When I went to bed last night and closed my eyes to go to sleep, I had the overwhelming feeling that I was rocking back and forth in the water. Such is the feeling one gets after spending five hours of their morning on a fishing boat!
After having to cancel twice in the past month due to weather, I was finally able to get out on a fishing charter yesterday with Jason Woda of Reel Sensation Charters. Our trip wasn't overly successful - we only came back with one fish - but we still had a great time!
After four short hours of sleep, Dave and I got up yesterday at 5:30 a.m. and it was still dark when we left our house at 6:15. I don't get to see that time of day too often, but whenever I do, I always love it. Knowing that I'll get to see the sun rise and thinking of all the people still in their beds makes me feel special in a way, and I always wonder why I don't get up that early more often. (However, like always, I remembered why when I was ready to crash by around 9:00 last night.) We headed down to the marina and found Jason and his dad, Terry, waiting for us by the dock in Jason's new-this-year fishing boat, the Trophy Hunter. We hopped on board, filled out fishing lisence forms and were off.
We made our way slowly through the harbor, passing a few other fishing boats along the way. The horizon glowed beautifully in the distance, the sun just beneath it getting ready to make its daily debut. The city was still and the many boats in the marina rocked gently as we passed them. The weather was a little chilly - but we were comfortable in our sweatshirts and jeans.
Once Jason saw some fish on his screen, he slowed the boat and released some lines - nine in total - into the water. Within less than two or three minutes, one of the lines jerked. Both Jason and Terry told me to step up and reel it in, but I wasn't ready! I haven't fished in years, and I've never caught anything bigger than a few inches long. I wanted to see it done first. So Dave stepped up instead and reeled in nice-sized (2 feet, maybe?) salmon. When it was almost all the way to the boat, Terry caught it in the net and dropped it onto the deck. It flopped around and he picked it up to get the lure out of its mouth. He held it up for us to see and then dropped it into the large cooler.
I said, "is it dead?"
"It will be soon!"
I felt bad for the poor fish. And I was pretty grossed out by the big ugly thing and the blood it had left on the deck that Jason had to hose off. I thought, there's no way I can do that. So I started asking a few questions so I'd be more prepared. Do I have to reel really hard? (No.) Do I have to touch it? (No.) Anything else I need to know?
To this, Jason said, "As long as you hold onto my rod, you'll be fine." I giggled at this - for much too long - because I thought he was trying to be funny. Dave, in turn, laughed at me and punched me in the arm - I was being dirty and Jason hadn't meant it to be funny. It would suck to lose one of those nice fishing rods in that icy cold water!
We stayed in the same place for a few more minutes and then moved on, further out onto the lake. We stopped about a mile and a half from shore where the water was around 60 feet deep. It was much colder out there, and the waves were a lot stronger. We watched the sun rise from there, and we kept our eyes on the lines, waiting for them to jerk again.
Then after about a half hour, I started to feel sick. The waves were really moving the boat hard and I thought I was going to have to throw up. I don't get sick, though - on boats, on rollercoasters, anything - and I didn't want to be a wimp, so I didn't say anything. It was just a terrible feeling. Dave could tell something was wrong, but I didn't want to talk, so he just left me alone. I was cold and queasy and not too happy.
Then - sweet, sweet relief - Jason decided we'd head back in and onto the river. Once we started going fast, I felt instantly better. It was only about 8:00 when I was feeling sick - it would have been a really long three more hours had I felt like that the whole time!
Throughout our travels around the lake, Jason spoke on his cell phone to several other fishermen he knew and none of them seemed to be having much luck, either. We only had two other fish, both brown trout, grab onto one of the lines during our entire five hours out there, and I lost them both! Jason and Terry both assured me that it isn't anyone's fault when a fish breaks free, but I was still disappointed. The first one fell off almost right away, but I reeled the second one in until it was just about in the net and I could see it closely and then - poof - it was gone. I would have wanted to catch the first one had I known it'd be the only one! But oh well.
Spending the morning on the water was really relaxing. Jason and Terry were so personable and we just talked and talked - about Jason's family, his business, our wedding, my website, Terry's travels, restaurants, politics, and lots of other random topics. We also heard about some of Jason's other fishing trips around the country, and we were quite impressed as he described the time he fought a 140-pound yellowfin tuna off the coast of Louisiana for almost two hours before finally catching it. He put the idea in Dave's head to do some deep-sea fishing on our honeymoon. (Yeah... we'll have to see about that.)
Jason, who has been in business for six years now, owns two fishing boats, the Trophy Hunter, and a smaller boat that he still uses in the off-season. Unlike the people I've met when I've been sailing and kayaking who do those things on the side, Jason makes his living from his charter company, and he has a darn good time doing it. He said that business is really good, and that most of his customers - surprisingly - are locals. He has plenty of repeat customers, and gets a good balance of families going out for the day and corporate-types coming down for company outings.
His website guarantees that "if we are not able to boat one legal size fish on your charter, your next trip is absolutely free." He said that he's never had to take someone out again - he always catches something - and it's very, very rare that you only catch one like we did. (Hmmmm, I think those darn fish could sense that my trip was complimentary!) Usually, a trip will yield closer to ten or fifteen fish, fifteen being the limit for one outing. To see pics of his more successful trips, go here.
When 11:30 rolled around and it was time to head back, Jason fileted our fish for us with just a few quick cuts, throwing the carcass back in the cooler and giving us the two long, pink filets in a plastic bag. It was quite a bit of fish - I can't imagine how much we would have gotten to bring home had our trip been more successful. We would have been eating fish for months and months! Back in the marina, we pulled up to the gas station to fill the boat's tank. Jason said he fills up about fifteen times per season. And look how much it cost! I was pretty shocked! But as Jason said, "You gotta pay to play!"
We thanked Jason and Terry for such a nice morning and then headed to the car with our fish in tow. Once at home, I cut it up - shrieking at first at the feeling, but then getting used to it - and scattering fish scales all over the counter and sink during the process. We kept three pieces out for a dinner in the next couple of days, and then put the rest in the freezer. We'll probably get about four dinners out of it. I'll post a review and some pics once we cook it up!
We then headed to Ma Fischer's for a late breakfast and then took a little nap when we got home.
I really enjoyed my morning. Fishing isn't exactly my favorite thing to do, but being on a boat sure is. I suspect that a fishing charter isn't the first thing that comes to people's minds when thinking of something fun to do in Milwaukee, but Milwaukee has some of the best fishing in Wisconsin. The views of the city are great, the water is so peaceful, the company is nice, and reeling those babies in and taking them home to grill 'em up is a rewarding and really fun experience.
Sounds like a great time. The weather was really nice for it too! I like your new T-shirt!! :)
Posted by: Derek | October 03, 2005 at 08:20 AM
Seems like a good time. For some reason it never dawned on me that there would be fishing charters in Milwaukee.
One fish for a $410 trip seems like a bummer. I think they should up that free trip to two fish.
Posted by: Andre | October 03, 2005 at 08:57 AM
Erin: Several of us had the pleasure of dining at Lake Park Bistro a few months ago. I'm from Florida, one of our group was from Kentucky, one from Virginia and our host and his wife were from Milwaukee. You and I discussed your future via a little flirtatious bantor(no threat to your boyfriend by an old man like me) and rapid comebacks by you. From the looks of the article by Jim Stingl sent to me over the weekend, you are succeeding as we all knew you would. Congratulations and great to see you achieving your dream. Craig
Posted by: Craig | October 04, 2005 at 09:26 AM