The very novice apprentice fisherman
I like trying things out that I have never done previously. I wanted to get some exercise and time on the water so.... I approached a friend of ours that is a local lobster fisherman. I explained that I'd love to ride along with them some day. The only thing was I didn't want to be so much excess baggage so, put me to work. He had the appropriate crew license so the first day out came. My worries were .... how would I do? I had not been on any real open water since the late 1960's in the Navy. The main problem there was, I was on a submarine so we for the most part were under any rough seas. The little rough water we saw I had been OK just getting very hungry and wanting to eat but that again was in the 60's. Would I turn 16 shades of green? Would I end up spending the entire outing with these hardy New England fishermen hanging over the rail retching my insides out? Would the smell of the bait which I had heard so much about put me over the edge?
The day came and off we went. Now first understand, that In the hierarchy of things there is the skipper, the normal sternman, the bait for the traps and then somewhere down from there in the chain of command is me. We met early, about 5 am. First false dawn in this part of Maine starts to appear about 3:30 - 4 in the morning in the summer. Usually the first stop is to the fishing pier to top off the bait. Here is a good point to mention about "bait". It's basically herring that has not seen water for a long time and the odor is in proportion to that amount of time that it has not seen water! Very concentrated and very fishy. Stuff that can really make one gag. In the summer rock salt is added to help preserve it in the heat. On occasion I like a can of sardines. One time after I had been out a few times, I was home one day getting some lunch I thought I would have some sardines. I put them in a dish squeezed some lemon over them, then took a fork full. About two inches from my mouth the smell hit and my mind said "warning warning . . . lobster bait approaching". Lunch that day turned out NOT to be sardines. I have never looked the same way at sardines after stuffing a few bait bags. OK enough on the subject of bait, I think you can imaging what it is like... pretty heady.
This Captain Cole fishes fairly far offshore. Most times when we're fishing the "outside traps", land is a thin band on the horizon. The first day I went out, the seas were really rocking and rolling. First you would see another boat on the top of a swell and then it was gone as you dropped into a trough. I figured well here we are and, here I go. If I'm going to turn green this is it. The time of reckoning had come. Should I get my spot on the rail ready? Was I going to be snickered at as the land lubber who couldn't cut it? Well they day proceeded we hauled trap after trap, stuffed bait bag after bait bag. No shades of green appeared even after diving head first into the bait bin to grab handfuls of bait from the nasty brown water to stuff bags. Not pleasant but no gagging. Phew... what a relief! As the day progresses you get more used to the routine of the boat. There are lines all over the deck as you move lines of traps from one location to another. on a rough day you are in constant motion to keep up right and not trip over things. One day we were in transit to another string. Linden the skipper and Duane the sternman were in the wheel house. It was pretty rough and Duane was sitting on a bucket since that was more stable than standing. Some waves were breaking over the bow and the wheel house windows wipers were getting a workout. Like a fool I was standing in the stern enjoying the spray and waves. One wave came over the bow and right at that time I looked up to see a very large quantity of water coming at me. It nailed me good. I decided it might be a good idea to also retreat to the wheel house. As I came in, they took one look at me as I was soaking wet and laughing they said "what the heck happened to you?" then just shook their heads.
I try to get out as often as I can during the summer. They usually start really fishing in May and June. My last trip is usually in November or this year in December. The last trip this year we were all bundled up with so many layers of clothing it makes it hard to move and you look forward to working to keep warm. I like to think that I help to make their day a little more productive and that I can now carry my weight. We are usually out from before the sun comes up to mid afternoon. It's pretty much nonstop work once we start pulling traps. At the end of the day I come home very smelly and know I have gotten the exercise I wanted. after a shower and a beer it is a chore to keep my eyes open.
The following links will show some pictures and a movie clip from December 2005's last outing.