Twelve Months Of Fishing
Fish Gut Friday by Suzanne Martin
So here we are, end of 2017, and it’s cold … very cold. Makes me dream of warmer days, sunsets getting later (which they actually are right now!) ,and of course … fishing.
I was looking back on the past year, and thinking of some of the highlights of many days spent by the water trying to catch a fish. The weather has worked with us, and the past two years I was lucky enough to fish year around, even if technically in some of the winter months it was to just get out if the house, cast a rod, and be outside more than anything.
This year on the third week in February we had a strange streak of warm weather, like shorts and tank top temperatures, complete with some bugs on the beach. This was a treat that threw gas on the spring fever fire. No catching happened, except for some sun. I got some sunburn in February on a Delaware beach, we will see when that happens again.
March was cooler, with skates and spiny dogs.
April brought a warm and beautiful Easter morning to fish, almost to warm, but was a treat to get out the first half of the day. Scott was busy making Easter dinner, and I was fishing, I like it that way ?. At that point the big blues were stalking the waters, and I wanted one. The last weekend of April I was on the beach all day guarding Corby and Heather Fulton’s wedding arbor on Herring Point for a 5 PM wedding.
It was warm, and the flies were uninvited guests. I watched the guy next to me catch thirty plus inch blues all day. I threw everything but the kitchen sink trying to catch one. At four, fifty-five, I landed one of those big blues on a mullet rig, and got a picture under the arbor. Needless to say, I did not get to clean myself up for the wedding, had a “thumping” cooler during the ceremony, watched birds work the water till the “I do’s” were said , and went back at it!
May and June brought more blues, and king fish started to appear more as the big blues became less. Memorial Day weekend was a chilly, rainy and windy few days, and felt more like Easter. The Fourth of July was a nice morning, with a few king fish on Herring Point, the afternoon brought rain that seemed to last most of July. It was a good month to pick crabs.
August brought crazy times on the beach with the last hoorah of the corn hole nation playing between me and my rod. I try to look at the positive in everything, and a Sunday afternoon can be very entertaining, and give a fishergirl a good laugh. Especially when you are told repeatedly that you can not park sideways on the beach by people who are not even fishing (yeah, okay, go get the ranger). The end of August my brother from another mother Jon Williams caught his first striper on his birthday, not only one, but 2 shorts on a warm sunny day. It was a sure sign of hope!
Then there is the most wonderful time of the year. September, when the point opens! It changes shape every year and I look forward to getting to know my most favorite place all over again. The fall produced snapper blues by the hundreds, and that is not a fish story! While some bigger fish would have been nice, we did have the thrill of seeing Barney catch a nice thirty-five inch bluefish from the point in the end of Sept.
Early Nov was some great days to be out fishing, hoping for that striper. At that point I had caught so many snapper blues, I saw them in my sleep. I was hoping to get out and do some boat fishing in Dec, but have not been able to get out….yet…. Dec some how does not feel complete without striper slime on my coat to keep me sane till spring, when it all starts again.
I look forward to 2018, and the adventures it will bring with old friends, and ones I have yet to meet. I hope you can reflect on a good year also , while catching is always great, it’s the time spent outdoors, with yourself, and friends that make great memories!
Happy New Year!
Suzanne Martin