Day: July 8, 2021

As is sometimes his custom, Arthur didn’t bother telling me that he wanted to go out fishing today until he’d already gotten everything in the boat and had decided he was ready to go. I had figured it out about fifteen minutes earlier, when I heard him start the motors – testing them. So at least I had my boots on.

And so we went.

We went to San Igancio, again. We caught one good-sized Coho, right away. This raised Arthur’s spirits, but it wasn’t to prove a meaningful omen. We remained fishless for the subsequent hours trolling up and down along the east side of San Ignacio. Then he wanted to go to “Real Marina,” which created a lot of confusion for me, because he meant Siketi Bay – one of his favorite places. But he’d forgotten the name and he’d forgotten I’d ever been fishing with him there, so communication about his intentions was complicated.

But we went to Siketi, finally, and caught one smallish bass in the passage between Lulu Island and Cone Island. By the time we got to the east side of Noyes Island, the swells off the open sea to the south were broad, and the wind was pushing the boat around. Also, the hose with sprayer attachment that pumps seawater, that he uses to clean off the back of the boat and fill the fish holding tank, was acting up (it has leaks, and the on/off switch is unreliable). So Arthur was kicking it, and it ended up spraying the inside of the cabin of the boat. My clothes got soaked with seawater. So then I was feeling cold and grumpy too.

So we gave up and headed home over very choppy seas, reaching the dock at about 2:30. All the way back, Arthur was very angry and as restless as a foul-mouthed teenager suffering from ADHD, because he’d lost the sheath to his knife that he uses to cut up fish. He kept looking for it over and over in the same places: glove box, storage cases under the back bench seats, etc. I suspect it ended up in the water because he likes to set things down on the gunwale, and with as bumpy as the water was, it may have descended into the sea.

Year-to-date totals:

• Coho: 2
• Kings: 0
• Halibut: 0
• Other: 1
• Too-small fish sent home to mama: 10
• Downrigger weights left on the bottom of the sea: 1