Oh man is it hot- July 19-20, 2013

The rain subsided long enough to fish, but the heavy SW winds persisted.  And now, the 95F heat to go along with it.  I worked on the skipjack Friday morning, and it was so hot that I decided to fish at night.  Brian G joined me and  we launched at 9pm, opting to fish back in the creek for the 11:30 PM high tide.  A really spectacular full moon nearly made using the lantern not necessary.  Despite the gorgeous night, fishing was slow.  Even at midnight it was still 85F.  We fished until 1:15 AM but only put 5 fish in the cooler.

The heat persisted into the next day, but the fishing fortune improved.  Due to high winds again (25+ knots) I chose to fish back in the creek again, but this time I launched at 4pm to catch the 6:30 pm low tide.  I put more fish in the cooler than any other time this year (isn't that pitiful), keeping 10.  The other remarkable thing was that I only threw back 1 fish.  Also, I caught the biggest croaker of the year at 13.75 inches.  OK, I'll take it.  Looking forward to catching some bigger fish and hopefully catching my limit, at least once.  It will be 2 weeks before I get out again.

Back to the skipjack for a moment.  WIth my time this weekend, I hit a total of 40 hours working on Kathryn.  And that allowed me to obtain a $500 grant from my company for the organization organizing the restoration- Coastal Heritage Alliance.

Crazy weather- July 12, 2013

The hallmark of this summer has become extreme winds, and extreme rain.  Now add to that extreme heat.   Friday saw 5 1/2 inches in a short period.  The yard once again under water, my fishing window got clipped short.  I emerged from the camper after working on the skipjack, just in time to hit high tide.  And almost as soon as I got out on the water, the SW winds picked up to 20+ knots.  Fighting through all this, I caught a few fish near the number 14 buoy, then moved down to the 12 buoy.  The fishing instantly picked up, with fish all in the 40-42 ft depth range.  Great news, except that as has been the case all summer, I threw back 90% of them  Total tally, 6 fish in the cooler.  At least they didn't take long to clean.  And that's how its been all summer, so far.

Woe is me,...

Well this won't take long.  Friday July 5.  Had taken the whole day off, with the focus on fishing.  Hotter than the hinges of hell. Launched at 4pm and motor dies right outside Wenona harbor.  Called Ryan E. to come tow me in, which he promptly did.  Diagnosis: water in the fuel again.  Drained bad gas out of motor and loaded up 3 gallon tanks next day with fresh fuel.

Launched at 4:30 PM Sat, blowing 20-25 knots out of the SW.  Figured I'd try for specks again off Little Deal Is. Caught 2 small rock right away, then a few small hardhead, and that was IT.  What a bummer,...

Planning to use portable tanks again for awhile, contemplating what to do with the 3/4 full 40 gallon tank under the deck,.... Not sure if I will ever get on track for this season.  Summer is flying by and the freezer is still relatively empty.