The ultimate fly fishing machine July 27, 2008
Posted by saltcastings in All-purpose, Fishing, GS.Tags: fly fishing, Picnic Point, R1100GS
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BMW: the ultimate fly fishing machine
Caught four flounder and a juvenile blackmouth yesterday morning at Picnic Point. I also hooked and lost a decent sized [12"-14"] trout that hit, swam straight at me and then jumped and spit the hook before I could get the line tight. It’s nice to be seeing some fish again.
Watching: Galapagos July 25, 2008
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Galapagos showed up this week in one of those nifty little Netflix envelopes. This is exactly the kind of movies big flat panel TVs are made for, which is why it would be even more amazing if we actually had that kind of TV. I’ve only been able to stay awake through the first episode but so far have learned two cool new things:
- the 30-ish island group was/is created by what is called a “mantle plume” – essentially a direct connection to the earth’s molten core. A tectonic plate is moving across this hot spot at the rate of one inch per year, building new land mass as it goes. The islands at the center are growing daily, while the ones furthest away are being eroded and absorbed again by the ocean. Everything in between is in some varying state of life or death.
- Every species that inhabit the islands arrived from somewhere else. There are no indigenous animals; they either floated, swam, flew or were somehow otherwise deposited there. Even more amazing is that many have evolved and adapted in such ways that they are the only animals like that on the planet — like the marine iguana.
And yes, I know I’m a nerd.
Hey, crabby. July 20, 2008
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Yeah, you, the red rock crab who clamped down on my finger this morning after we let you and your friends go. Couldn’t just scurry away like the others, could you? The rest of your buddies came home to jump in our hot tub, then joined a couple of boiled eggs and some thousand island for a Louis salad Saturday night. How ’bout them apples?
Stranded [almost] and Trevi’s eighth life July 12, 2008
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After swim lessons, the boys and I took the Whaler over to Jefferson Head to drop the crab pot and try our luck jigging for a salmon dinner. The wind was blowing pretty good from the north, so after we dropped the pot, we motored a few hundred yards north to start our drift. We fashioned a water anchor out of a five-gallon bucket to slow things down but still had trouble keeping the jigs down near where the fish might be. On our way back for the second drift, the engine started to bog a bit, so I gave it more throttle, thinking I could smooth it out. Instead, it revved, then bogged and quit. I restarted, bogged again, but got enough steam built to get us where we were going. I could tell by the in-line fuel filter that there was something wrong with the line preventing a constant flow of fuel from the tank to the motor.
We drifted near the pot and had two more bogging/stalling episodes before we could fish it out of the water. The trap held a rock crab, a few small dungeness and a frisbee-sized starfish, which was very cool to check out. I got the boat restarted and we raced back toward Shilshole, making it within 30 yards of the jetty before she gave up the ghost for good. A friendly sailboat gave us a tow in close enough to the launch for me to paddle.
At home I figured out the tube inside the tank had detatched from the valve. I don’t know if it dangled for while, allowing us to traverse the Sound, or if there was some type of Divine Intervention at play. Either way, I’m glad I found the problem, that it’s a cheap fix, and that we didn’t get stuck halfway back and in the path of one of the cruise ships.
While all this was going on, Dawn and Lucy were leaving for a Costco run when Dawn looked up and noticed Trevi hanging from the top of the garage door. Sometimes Trevi uses the open garage door as a platform to climb up into the rafters and evidently had been on it when Dawn pushed the button. By the time Dawn saw her, she was litterally hanging by her neck with her head caught between the top of the door and the header. Dawn hit the button again, the door rolled up and Trevi dropped free, running around to the back yard. The Kitty Gods must have been smiling down on her today as she doesn’t have a mark on her.
I checked the clearance between the top of the door and the header tonight when I closed up shop: there is a white rubber gasket that covers the 1/2 inch gap. It’s barely big enough to feel with my finger, let alone accomodate a cat’s neck. I don’t know how she did it but I’m really glad she did.
Samish Island parade July 7, 2008
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The boys and I went north on Friday for the annual Samish Island 4th of July parade and candy extravaganza and to hang out at the Miller place for the corresponding beer fest and salmon bake. The three of us somehow commandeered Tom’s John Deere tractor and were able to dress it out in American flag-wear and fill the trailer with candy just in time to line up for the parade. We had a great time, especially reconnecting with folks we hadn’t seen in a while. The Salmon was fantastic, the beer fruity, and we learned from Jeff the French sign language sign for “I want some potatoes in my mouth.” Photos from the day here [sans sign.]
Picnic Point July 7, 2008
Posted by saltcastings in All-purpose, Family, Fishing.Tags: fly fishing, Puget Sound
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First pull of the year July 4, 2008
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Crabbing is off to a great start. The boys and I need to work on our counting though: thought we had five in the keeper bucket and ended up throwing back our Royal Flush with the ladies.
This one’s for you, AK.
