Herring Fishing on the Shad

4/16/09

Fishing. I love it! It is all about quick thinking and lightening movement. Especially now that I am on a 3 man boat where there is normally supposed to be 4. Things happen so fast and there is never an idle moment. If you find yourself standing still for a second, you are probably not working hard enough. I am starting to find that being a ‘hard worker’ in itself just doesn’t cut it on this boat. It is also how fast you think ahead of a situation so you are always there a second before each maneuver. It’s anticipation, and ingenuity in figuring out the problems, and trust me, there are hangups at least every other set. The ability to use your head is just as important as how fast you move your feet-at least on this boat. I heard a skipper screaming at his skiff man today on the radio. It was a serious moment but it made me laugh out loud because it pretty much sums up fishing. “Use your goddamn head! That’s what its there for! I told you  twenty times today and I am not going to tell you again!” The poor bastard was getting yelled at whether or not he deserved it, as there were thousands of dollars swimming around in the water waiting to be swooped up in the nets of the other 30 or so boats. Everyone gets yelled at. I don’t care how nice of a person the skipper is off the boat. But when its on, all bets are off. There is just too much at stake for these people not to get excited. And I am not talking about the 7 year old kid “we’re going to Disneyland” excitement-more the “I have to catch fish on this opener or I won’t be able to make my house payment, boat payment, permit payment, or the put food in front of my kids payment!” This is an energy that is palpable from all the vessels present on the fishing grounds. The urgency is in the air, and even the densest of crewmen can feel it. Once the clock ticks down to the opening second, it becomes a full out battle. It is battle against the other competing boats with a lot of bumping and ramming as they jockey for position, and it is a battle against time. It is a challenge to see how well you can execute a set as a unit, get the fish on board or on a tender, and then the nets back in the water to scoop as many more fish  as possible before the other boats or before Fish and Game close the waters. It is a greedy business. But you can’t be a good fisherman without that kind of mentality. Nice guys don’t go home with thick wallets! That is a fact-at least when it comes to the Herring Fishery.