The One that Got Away…

Just how big is a fish’s brain, anyway? I guess it’s not the size of the brain that counts–otherwise whales would be smarter than humans. Hmmm… But really, is a fish capable of planning and executing its own escape?

Our good friends Kate & Troy came for a visit a few weeks ago and, great fish hunters that they are, we had to head out and try our luck. Well, first the guys had to make a tackle trip and get bait for the crab trap. Just a quick trip to the nearby marina–at least that’s what they said. Two hours later, when they hadn’t returned, Kate & I gave up and drove to Madeira Park to have lunch at a local gallery/cafe (we discovered the most awesome ham/cheese/jalapeno buns!) We passed the guys on the highway…turns out they didn’t find what they were looking for locally so they drove to Sechelt. They came back with all manner of fishing accoutrements including a very nice new rod (thanks K&T!) reel, lures, tackle box, etc. No crab bait, though. I think the bright shiny lures distracted them…

The day was a bit overcast and the winds were up but we grabbed our fleece jackets, Buddy’s Ruffwear (see Dog Overboard!!! post) and headed out.

First spot–wind & waves rocked us to the point of stressing out the dog (and me, a little, I must admit). Fish finder showed fish down there but it was too hard to keep the boat in one spot. Off we went…

Second spot–we were near the cliffside but it was still pretty windy and we were bobbing around like a cork afloat. Kate & I retreated to the galley but after a few minutes my tummy was not feeling very well, so I went back up to the deck for some fresh air. Kate followed shortly thereafter. I was a little concerned about our fuel supply as I knew that we had used quite a bit of fuel when Cathy, Glenn & the kids were here and we hadn’t topped up the tank. I convinced Allan to check (well, to get Troy to check)–1/3 of a tank left. The guys tried to convince me that this was “plenty” since we were just idling. The general rule of thumb when boating is 1/3 going out, 1/3 returning and 1/3 in reserve. So much for that rule…and off we went again on the elusive search for a “better” spot.

Third spot–quite a bit calmer. We saw a seal nearby which certainly meant there were fish just waiting for us! Troy got the first bite! He very graciously handed me the rod so that I could have the privilege of landing the first fish (what a gentleman!)–a beautiful blue Ling Cod. Uh oh. We forgot to bring the cooler so where to put our catch? A quick glance around and the garbage can in the galley became our fish bucket. Kate & I were feeling much better so we called on Troy regularly to help us untangle our lines and unsnag us from the bottom. We stayed at this location for awhile but the guys were sure there must be an even better spot just a little bit further down!

Fourth (and best!) spot–the late afternoon/early evening calm set in and the weather was perfect. Kate caught a Rock Cod and then another and another and another! It seemed that every time she dropped her line into the water she got a bite. She threw a few back because they were “too small”. Are you freaking kidding me? I had the odd bite but nothing significant. Allan took a break from maneuvering the boat to drop his line in. He snagged the biggest Rock Cod of all of us and we snapped his photo as we had done for each person’s catch. This was a good thing, although we didn’t know it at the time. Troy got greedy and decided to throw in a third line in addition to mine & Kate’s. Unfortunately, he threw the whole rod in!!! Good thing it was the cheap rod; too bad it was an $8 lure! Troy was now “rod fishing” instead of cod fishing. But no luck–it’s on the bottom forever. Or at least until some other fishermen thinks he has a bite and brings it up! Although it would have been nice to stay longer, it was already 7:30 pm and we still had to get home, clean the fish and eat our catch for dinner.

When we arrived back at the dock, the guys got busy cleaning the fish while Kate & I started walking up to the house to begin dinner preparations. We had barely walked halfway down the dock when we heard a little splash and someone cry out. Allan’s nice-sized Rock Cod, dead for an hour (or so we thought) had resurrected itself and leapt out of Troy’s hands to freedom. Poor Allan! This was the second time in his fishing experience that he’d caught the biggest fish only to return home with just the tale (pun intended). If you haven’t heard his “other” story yet, ask him to tell you about the halibut that got away… Nevertheless, thanks to Chef Kate’s culinary talent, the rest of our catch tasted wonderful!

So, at the end of the day, one exceptionally intelligent fish outsmarted a few humans. But we’ve still got the advantage. Doesn’t research keep telling us that eating fish will make us smarter? Now if we can only hang on to them long enough…