate death.
When you yank up the squid, watch out. It will be so frightened that it will ink all over you and the dock. Ink flies out in a circular pattern all over anything in its path. Watch out, but it washes out. They also make the most pathetic little "whew" noise that is so sad.
Once caught, these squid make great "squidgilli" / calamari and even better bait for stripers.

Clam Exam

While waiting all winter for that fun spring and summer fishing, make good use of your time- go clamming and familiarize yourself with the many clams of Connecticut.
Caleb and I have created a tool known as clam exam. This exam involves holding up different clams found on the beach and testing our skills. While I may not always know a quohog from a cherrystone, Caleb is always correct.
Knowing your clams is a good step to being a knowledgeable New Englander. Lord knows you don't want to fry up some big ol' sea clams!
In the summertime, clamming is even more fun. To clam in summer, one jumps out of the boat in a safe and shallow (or not) area and feels around with ye olde toes. When you feel one, you can dig it up with your toes and then throw it in the bucket. (or at your friends)
Either way, clamming is a great way to pass time in Connecticut.

The Fashion of Fishin'

While this interesting outfit choice might be criticized on the runway by the likes of Michael Kors, Heidi Klum or Nina Garcia- on the river, this is high fashion.
Not only are these L.L. Bean and Cabela's waders stylish and comforatable, they provide excellent protection against the wet and cold that can be found in many a river of New England.
In this picture, Caleb and I are modeling two common styles that can be seen throughout the fishing world.
Caleb is modeling some Cabela's olive green waders with a handy khaki vest. The vest can even be accented with colorful flies. A colorful mayfly can always add that special something to a blah vest. The visor also adds a "dressed up" factor. Caleb accents his style with a low belt.
I am wearing a little bit of a different style. The tanktop underneath allows for bonus suntanning. The high belt adds a popular high wasteline.
Either way, both styles are highly fashionable on the "river runway."

"Grandfather" Largemouth Down in Carolina

Down in North Carolina in June, we were faced with the challenge of catching the old "grandfather bass" in my grandmother's pond. My sister's boyfriend had hooked him twice in the past but old boy broke the line. We set up a rod a little more prepared for this fish and within a few minutes of casting . . . there he was.
Everyone was pretty happy to get a look at him. Thanks to Jordan for providing the perfect lure! we are also very lucky that we were not attacked by water moccasins / cottonmouths. For future reference: wading barefoot in a swampy pond in North Cackilacky is not that great of an idea if you aren't planning on dying young from snake bite :)

More on "Striper Scars"

As you can see from this picture, this striper got me good, and the short-lived scar looked great the next morning. Perhaps you have questions about these mysterious "striper scars." Why do we want them? Does it hurt? Can it get infected? Is the fish biting out of self defense? These are all good questions and I'll answer them now.
Why do we want striper scars? This is simple. If you have striper scars, your fishing stories are recieved a lot better when you tell people about it in the morning. It is always nice to have some sort of "show & tell" when telling fishing stories, especially to people who don't fish.
2. Does it hurt? Only briefly. The striper mouth feels kind of like a sharp sand paper to me.
3. Can it get infected? Most of the time, it doesn't reall cut the skin, but sometimes, like in the picture above it does. I think this is when you will need to worry about infection but I don't think it is likely.
4. Is the fish biting out of self defense? The striper doesn't really bite. The scar comes from holding the fish's weight by its mouth. The fish bites down one time, if you release it properly. You should always revive a striper in the water by running water back and forth over its gills. Usually when the fish is revived, he or she will give one big "chomp" and then swim to it's little fishy home. That is when a particuarly good scar can occur.

Train Bridge Fishing

As some of you might know, some of the best fishing spots are underneath ye ole' Amtrak trails. Now of course, we aren't going to tell you which bridges are best, but you can see from this video that you will definitely catch some wild 'uns in the vicinity of a train bridge. These fish are particuarly naughty and especially greedy when the tide is changing and they will attack pretty much anything until they figure out that you are fishing. Then they stop. This usually happens after catching about three fish. Then they suddenly get smart and are nowhere to be found. This is usually a good time to go get some food or paint your toenails.
In this video, you will notice that I'm holding the fish out with my thumb in its mouth. This is so that I will develop a condition that Caleb and I like to call "Striper Scars." The stripers have teeny teeny things that I guess might be considered teeth. They are just sharp enough to scrape you and boy, does it feel good! Plus, they leave a great little mark on your thumb that you can show off the next day at work.

Under the bridge.

I guess our first fishing story will be the story of the biggest fish of last year. This fish was all Caleb. I was not in the mood to go out on this particular night. Probably because it was like 3:30 in the morning. Caleb persevered though and in the wee hours, I recieved a phone call telling me to come see the biggest fish of 2007. I hurried down to the bridge at Groton Long Point to see this guy, Senor Stripey. Now, you will notice Caleb practicing one of our commonly used photo enhancement methods. This is where he holds the fish out far for the picture and it makes the fish look bigger. However, I must say, this was a huge fish. Don't know the weight or the length but from the looks of it, I would probably say about 8 feet long and 247 pounds.

About this blog.

This blog is about the fishing adventures of Caleb and Krystal. It is starting out as a birthday present to Caleb and hopefully he will like it and blog about our triumphs as well. Things you will read about on this blog will include but are not limited to:
1. Fishing at all hours of the day and night.
2. Fishing in all temperatures and conditions: hot, cold, stormy, steamy, full moon, half-moon, quarter moon, total lunar eclipse, solar eclipse, Armageddon, locust invasions, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, fog, nuclear disaster, and chicken pox outbreak.
3. Fishing where there are signs clearly posting: "ABSOLUTELY NO FISHING."
4. Fishing where there are signs clearly posting: "NO TRESPASSING."
5. Fishing in leaky waders.
6. Fishing when there is loud rap music blaring from speakers or loud dirtbikes in the background.
7. Fishing for stripers, bluefish, sea bass, rainbow trout, brook trout, brown trout, sharks, tuna, sea bass and minnows.
8. Other aquatic activities: turtle catchin', crabbin', lobsterin' and torturing jellyfish.
9. Complaining about having to fish in the conditions mentioned in #2.
10. Fishing with others. That's right, if you have ever been fishing with us, prepare to be made fun of on this blog.