Recap of the First Two Days of All Access Boston Harbor's Return to Spectacle Island

Hello Friends, here is a recap of the first two days of fishing during our return to Spectacle Island.

Day 1:  On Tuesday Ahmed, Antonio and Drea successfully helped a camper reel in a skate!  The skate, which now rests in a pizza box at the Save the Harbor Save the Bay offices, was caught on a stationary rod that had been secured to a post on the pier.  Noticing that the line was taught, the AABH crew untied it and handed it to a camper who successfully landed the skate.  Once landed, Ahmed removed the hook from the skate’s mouth and allowed the campers to examine it.  JPA Antonio, who had not seen a live skate before, commented that the skate mouth looked “human.”

Day 2:  On Wednesday AABH provided the opportunity to fish to over 55 campers.  The campers took turns examining lures, bait, and casting their lines into the harbor.  Additionally, the campers were excited to find that our crab traps had landed over forty crabs and one lobster – all of which were eventually returned to the harbor. 

The return to Spectacle Island has produced strong results.  Hopefully, tomorrow AABH will continue to provide campers with opportunities to handle fishing gear and observe the animals living in Boston’s coastal waters. 

-John Tobin – Spectacle Island

George's Island: Where the Fish Look You in the Eye

Hello Save the Harbor Save the Bay followers.  Here is a recap of the first two days of fishing with the All Access Boston Harbor crew on Georges Island:

Day 1:  It was an overcast morning as the P-Town II made its way out past Deer Island and towards George's where the AABH crew had high hopes for landing some fish.

 How big were the fish we were going to catch?

This big!  As this enthusiastic young angler let us know.

As the day warmed up, so did the interest on the dock.  Over forty visitors tried their luck off of the pier.

Everyone enjoyed their experience.  Several counselors made a point of thanking us and reminding us that fishing is about patience and that if they were not bound by their schedules, they were sure that their campers would have kept going at until dusk.  But alas, still no fish.  

Day 2:  Despite forecasts of thunderstorms for the afternoon, a hearty crew of campers joined AABH on our way back to George's.

Here is where things got exciting.  After setting up our rigs on the pier, I took a turn at casting a squid strip into the harbor.  Jigging my bit of squid back to me in counts of three, (1 pull on the line, 2 pulls, 3 pulls, reel) I spotted my line's sinker emerging from the water followed by the soft white strip of squid and then BOOM!  A flounder hit the bait!  I let the flounder swallow it then I set the hook.  But I must have done so too well, for as the flounder approached the surface of the water it swam once to the left, then once to the right, pulling the tip of my rod down towards the ocean - and with an arrogance befitting the cleaver pisces, the fish paused right below my feet.  Looking down I could see the flounder examine me with both of its eyes mounted on one side of its flat body.  Just as I was about to land it - and I swear this to be true - the flounder winked at me, turned its head to the side as if to say "Not today buddy!" And then snapped its whole body out sea making off with my hook still lodged in its mouth, leaving my hookless bottom rig dangling in its wake.  

So I lost the fish - and my hook.  But that didn't keep us from trying to get it back.  Again the afternoon saw many anglers lined up to experience the thrill of fishing.

And again we were forced to make our way back to Boston empty handed.  But I've got news for you fishes: The AABH crew and our campers will not be discouraged.  And as Senior Harbor Educator Lindsay's persistence demonstrates, we fish until we are forced off the pier - and sooner or later we're going to get you.  And this time, it's personal!

John Tobin - George's Island

Farewell To Spectacle!.. But We'll Be Back.

Here is the All Access Boston Harbor crew's recap of day three of fishing on Spectacle Island:

After landing on the pier at Spectacle, the crew and I made some minor adjustments to our rigs. Having used a Carolina bottom rig for the past two days, we decided to try our luck using a drop loop drift rig (which holds the weight on a drop loop, as opposed to the three way swivel shown in the image.)

Unfortunately, we still had no luck with the fish.  But! Not to worry, we will be going out to George's Island next week and I am sure we will produce better results then.

Having this experience on Spectacle Island has been a privilege.  The All Access staff - Lindsay, Dan, Ahmed, Antonio, Ian, Drea, Dex and Andy have been wonderful to work with.  Whether its Dex carrying kids on his back, or Ahmed setting an example by allowing a wave to bowl him over on the beach, their efforts with the day campers - as recorded in their blog posts - have been truly exceptional.  I look forward to getting to know you guys better this summer (as well as anybody who may have been left out of that list.)

Meanwhile there is a cooler full of fresh bait that I picked up yesterday sitting in the office at this very instant!  If anyone has a direct line to the stripers or the flounders swimming off of George's Island, now would be a good time to give them a heads up that we are coming for 'em!  (Actually, if you are in contact with those fish, please don't say anything to them as we really need to start catching them - furthermore if you are in correspondence with any fish at all, I think it's time that you and I had a talk.)

Anyway, farewell to Spectacle for now.  You were a worthy adversary, but don't rest on your laurels yet.  All Access will be back later this summer and by then we will be seasoned and salty and set to catch your fish.

   - John Tobin at Spectacle Island

Boom! Lobster: A Recap of Two Days of Fishing on Spectacle Island

Hello Friends, for the past two days the Save the Harbor Save the Bay All Access crew and I have been boarding the Provincetown II and ferrying to Spectacle Island where we have done our best to entice any thing that swims to bite our lures and baits.  Here is a recap of what we have accomplished:

Day 1:  We board the ferry at 11:00

                                                                      and promptly begin fishing by 11:30. 

 

And what do we catch?..

Nothing!  The fish aren't hungry, though we do manage to gather just over thirty crabs.

Day 2:  Again we catch the ferry at 11:00 and we begin fishing by 11:30.  

After setting up our rigs with lures and baits we wait patiently to see if we can better our luck.

Just when it appears that we are going to have to settle for another day of crab catching...

Drea pulls up our dip net / crustacean trap and BOOM! We get a lobster!

It just goes to show that you never know what you're going to pull up when you sink a piece of fish on a hook or in a net to the bottom of the Boston Harbor.  

These past two days have been great, despite not catching anything with fins.  Tomorrow, we are heading back out to Spectacle and I have high hopes that the third day of fishing will be the charm.  I want to thank all of the All Access crew who have been very helpful in teaching our visitors how to handle hooks, rods, reels and traps - and how to identify the various species that continue to surprise us every time they break the surface of the ocean.  Particular shout outs go to Drea for her superb handling of the crabs and the lobster, as well as to Ian who provided us with these great photos.  Also we wouldn't be out here doing what we do if the campers did not keep coming to us with curiosity about and an eagerness to explore Boston Harbor.  So keep coming!  And we'll keep providing the opportunity to catch and to learn about things that live in our ocean.  Hopefully tomorrow one of those things will be a fish.

-John Tobin at Spectacle Island.

Call Me Tobin!

It’s 7:00PM on a Thursday and I have just returned home.  After having walked the distance from Sullivan Square station to my house, my knee is killing me.  I reach down into the knee-side pocket of my cargo shorts and I find that the cause of my misery is a bale of fishing line – and I smile. 

My name is John Tobin and by profession I am a teacher of mathematics and earth science, but by interest I am a teacher of fishing at Save The Harbor Save The Bay.  This is my first summer with the organization and I am happy to say that it is already off to a great start – and that all the fishing rods are rigged appropriately.

My first duty as Senior Harbor Educator came on Wednesday of this week when I had the opportunity to conduct a Fishing 101 lesson on George’s Island.  During my lesson, I went over drift rigs and float rigs – how to cast and how to reel in a lure - and most importantly how to catch fish safely and responsibly.

Fishing is an art of words.  The more you fish, the more you talk about fishing, the more you talk about fishing, the more you listen to others talk about fishing, and the more you listen, the more you learn.  I cannot wait to spend the rest of this summer letting students and their families in on those secrets. 

PS: That's me in the grey.