Start of Sardine Season

Friday Aug. 17-- After a couple days of of network, we loaded up the boat and left Lower Hadlock, bound for Neah Bay. Today we're sitting around waiting for the weather to change. Looks like we'll be fishing tomorrow, seining for sardienes, it should be interesting. Neah bay's harbor is loaded with cool old wood boats, most are derelicts, weathered paintjobs, rusty gear, but loaded with character. Its been rainy, then sunny, followed by a downpour, then back to sunny. Not a whole lot going on, feeling out the new boat, the Voyager, and how things are done aboard. Definitly a different style then Guy. Hopefully by tomorrow night we're loaded with sixty tons of sardines and headed into Westport to unload our first catch of the season...
Sat. Aug 18 -- And were off! Departed Neah bay around 6:30 this morning, squalls, grey sky with a bit of swell. Shortly after getting under way we shot a gap between an island and a rocky coastline,
smooth cliff surfaces with several tunnel-holes, the larger ones still support trees on their topside. Several tall rock formations standing alone out in the waves remind me of the heads on easter island. The swell has put Ross, one of my fellow crew down with a bit of the sickness. Things are fairly helter-skelter on deck, Greg gives a good shot at teaching but the message usually gets scrambled in excitement, haste and a few wild hand-arm gestures that aren't particularly helpful. Jonah, the guy thats been working on the Voyager for the past six years, gets a little frustrated between the simplicity of the tasks, the captains explanations, and our attempts to follow orders. It's pretty funny, were usually laughing. Once we start fishing things should clear up a bit. Seems like experience always beets out a hearty explanation. All is well, hopefully we'll be catching some sardines here shortly...
Well the original plan was to load up with fish on the run from Neah bay to Westport. All looked good, the depth sounder and sonar lit up, Greg gave the yell "Jiggers" and two of us moved up to the bow, fishing polls in hand. He gave us the go ahead and our jiggs drop, seconds latter four of my six hooks are consumed by sardines. We found em, they wern't the big ones that fetch the best price, but they were sardines. Greg positioned us right off a large school and we made ready to set. One small problem, the hydraulics were sucking air, why? because there wasn't enough hydraulic oil in the tank. Small oversight that no one checked it before departure. So we bagged the set and ran for Westport. I found it ironic that with this massive net on the boat we were using herring jigs to sample the fish.