Weekend Visitors

Things were looking a little slim on the fishing front. I tried to get the finger mullets for the last three days and apparently kept picking up the wrong times of the day. Mike the next door neighbor, keeps telling me that they are there, but I just don't time it right. Apparently I also need to "invest" in some boots or waiters because it's tough to throw the casting net from the shore if at the same time I'm trying to stay dry. The water temperature is down to 61F so getting in the water barefooted is getting tough. However, if I do the math, every pound of fish that we have eaten thus far, has been an "investment" of about $30/pound. If I need to add more stuff, the cost per pound is just going to keep going up. Unless, of course, if I were to spend the whole day fishing (and catching).

Saturday morning was again another brisk morning. This time there was a constant NW wind which made the air feel colder than what it was (mid-40s).

The highlight of the weekend was the visit of friends from our former home in the Research Triangle Park area. Cheryl and her mother paid us a nice visit from Saturday to Sunday. And also, friends from the old mothership (GSK, my employer for almost 20 years, the same employer that unilaterally decided to let me free which in turn allowed me to become a full-time resident of Emerald Isle), were going to stop over for the night on their way to Davis, NC.

Howard and Chris arrived late in the afternoon and found me at the beach fishing. Mike had just pulled two bluefish with his double hooked line and had offered them to me since he was getting ready to leave the next day. As Mike and them were unhooking the bluefish, my rod was moving as if getting hit. Sure enough, with a quick pull, I secured another bluefish onto my line and was able to pull it in as well. Perfect timing as I now had witnesses from members the "fishing mafia" that could attest to my newly acquired skills.

A little background is in order. For years, "the fishing mafia" has been planning and making Fall Fishing trips to some of the outer banks isolated islands. They go to Davis, NC and from there take a ferry to Ocrakoke where they spend a few days fishing, drinking and plotting how to maintain their exclusivity. To qualify for this trip, one has to attain high levels of "fishing skills", and other "undefined qualities". The point is that I have been begging to get invited, but somehow... it hasn't happened :) Trying to figure out a way to increase my chances, we bought this beach house a few years ago, and it's finally paying off as a place to spend the night on the way there. I'm thinking that the next step will be to buy myself a ferry system.

After dinner, I proposed a visit to the Bogue Inlet Pier, less than a mile away, to see what others were catching. I thought the "mafia manly men" would enjoy roughing it out . They both agreed to go out but to my surprise, Howard went to his room to get "warm clothing" including gloves! and then as I walked out of the house, I see Chris moving his truck as if planning to "drive to the pier". I couldn't believe my eyes... these fishing mafia members were not as roughed as I expected. I' was sure that the Godfather (Vinny) would prove me wrong when he arrived. There was not much going on at the pier so we walked back home (on the street this time). Vinny and Curtis found us on the way, a few blocks from the house.

After settling in the house, we closed one side of the house and started the fishing lessons. All to increase my chances in the future. I learn how to tie a line knot to secure the lures, how to set up a 'drum' lure, how to secure the bait in the hook. There were descriptions of body parts and procedures that I'm not sure if they are appropriate for a blog of this nature. I even think some of those procedures could be illegal in a few States of the Union. Besides, I would hate to offend one of my two readers with language of that nature (sorry Mom). Anyhow, lessons were taught, and information transferred. Now is up to me to execute the learnings.










On the left is a picture of the Godfather himself. Of course, to protect his secrecy, (and my skin), his face cannot be shown.












Early in the morning (at least early in my new life), the crew left the house under the shadow of the darkness.




Another note of interest is that this morning, Mike packed up his car and was on his way back to Roanoke. The fish will have a break from Mike at least for a full year. Below is picture of Mike making a few last attempts to connect with a fish this morning.

I expect this next week is going to be a little tight on fish. Mike is not going to be there to "share" with some extra fish, and also, I expect that the "fishing mafia" is going to catch everything heading South, so I'll only see whatever fish they miss. I may have to figure out how to cook seagulls in case fishing doesn't pan out. There are plenty of those around.