Friday, September 11, 2009
Leisure morning. Arise comfortably well after the sun. Top off the water, take out the trash, go for a hike of the shoreline and swing by the store for a few last "must-haves" and we shed the dock lines at noon. En route to Reid Harbor at nearby Stuart Island, we again encountered salmon playing, feeding, running from predators ??? at the surface with over 600 feet of available water beneath them. Inspired by the sight as well as commercial fisherman talk on the VHF, we made for Reid to secure Ohana and prepare the dinghy for an afternoon's fishing expedition. We rounded the southwest point of Stuart and headed northward along the shore. Ahead were three commercial trawlers feverishly dropping sets while a scattering a small fishing boats scurried to and fro after surface fish like family pets dogging the dinner table for scraps. We joined the other scavengers and started to draft cast at a respectful distance from the trawlers to avoid unwanted shooing completely out of the room. Our efforts soon paid off as Brooke hooked onto a feisty five pounder. We continued to work the water at the surface but were more fascinated by the commercial operations close by. Set after set, now five trawlers were leap-frogging each other. The tender boat would head close to shore dragging the heavy net with its tractor sized diesel roaring. The mother ship made away from shore in a slow arc. The tender would then arc in compliment completing the circle. As the net was drawn aboard we could see, and hear the salmon leaping against the freeboard while being herded into position by a deckhand with a ten foot gaff. Eventually, the dinner party moved to our part of the room and we were obliged to exit but not without a fine salmon dinner in our hold.