Rambling on my first season from a boat

[JFigliuolo]

Yeah... it's long.

Well, all I can say is, what a great season. Did I catch a lot of bass? no, actually the worst striper season I have ever had. By all past measurements this should have been the worst season of my life. I was a solid, died in the wool striperman. I never fished for anything else except a cod trip or two in the winter months. I really couldn’t imagine wanting to fish for anything else. But like everything else in life, your perspective changes. Last fall I had the opportunity to get a used 21 ft CC and decided to take the jump.

A little background.
I grew up on and around boats. We were by no means well off, my mother was a school teacher, my father worked wherever he could find a niche. From early in their lives together they had purchased old boats that needed a lot of work. My dad would fix them up over the cold upstate NY winters, use them a few years, then sell them to move up in size. There was an occasional new boat in the mix (just so my father could remember what depreciation was...), but mostly used fixer uppers. As long as I can remember, we would spend every summer weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day on Lake George NY, at first in a run about camping on the islands, then later in a cabin cruiser. They had their friends up there, all with children who also became friends. All summer was a spent trying to get through Monday – Thursday waiting not so patiently for Thursday night when we would go to the boat. I can’t really imagine a better way to grow up. I spent countless days swimming, fishing, and just being with my huge extended family. So many of my best memories come from that time, the older I get the more fortunate I realize I was. In my younger fresh out of college years I always had dreams of getting a boat of my own, but starting off with little money and trying to get by ( I remember my girlfriend and I taking a calculator to the market to make sure we had enough money for groceries) pay off student loans as well as save a bit, it never quite made it out of the dream stage. A few years late we moved down to Raleigh NC for better work, and cheaper living. The focus while there was saving for a house, which we soon found ourselves in, then the expenses that home ownership entails.
Six or so years later, we decided to move back up to New England to be closer to family. I got a job in RI, we settled in Woonsocket, close to where I got a job, in big old Victorian that needed quite a bit of work. I was married to that house for a year. It was second job. I am glad I did it. I would not do it again. It was then that I met a friend who rekindled my love of fishing. I had moved to New England in 1990 for work at Electric Boat, for a couple of years I chased fish at sunset from Nappa Tree to the Hill. It was then I was initially hooked. It wasn’t until moving back to RI that I started striper fishing in earnest. It became an obsession and something that gave me a lot of pleasure. I fished fairly hard for a few years, learning more and enjoying the abundance of the fishery. They were good years, but tough on my wife who knew me before I became crazed chasing fish, until, she started fishing herself. The next couple of years were some of the best. The fishing was good, the company was better. Life was good.
By this point the house in Woonsocket was ready to sell, the market was at it’s peak and we wanted out. We sold the house, and moved to NE CT, not exactly a fishing hot bed, but close enough to decent fishing. A year into the house it happened, June 2003, something the size of a pepper flake changed our lives forever. My wife developed Lyme disease, and to this day has not recovered, in fact, her health has been a slow decline. Surf fishing together became impossible. After a few years we decided to buy a tandem Hobie Kayak to fish from, as we both missed our time fishing together. We used it a lot that first year, it was great seeing her have fun again. As time passed though, the kayak became more than my wife could manage. It seemed like her fishing days were over. A few years passed, I fished less and less as the days wandered on. Then one day while fishing, I decided that we should move back to RI, to be closer to work and fish, and try to buy a boat so we could again spend time together. We discussed it and put a plan in place. Within almost no time I found a boat in NJ, that looked like it would be great for us. It had a decent price, nice layout and was in good enough condition. Within a year, we bought the boat, sold our house and moved once again, back to RI.
If you’re still with me, that pretty much brings us up to June of this year. The first few months of the boat was a lot to learn. I soon realized how much I forgotten about boating. I was quite intimidated my first few times out. The difference between surf and boat was much more than I had anticipated. The biggest difference was the world of opportunities that the boat opened up.
This year I was able to fish for fluke, sea bass and tautog spent some beautiful mornings on the water watching the sun come up, and fished with friends more often than before. My wife made it out a few times also, not as often as I would have liked, but at least she made it out. I can’t believe the possibilities that boat ownership has opened up and I’m grateful we were able to make it happen. This year was a year of new experiences and one of learning. I still have a ton to learn, but I think next year will be significantly more productive as I made a pretty good dent in the learning curve.
Winter is long, but the memories from this summer will keep me warm for sometime.

[Clammer]

real nice JOE ,, ENJOY my friend ><><><>

[goosefish]

Nice story.

I hate lyme. I used to love the woods. Now I don't go in them until the dirt is frozen stiff.

[zacs]

top ten post of the year. great story.

[bloocrab]

Originally Posted by zacs

top ten post of the year. great story.

To be perfectly honest, probably the best post IMHO.
Straight from the heart, no bullcrap, fluff or exaggeration. Fig, I don't know you, but am sure I'd like you in person. Good for you for not only realizing that enjoying life is thee most important thing, but making it happen for both you and your wife. Thanks for sharing your story. It was very inspiring. I had a very similar season myself...

Tight lines and safe seas ~

[Rmarsh]

Enjoyed reading your story. Great job of putting your thoughts into words.
Sharing stories like yours can help us get to know each other better and makes this forum a better place.

It was also my first season fishing from a boat and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The unexpected benefit was that my wife, who never showed much interest in fishing or boating, came along for a fishing trip, and enjoyed it so much that now she frequently asks "So when are we going out again". Her claims that she out fishes me are totally unfounded.

[bassballer]

Very cool. Seeya back on the water soon enough
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[JohnnySaxatilis]

Nice1 keep up the good work!

[Moses]

Nice read, thanks for sharing. And couldn't agree more on how your perspective changes & widens when owning a boat.

[wdmso]

Good for you. your correct nothing is nicer than a sunrise or a nice afternoon drifting for Fluke . If you stay 1 dimensional in a boat it gets old quick .. wish My wife would come out more (not really) . but one wet cold rough ride home and she was done with Boating ..

[Mr. Sandman]

Nice summary.

If you ever get a boat you can sleep on you will discover another level of enjoyment. Waking up on a perfect summer morning at a remote local to all the beauty a NE morning offers is something special...particularly when you share it with your wife. It's all about those special memories. It is the only thing you can take with you when you leave this place.
(don't fret so much about the $, there is always a way to make it work, the memories last forever and are worth every penny spent. You don't have to go far or own a yacht.)

[Fly Rod]

Nice read.....can not beat fishing from a boat...

[Nebe]

I could care less about your boat. Your wife. #^&#^&#^&#^& man.. What a horrible thing Lyme disease is. I wish your wife a speedy recovery. That was a good piece if writing BTW..

So I guess congrats on the boat.. But give your wife a hug for me. I hope she gets better.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[piemma]

Joe, you never shares the stuff about your wife. i am so sorry but God will heal all.
We need to fish together next year. I was on the bay almost everyday in May, June and July. We need to hook up and run to Newport and fish with Bassballer.

[bart]

Great story, Joe. I'm sorry to hear your wife is battling Lyme. Wish her the best.

Thanks for the invites this year. They were much appreciated. I live down the street from you now, back in your old stomping grounds - The Woon. We're moving to the NPT area in the spring, but before I leave we need to do some FRESHWATER fishing in March/April near you. It is an exceptional area to fish, one that Jay and I both know well. If you want to go for Pike now before the ice, let me know.

And I'm always down to have a beer too! tight lines....

Rob

[Fish On]

Nice read. My wife contracted lyme but fortunately the classic bulls eye sent us to a good doctor that got her on the right antibiotics. Genetically her entire family has major sea sickness so boating will not be part of our lives together, but she enjoys the stories that I can share.

Wish you the best with your time on the water. It's true that finding fish in a boat is not so easy but the experience leads to improved success over time. I hope you get to spend many great days on your new boat with your wife.

Thanks for sharing a great story.

[fishrick]

Very similar to mine in many ways. Wife and I have enjoyed boating in Upstate NY for 25 years, staying all weekends in the Summer on the boat on Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence river. Bought a "Live aboard" we thought we could never afford, hung onto it for 18 years, loved every minute with it. Then moved to CT where summer dockage was out of sight, sold it, have a young boy who is active in a lot of things that break up weekends, so I have learned surf fishing, and use a small tin boat. Soon we will get another though, have fallen in love with Rhode Island and Block. Want another live-aboard, and just take the hit financially, for the quality time together. My wife loves to operate big boats, and was the only gal in the marina that could park a twin screw. You clearly have your priorities straight...enjoy!