Ahhh, my teenage years. Dad, my brother Ross, and Uncle Rudy would travel down to Deal Island what seemed like nearly every weekend throughout the summer, and also occasionally in the late spring and early fall. I was more interested in the pitfalls of being a teenager- fast cars, partying, and girls. Duh !! However, it didn't take long for me to realize that I could escape the confines of home life and enjoy a lot of freedom at Deal Island, at least for a teenager. I soon developed a passion for weekending at The Shack. No, it wasn't air-conditioned, in fact it was hotter than Hades. But, there were interesting people, I could come and go as I pleased, and the fishing was fantastic.
We removed the wall partitions of the Shack and filled the main "great-room" with double beds. I believe once we were done the place would sleep at least 16, with floor space for even more. Great-instant party place! The kitchen was well equipped with 2 refrigerators (to hold more fish and bait), sink (fish cleaning station), water pump and hot water heater. Bathroom held a functional shower and toilet. What else could you possibly need? The yard had plenty of room for boats, as we also had use of the empty lot behind us, since it was a drain field titled to both us and our neighbor. OK, so now the scene is set, let the fishing and crabbing begin. Actually I'll discuss the crabbing separately, but suffice it to say that we spent almost as much time crabbing as we did fishing, particularly since we could do it without a boat if need be. On to the fishing.
Sea trout, sea trout, and more sea trout. The seat trout were so plentiful in Tangier Sound through about the mid to late 1980's, there was no indication whatsoever that their population would soon flat-out crash. We kept it pretty simple too. Bottom fishing, which I am still a big fan of and do almost exclusively in these same waters, now for another species (croaker). We always fished anchored up, and Dad and Rudy had a few distinct spots that they went to year in and year out, regardless of season, tide, time of day, or whatever. There was "The Drain", located about mid-island, and exactly where the water dropped to 46 feet deep (they used a couple of landmarks to triangulate, namely a church steeple and some trees). Then there were Boggs and Piney Island, both somewhere off the south end of the island. Also, Kedges Straights (between South Marsh and Smith Islands), Hoopers Straights (between Bloodsworth and Hoopers Islands), and Sharkfin Shoal- off the north end of Deal Island. Rudy had a 21 foot Thunderbird, so we covered a fair bit of territory. But there was nothing fancy to it, no planning, no timing tides. Just drop anchor and drop the lines, baited with nothing but soft crabs, now nearly cost prohibitive. And we used these really short, stiff rods with these open-faced Penn baitcasting reels, which actually worked OK to muscle up the sea trout from 40-50 feet of water, and particularly since most of these fish were in 4-10 lb class (unheard of nowadays). When the fish were biting, which was actually when we were lucky enough to stumble upon them, they would bite aggressively and constantly for an hour or so. The result would typically be a completely full cooler after one of these bites, and if they bit any longer or we got into two of these bites, count that as two full coolers. Honestly, I have no idea what we did with so many of these fish. I never in my life saw my Dad clean a fish, and I later finally figured out that in fact he did not know how to fillet a fish. After I went away to college, I learned how to fillet and I became really good at it. Problem is, I became the designated fish cleaner since I was the only skilled fillet hand. Not too bad of a position to be in, I loved to eat fish anyway and sea trout have soft skin and flesh and are super easy to fillet.
There's not too much more to tell about fishing during the '80's. We caught 90% sea trout, with a few hardhead (croaker) mixed in, with an occaisional rock, flounder, and some spot later in the summer. This went on pretty steady until about 1988, at which point I had relocated to Frederick, joined the Army, started a career, and was back in school working on a Masters degree. My time became more limited and my fishing opportunities fewer, but it also became apparent that the sea trout were no longer as plentiful or as large as they had once been. Little did I know then that this trend would continue steadily. Also, in the late '80's, Rudy had a stroke and became largely disabled. Since he was the boat owner, this changed everything. We managed to keep it all going, for awhile, but as time went on his health began to fail. Hence, we entered the next phase. My brother and I bought Rudy's share of the Deal Island property. Soon thereafter, he gave us the old boat and the old car used to pull it. The engine on the boat was worn out and we were never able to use it. The car I used for a couple of years, then unloaded for $300. So for awhile, the focus turned toward crabbing.
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