Well, there is darkness in Alaska at this time of year. Brian and I got up at 4 in the early o’clock, to drive 50 miles down to Homer for an early morning fishing trip, and it was dark. Not for long though, by the time we got to Homer it was fully light.
We boarded the good ship Sizzler and along with 18 other hardy souls, left the safety of Homer harbor and set off into the great unknown. Actually we went for twenty miles, still well within sight of the snow covered wilderness.
As we pulled out of the harbor, the bald eagle cacophony was all around, as they competed with the seagulls to see who could make the most noise. Bald eagles have a high pitched screechy type noise, totally unexpected from such masculine looking creatures.
So, 1 ½ hours later, we stopped and proceeded to fish.
You have all heard the expression “as easy as shooting fish in a barrel”. Well, this wasn’t like that, it was easier. I caught the first halibut of the day, only because I was the first one to put a line in the water. The weight hits the ocean floor, about 150 feet down, and before you have time to flick the bale arm over, a halibut has grabbed the bait, is hooked, and up he/she comes.
The law states that you are only allowed a limit of two halibut, and these things bite at anything, so within a couple of minutes, you have got your limit. So Captain Cautious was busy throwing back everything, until the rest of the boat passengers had got their limit, hoping for the record breaking big one. Of course, no such luck, but after the fish were filleted, we came off the boat with 40 pounds of fresh fishes, and we reckon we saved over half the price compared to market prices.
We wandered back to the campsite, where we cooked some of the halibut, using mayonnaise, lemon juice and herbs, on the grille.
Perfection.
Tonight, everyone from the campsite sat around the fire, toasted marshmallows, ate chocolate and told tales. A very relaxing evening, followed by the most incredibly colorful sunset, all shades of blue and pink.
Wildlife watch today was a sea otter, bald eagles fighting, and some puffins.
