Let's Go Fishing

One week later, the rush and enthusiasm generated from last week's adventures have yet to wear off. Just as I had expected, the fault of taking such a spectacular trip so early in the summer season has made any of my following adventures tame in comparison. Yet, as the days pass by, the southern heat slowly works to weather away my memory of that larger-than-life week, and the flatland of southeast Virginia has become the centerpiece of my latest adventures.

So after spending the first half of the week climbing mountains and jumping off bridges, Cain and I decided we were going to try our luck at fishing and crabbing, a promising adventure given our proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, James River, and the surrounding waterways of Hampton Roads. The new adventure presented the opportunity to catch species of fish never seen before by our Midwestern fishing gear, and the promise of reeling in a catch of saltwater descent that would be heavier than any fish we could have caught in Wisconsin.

Our first real shot at the saltwater prizes hosted in the Chesapeake Bay came on the grounds of First Landing State Park, in Virginia Beach. We were hardly equipped with the right saltwater gear and garb, but our anticipation of what was to come overwhelmed our pride, enabling us to walk into the on-site bait shop with our tails between our legs, seeking any available help. To our comfort, help happened to be waiting for a pair of rooks as ourselves before we even arrived...

Her name was Judy, "Miss Judy" as she insisted to be called. Miss Judy was an older woman, but lively, unbelievably kind, and eager to help. She told us stories of fishing trips on her husband's boat, pointed to fish she had caught and mounted on the walls in her shop, and spoke with us as if we had been friends for years. Certainly, not even southern sweet tea could be as sweet as Miss Judy. Miss Judy made us feel right at home, as if we weren't tourists with out a clue in the world. She informed us that we didn't need the heavy expensive stuff, and stepped out from behind her counter to pull some gear off the shelves for us. The gear included a bucket, crab trap, some saltwater leaders, hooks, squid, and chicken.

"That's it?"

That was it. About $20 worth of gear later, and we were ready to hit the beach and begin terrorizing the Chesapeake Bay with our mastery of fishing under Miss Judy's blessing. She tipped us off where to drop our lines and lay our trap, and we were off.

Let me begin first with the crabbing. We proudly waltzed out into the water maybe 40 yards with our newly purchased, chicken neck loaded crab trap, hoping to get as close as possible to the pile of old wooden posts Miss Judy had referred us to. We could only get so far because the water quickly ran up to our necks, so we dropped the trap where we could and wandered back to shore to wait the recommended 15 minutes for unsuspecting crabs to find their way to our bait.

In the meantime, we strung up some fishing poles again as Miss Judy had recommended, along with the squid she pulled out of her freezer, and thus began our first official saltwater fishing experience. We hadn't a clue what we were doing, but it felt good. There was a certain pride and joy to shore fishing like this, and with a satisfying tone I said to myself, "Man, I could get used to this."

But before I could get too used to the whole game, Cain was already running back into the water to track down our first victim of the day. Apparently, curiosity had won some sort of battle with patience in Cain, and he did what I was dying to do: check our crab trap. As I followed him into the water, he swam ahead and pulled our trap out of the water. VIC-TO-RY! He held up the trap, and sure enough, there was our first crab. That was a proud moment to say the least.

We walked back to shore, and struggled to find a way to get our new friend into the bucket that would later become his site of his unfortunate demise. After some poking and prodding, some unsuccessful attempts to strike our crab into obedience, I just dumped him out of the trap into the bucket, shaking it until he could hang on no more. And that was the mark of success, our first catch, and the birth of a new hobby.

Crabbing is an absolute blast, as it is extremely cheap, easy, and exciting. And although I have not eaten any of my catches, I'm told it is unbelievably sweet and quite a culinary reward to bring home some fresh crab. You can get everything you need for $12, trap and bait included, and begin dropping it anywhere you think you can find crab. It is a great way to pass the afternoon, spend time with family, or feel better about yourself when you can't catch any fish on your expensive fishing pole. Which reminds me...

We couldn't catch a darn thing. An older man just 20 yards down from us, had pulled a blue fish out of the water to our encouragement. "There are fish out here," we kept telling each other. "If he got one, we can get one." Apparently the man thought the same, as he came over to check on us. Apparently, despite feeling like pros already, we didn't look like it.

The man came over, and showed us how to better bait our hooks. We had basically packed squid guts on our hooks, which the man said the fish don't want. Makes sense, now that I think about it. I wouldn't want any guts, so why would they? He showed us how to cut strips out of the squid's exterior, leaving the guts and heads behind. With a newfound inspiration and encouragement, Cain and I cut away at our squid to prepare for the real domination to begin... Unfortunately, however, it never came.

We still never caught anything.

But when the day was all said and done, it was an outstanding finish to an exciting week. A new hobby was born in crabbing, and a renewed addiction to fishing surfaced. We would go out again the next day, this time to the Eastern Shore, where we would catch more crabs, and Cain managed to pull a very junior black drum out of the bay. Now that I am thoroughly addicted to these activities, you can expect some fishing reports, crabbing tips, and anything else I can think of that you might find helpful. Just be warned, you start crabbing and fishing, it'll take your life over. Humor me... before you know it, you'll be hooked too.