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Gone Fishin’

June 18, 2008 /

gone fishin'

We went fishing today with Toby’s brother, George. It was great. Well, if you don’t mind not catching any fish while you’re fishing…which we don’t of course! Fish schmish. We’re all about hanging out.

misty/sunny

We woudn’t really eat the fish from this fishing spot anyway. George told us they used to build boats here back in the 50’s and the water is quite contaminated with mercury. But all that didn’t stop it from being a beautiful place to sit and enjoy the best weather.

There’s been a bit of a heat wave inland and it’s drawing all the cool ocean air up out of the sea and across the land producing the most pleasant breeze ever. It’s not too hot or too cold and it smells like ocean in a good way. I really liked being out here in the morning as the mist and sunlight flitted back and forth for control over the day.

kung pow excited

Any reason to be outside in the sunshine and away from our boring old living room and the ever-present Noggin channel is a good reason to celebrate. But this time we had a very good reason to celebrate. It was Uncle George’s fiftieth birthday!

Actually it was his birthday last month. We’re just running a month behind.

Happy 50th Uncle George!

yummy GREEN icing

Happy very belated birthday, Uncle George! We made him some cupcakes (with green icing, of course) and then ate them on the pier while we waited for the fish to show up.

Which they didn’t. Some tiny smelt showed up and swam around in schools but nothing big enough to catch. There were a lot of jellyfish though. The wind blows them to this spot and they just stack up on top of each other—kind of like that scene in Finding Nemo where Dory and Marlin bounce on the tops of the jellyfish.

I tried to take a photo of the crazy hordes of jellyfish but this is really the best I got. I’ll just blame my lack of photos on the bright sun. I couldn’t see them very well on my little camera screen. Also, the water was pretty silty (murky) due to the fact that they have been dredging the back bay lately.

I learned that little dredging detail from George along with a lot of other fish-and-game trivia. The great thing about hanging out with George is that he is pretty much a walking encyclopedia. He’s like your own personal book on tape. He’ll even stop and let you yell at your kid so she doesn’t topple into the water and then carry on right where he left off when you are done yelling. I love that about George. He would make a great history teacher.

talkin' about bait

So even though we didn’t catch a single fish, we learned a lot. Baby Bug learned about GREEN fishing bait.

sort of like a gummy fish

And I learned a lot about the art of fishing. It turns out that the seasons in the water are different than they are in the air. Did you know that? While it’s June here, it’s April in the water and fishing won’t get exciting until August or so.

George and I are talking about organizing a kids’ fishing trip then. If anyone is local and interested, email me about that. It could be fun. And don’t worry, we won’t make you eat the fish.

18 Comments

  • Kerri Anne

    June 18, 2008 at 10:17 pm

    I love that first picture. I actually have always hated fishing but go with my parents whenever I visit because they LOVE it. And I admittedly love (being with them, and) pontoon-boat lounging.

  • Annabanana

    June 18, 2008 at 11:01 pm

    What fun!
    My favorite part about fishing is the not catching part. When we do catch one I get all freaked out and want to put it back. It is the hanging out that I love too.

  • BeachMama

    June 19, 2008 at 5:38 am

    I love fishing!! As long as I don’t have to touch the live bait or the fish :). I was pretty good way back when I used to catch Catfish in Manitoba. I always seemed to get the biggest ones. My then boyfriend’s Mom would fry them up and serve them to her friends. I never ate one though :).

    Happy Belated Birthday to Uncle George!

  • Kandace

    June 19, 2008 at 7:16 am

    I wished we lived closer we would totally be up for fishing. My kids love fishing. Well, I’ll be honest they love the pole :)

    Looks like a blast!

  • Britt

    June 19, 2008 at 10:28 am

    Fishing is WAY better when you don’t catch anything, that way you don’t have to touch anything. It’s way more fun to point at fish below the water and play with bait:)

  • Clownfish

    June 19, 2008 at 1:07 pm

    Uncle George sounds like my kind of people! Full of stories and a fun guy to hang out with. If I could, I’d love to fish with Uncle George. But then again, I am just a big kid. – Happy Belated Birthday Uncle George!

  • Michelle

    June 19, 2008 at 7:00 pm

    Yay for Uncle Choge (Does BB still call him that?) – And happy b-day to him too! Your kiddo has the cutest duds EVAH! What a fun day!

  • Chris

    June 19, 2008 at 9:17 pm

    Can I come fishing with George too? What a fun day!

    Your banner us up- come check it out. We love it so much!

    (We’re still trying to get it to fit right but Kim is on it. Don’t be alarmed when you see it)

  • Uncle George

    June 20, 2008 at 2:47 am

    A big Thank You to BB and SAJ!! Not only did I get cupcakes that were marvelously GOOREEEEN!, but a big can of Trader Joe’s whole bean Italian roast coffee!

    I knew the fishing would be marginal at best. This year’s season is a bit behind schedule. We’ll all go fishing together soon, late summer/early fall is best. And don’t worry about handling or unhooking…That’s my job. I’ll happily act as a guide/deckhand for everyone. I fish almost daily, and handling and releasing is no big deal…(There are some species even I don’t like touching, hooray for old rags and needlenose pliers!). My catches recieve C-P-R…(Catch, photograph, and release). Fish are too cool to catch only once.

    I had such a great morning…It made me happy all day! We’re doing it again soon, right? Hope so.

    Thanks again you two.

    U.G.