Summer's a Comin'

After a long month of trap building, Cap and I finally returned to work on the water today. There's a lot to catch up on with 400 traps that have been setting while Cap went on a wild goose chase to get his boat computer repaired. Today was a good start.

We began by setting 40 traps in the Bay. Rumors of shedders have been flying around town lately, so Cap is beginning to think about shifting his traps shoreward. This is the time of year when the lobsters are migrating toward shore as the water temperature warms up to molt and reproduce. The peak of shedder season is usually in July. It's early yet, but there might be a few molts out there.

I could tell that Cap was disgusted with the idea of moving closer to shore. Summer fishing isn't his favorite. During the summer, there are more fishermen and a more restricted area (in shallow waters) in which to catch lobsters. That's a recipe for over-crowded fishing. Traps are closer together, so there are lots of snarls. And boat traffic is heavier close to shore, so there's a higher chance of buoys being cut off by propellers. It's a frustrating season.

Cap is also a thinker. He enjoys the strategizing component of fishing. Summer is the season when any idiot can catch a lobster. All you have to do is throw a trap off the rocks and there you have your dinner. The fall is a more challenging and lucrative time of year. Fall fishing is the game that Cap likes to play.

Personally, I don't mind summer fishing one bit. See thinking isn't exactly in my job description. Not to imply that sternmen are stupid by any means. But my job simply isn't to strategize where to set traps and when to shift them. That's Cap's job. My responsibilities are: bait management, measuring and banding lobsters, trap handling, rope coiling, etc. If it's grunt work, I do it. I perform the same tasks whether we're 20 miles or 20 feet off shore. The only difference is that when we're 20 miles off shore there's nothing to look at except very small islands in the distance. Summer fishing is more enjoyable for me because there's nice scenery to look at all day. We fish in and around the islands outside of Round Pond. There are summer mansions and yachts to oogle at. I marvel at the extravagance of summer people partly out of fascination and partly out of disgust. They marvel at our simplicity.

I also indulge in the simple summery pleasures that accompany summer fishing. Smelling Rosa rigosa in the westerly breeze as it drifts from the shore. Seeing great blue herons, harbor porpoise, seals, and various fish jumping. Feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin. Hearing . . . people! Human life nearby! Work on the water isn't nearly as solitary in the summer months as is off shore fishing. Suddenly fishing doesn't seem so impossibly hard anymore.