Friday, July 27, 2012

Reluctant fisherman or just reluctant to write



Until today, I have been a reluctant fisherman, or at least a reluctant writer.  As you may or may not have noticed, my blog has been nothing but photos the past few weeks.  This started out innocently enough, lack of sleep or time to write due to copious amounts of fishing time, cool photos seemed the perfect solution.  But, now that I am back on land and the storm of the season is over, I am still tempted to just post photos, again.  Then I decided to roll my sleeves up and try to figure out why.

I can’t deny there have been some rogue waves the past few months.  As some of you may know, my mom past away back in April after a yearlong battle with cancer.  Two days after the funeral, I hauled my ass cross country from Ohio to Alaska, some 4000 miles, driving 14 hours a day for 7 days straight to make the 1st fishing opener in Cordova.

Fishing took off like gangbusters and it was full fart from the get-go with 48-hour openers and shitty weather to boot, kicking all of our asses the whole time.  (There were some fish caught, though.) This was about the time my now ex but then current boyfriend check out of my life so fast he left skid marks.  After getting our asses kicked on the Flats for a month, we heading to the Sound where we proceeded to put in 20-hour days, fishing over 500 hours in 32 days.  It takes you normal folks about 4 months to put in 500 hours of work; we did it in a month!  Again, we caught some fish and made some money but I won’t say it weren’t hard earned cake.   That last week I tweaked my low back the day before our biggest. Set. Of. The. Season!   Honestly, our net was sinking.  I took near fatal doses of Vitamin I (Ibuprofen) and moved around like Mr. Roboto to get through the pain.  I had to dose myself at each change of time to get through.  High tide, take two.  Low tide, take two more. 

But, now I’m back in town, my back is on the mend, and I’m back to mending gear.  Having weathered those storms, the forecast is looking good.  V10.  After 2 days of sunshine and 4 trips up the ski-hill, the tide has finally turned! I met self discipline (SD meet Jen, "nice to meet you" Jen meet SD, "grumble, grumble")  but I lost 5 pounds, I’m going to a Poetry Workshop in a few weeks held in my most favorite place in the whole wide world, McCarthy Alaska.  (Gearing up for Fisher Poets early this year!) I’m having fun flirting with a hot man from Anchorage, I’m applying for Writer’s Residencies and looking into going to Bali then hiking in Nepal and inquiring to be on some T.V. program I know nothing about (wish me luck!)  So, finally, I have something to write to all you about.  I couldn’t quite make myself do it until the tide had turned.

But hey, when a fisherman gets a water haul, she just turns around and sets the net out again. 





Friday, July 20, 2012

Boats of the Fleet

The North line

Tender extraordinaire, Aquanator

James Baby on the Exodus

Curly and the Savonia

Guido on the Night Owl

Old WW II powerbarge turned tender the Robert S

Peter Pan tender the Victory.  Ain't she a beaut?  From 1942

Erosion AKA Ketchup

 Roulette It's a Russian boat. Get it? 


Russian Fleet waiting for a turn at the North line




I'm taking a poll.  The past few weeks I've only posted photos and not much story.  What do we think?  More photos or more writing?  Put a comment in box and let me know what you think!



Friday, July 6, 2012

Faces of the fleet

Leo & Curly
the Blackster aka Bill Black
Fishing is still in full swing here on the Copper and Prince William Sound.  We start fishing Thursday morning and fish until Sunday morning.  Then we fish Monday morning and fish until Wednesday morning.  Then we start all over again Thursday morning.  But its been fun and I'm having a blast taking photos.  This week I wanted to feature some of the faces of the fleet.  There are more for sure but this is a taste.  Hope you enjoy!

Fisher Poet Buck

Vince on the Pasak

Ian, pickin' up a frenzy




Bill loading up

Phil & his fish pickin' daughter Marina

Salmon Slayer Dan

Skipper Danny

Thea sunning herself on the North Line

Crew Quicksilver, Danny & Me

setnetters snoozing waiting to deliver

beach crew


JP, setnetter extraordinaire