Teapot Tuesday 107

So, you wanna hear a fish story?  I've got two.  One real and one not so real.

The first one took place this weekend.  HWNSNBP and I were "down the shore" and wanted to do some fishing Sunday morning.  So, we got ourselves together and walked across the street to the public dock.  We found a spot and got our lines ready and started casting away.  It was a nice cool morning but we weren't getting any bites and the view of the lighthouse across the bay was very enticing.  So much so that I said to HWNSNBP that we should have gone fishing at the lighthouse.  Then there was a lightbulb moment when we looked at each other and almost simultaneously said - "Do you want to go?" 

We packed up our gear (2 poles, bait, bucket, and tackle box) and headed out there.  It was a good 30-40 minute drive, but we were lucky enough to find a parking space right near the inlet. 

HWNSNBP brought his fluke rig and I was fishing with spearing for blue fish.  I was a little flummoxed as there was a metal railing on top of the concrete wall bordering the water.  I didn't know if I should climb up on the bench behind us or onto the concrete itself to cast out when HWNSNBP told me just to stick my pole between the opening in the railing and cast that way. 

There was a couple sitting the bench near me as I was mumbling to myself wondering how I was going to do that.  Let's say that was the beginning of the amusement we would provide, because as I made my "short" cast out into the water, almost immediately I got a hit.  HWNSNBP hadn't even gotten himself set up and I was reeling in the first fish.  A small bluefish, that promptly fell off the line onto the ground in front of me - so I stepped on it.  Then we had a little "discussion" about whether we were keeping that fish or throwing it back.   Well, into the bucket it went.  My hook got rebaited and before he could get his in the water again I had another fish!   

By this time we were attracting more attention as it seemed no one else was catching anything.   After I caught my third fish, someone went over to HWNSNBP and commented that I was catching all the fish and he wasn't getting anything!  I know he was sadly aware of that!  That prompted him to put the fluke rig away and get his light gear out at which point we both were pulling them in.  I have to say that he did catch the biggest fish of the day.........

With it's head straightened out it's almost 12 inches.  It's a small bluefish.  He filets them and usually I just dredge them in flour and pan fry them.  He enjoys eating them either freshly cooked or cold on a sandwich the next day - it really depends on how many we've caught.  The total for Sunday was a dozen caught and 5 of the largest kept, so he had a nice meal of it.

While we were there, there was a brother and sister fishing next to us in the 8-10 year-old range.  They weren't catching anything with their bait and kept asking us questions.  What were we using for bait?  Where did you get your bait?  What are you going to do with those fish?   And then the question I was waiting for - "Do you think we could borrow one of those spearing?" 

Which brings me to this week's teapot with the second fish story and destination station.  This is the teapot that Cindy chose for this week ..........

She always finds the coolest teapots!!!  This one has another one of her great tales to go with it and we were asked to make a card for a little 8-year-old boy who has had a bone marrow transplant - the donor being his sister.  He loves fishing.  That just reminded me so much of the brother and sister who were fishing next to us on Sunday. 

So here is my card, complete with - wait for it Cindy - Pencil Bobbers! which we use when we fish in the bay. 

I think this school of baby blues has gotten the wrong message.  They're suppposed to bring pencils to school, not pencil bobbers!  

So, come and take a look at the rest of the gallery with me.