[nightfighter]

Yet another trip to Cuttyhunk in the books.....

Group of seven, our smallest since the inaugural trip in 2002. Great time, cool temps, some big seas and SW wind on Friday night. Reports from Tagger's group the previous week had us anticipating great numbers. But catching just wasn't to be. Bernie had a couple schoolies on Friday and the Huddy's had twenty or so up to 30" between them in a short window on Saturday night. So a lot of casting. Not a whiff of that smell when fish are there though.
Despite the lower numbers, in both participants and fish caught, it was probably the most relaxing trip of them all. Seems a lot of us needed to get their batteries recharged from life even more than we needed fish. And that was accomplished. It is hard to relate how nice it is there on the porch, with the Club to ourselves, gear spread out, always someone to go out with to fish with or just talk about life's challenges and the state of the world. It has truly been a special place for me.

Someday I will try to total up a list of how many came on this trip over the years, but I am sure it numbers over 100. The first trip was at the invitation of GBOUTDOORS in 2002, and we had a June trip and a September trip that year. We stayed at Greg's family house and those were some memorable times that I truly treasure among my memories, despite the razzing from Clammer about how many changes of clothes I brought.... By 2005, I was interested in going back and began to organize what turned into a yearly trip in June, where I reserved, and usually filled, the entire Cuttyhunk Fishing Club. Experience was our teacher and I moved the dates of the trip to be just before the restaurant opened for the season, so that we would have not only the run of the kitchen, but the entire porch as our place to assemble.... Occasionally we added a fall trip, but the numbers were not there to keep that going. The Club and staff, especially Bonnie made it even better and are now counted among many as friends. Of the two ferry options, we seemed to prefer John Paul on the Sea Horse, if only because we could set the schedule to accommodate our needs. The trips were as close to being back in a fraternity as it gets, and true friendships made were cemented over a single weekend. In my world, that just does not happen in the other circles I walk in, be it work, community or other pastimes. This was just something really cool among fishermen. And boy, were there some stories from those trips....

However, this trip marked the end of an era. And we had a good, no great run. The past two years have not been able to get the minimum numbers that the "lawyers" now overseeing much of the Club's operation, require. So I, we, S-B, no longer have the weekend penciled in and reserved for next year. And it is already taken and booked. I thank all who participated and hope to go on other adventures to new places to fish with you in the future. I enjoyed doing this and it was fun.