Jane, my childhood friend, has brought us both sun and good luck. Our first day of sail, there’s a pull on the line. Just a pull, nothing more. Bill proclaims it a hunk of seaweed. We’re adept at catching those. He reels it in. There’s no fight, no pull. We’re dismayed. As the lure nears the surface, there to our amazement is a fish. “A fish!” he exclaims with surprise and delight. “A fish?” I think with dismay and foreboding. It didn’t fight. It’s got to be sick. Our first fish, a nice legal Chinook, and it’s a sick one, I’m sure. It didn’t fight at all. It was like those Halibut I was expecting 
to wait placidly at the end of the line for me to haul in. We can’t eat a sick fish. I want to ask Bill about it, but he’s already gone below to change into fish cleaning clothes. I don’t want to say anything in front of Jane for fear of alarming her, but how can we eat a sick fish? She’s gleefully taking pictures of me holding this sick fish. I get a chance to take Bill aside to query him about sick fish, and he assures me that any fish that went after a lure attached to a rod on a boat going 8 knots was a very active, aggressive and healthy fish. I’m still in doubt, but, when it’s all cut up, looking just like salmon fillets should, I feel much better.
That night we sit down to a superb dinner.
Chinook Salmon Fillets, Sautéed
Wild Rice
Asparagus with Homemade Hollandaise Sauce
Dessert is Strawberries with Powdered Sugar. Jane declares it her very favorite dinner, and we all contentedly concur.
The next day Bill gets down to jigging for Halibut. He rigs the line and sits on the end of the boat bobbing the line up and down in an attempt to imitate some kind of smaller fish for a bottom swimming Halibut to bite. Of course, like Tom Sawyer, he has intrigued us, and, the next thing you know, Jane and I are taking turns jigging while he’s below with a Scotch reading Michener’s Alaska. Our attempts don’t seem to be tempting any Halibut.
We continue to crab with no success. We fish, trolling at 7 or so knots, which we know is too fast really, but we’re hopeful of another sick fish. We try different hooks, spoons, flashers, weights. The same with the crab trap. We carefully analyze locations for dropping the trap. We discuss and use various bait from perfectly fresh to rather ripe. Nothing is working. It’s dismal……..…..until the last morning in Misty Fiords – we trap 2 large male Dungeness Crabs.
We sail to the next anchorage with the crab chattering around in an orange bucket of seawater. Bill, who has now gotten into the sport (if sport it be) is as excited and delighted as Jane and I are.
Now we have the pleasant task of cooking and eating our crab. The cooking and eating of our first smaller crabs had proved to be a messy affair. There’s that whole yucky body of the crab that offers nothing edible while it drips liquid and goo all over one’s plate. There’s got to be a more appetizing way of going about this thing. “How to Catch Crabs” suggests an alternative that the author claims all the crabbers use. One kills the crab before cooking and then slices it down the middle. He suggests a shovel for this operation
, but as that is not something we carry on the boat, Bill uses a chef’s knife and a rubber hammer. After the crab is sliced in half, the body shells and cavity gunk are removed. The legs are gently pulled from the body with the good body meat attached. The legs and attached meat are cooked. This method allows far more crab to be cooked in one pot. Overloading the pot doesn’t appear to be a concern we going to have to worry about, but the other benefit is that it’s a far neater and easier way to tackle the eating of crab. The body meat is easily extracted to eat, and there’s no body cavity liquid and goo all over one’s plate. We try it. It works. We’re delighted. Bill declares that the book has now paid for itself in information garnered.
Dinner is divine. The crab is tender and succulent ….the best any of us had ever had. Jane declares this her second favorite meal, and, once again, we contentedly concur.
Fishing Tally to date:
3 Dungeness Crabs
1 Rock Crab
1 Chinook
Obviously, marine life need not quake at our approach. We’re not breaking any records, but we’re having fun. Bill may have other ideas, but I, for one, intend to fish and crab our way around the world aboard the sailing vessel Avante. And, if he’ll ever let me buy a shrimp trap, I’ll shrimp too
The End and enough of “How to Catch Crabs”. Further updates, if any become available, will be included in the body of the blog.
Chinook Salmon Fillets, Sautéed
Wild Rice
Asparagus with Homemade Hollandaise Sauce
Dessert is Strawberries with Powdered Sugar. Jane declares it her very favorite dinner, and we all contentedly concur.
The next day Bill gets down to jigging for Halibut. He rigs the line and sits on the end of the boat bobbing the line up and down in an attempt to imitate some kind of smaller fish for a bottom swimming Halibut to bite. Of course, like Tom Sawyer, he has intrigued us, and, the next thing you know, Jane and I are taking turns jigging while he’s below with a Scotch reading Michener’s Alaska. Our attempts don’t seem to be tempting any Halibut.
We continue to crab with no success. We fish, trolling at 7 or so knots, which we know is too fast really, but we’re hopeful of another sick fish. We try different hooks, spoons, flashers, weights. The same with the crab trap. We carefully analyze locations for dropping the trap. We discuss and use various bait from perfectly fresh to rather ripe. Nothing is working. It’s dismal……..…..until the last morning in Misty Fiords – we trap 2 large male Dungeness Crabs.
We sail to the next anchorage with the crab chattering around in an orange bucket of seawater. Bill, who has now gotten into the sport (if sport it be) is as excited and delighted as Jane and I are.Now we have the pleasant task of cooking and eating our crab. The cooking and eating of our first smaller crabs had proved to be a messy affair. There’s that whole yucky body of the crab that offers nothing edible while it drips liquid and goo all over one’s plate. There’s got to be a more appetizing way of going about this thing. “How to Catch Crabs” suggests an alternative that the author claims all the crabbers use. One kills the crab before cooking and then slices it down the middle. He suggests a shovel for this operation
, but as that is not something we carry on the boat, Bill uses a chef’s knife and a rubber hammer. After the crab is sliced in half, the body shells and cavity gunk are removed. The legs are gently pulled from the body with the good body meat attached. The legs and attached meat are cooked. This method allows far more crab to be cooked in one pot. Overloading the pot doesn’t appear to be a concern we going to have to worry about, but the other benefit is that it’s a far neater and easier way to tackle the eating of crab. The body meat is easily extracted to eat, and there’s no body cavity liquid and goo all over one’s plate. We try it. It works. We’re delighted. Bill declares that the book has now paid for itself in information garnered.Dinner is divine. The crab is tender and succulent ….the best any of us had ever had. Jane declares this her second favorite meal, and, once again, we contentedly concur.
Fishing Tally to date:
3 Dungeness Crabs
1 Rock Crab
1 Chinook
Obviously, marine life need not quake at our approach. We’re not breaking any records, but we’re having fun. Bill may have other ideas, but I, for one, intend to fish and crab our way around the world aboard the sailing vessel Avante. And, if he’ll ever let me buy a shrimp trap, I’ll shrimp too
The End and enough of “How to Catch Crabs”. Further updates, if any become available, will be included in the body of the blog.
2 comments:
Dear Sue and Bill, We continue to delight in, and envy, every story and photo of your adventure on Avante. Thanks so much for sharing with us. Shirley and John
WOW! It can't get any better! I am finding so much pleasure reading your wonderful stories and seeing your pictures. Thanks for entertaining me thus far!
Post a Comment