The one that got away

Have you ever left a fishing pole in a fishing pole holder. Well, last Friday, I did and I basically forgot about it. I forgot about it until I heard this buzzing noise and realized, the reel is spinning out of control and the line is getting looser. I picked the rod up out of the holder and I almost jolted forward, whatever was pulling had a lot of power. I knew I needed to tighten the drag and start reeling in. I kept tightening the drag but it felt useless until it finally stopped the line and I was able to reel. The kids and staff were behind me freaking out. Ali yelled, "thats a striper", he could tell by how hard this fish was fighting. I was getting exhausted, crank after crank, I kept reeling the fish up. The fishing line started darting from left to right in a zigzag pattern, the fish did not want to come out of the water. Finally, it was close enough to see, it was a striper and it was big (at least compared to the bergalls we catch every day)! I told the kids and staff, watch out I'm going to lift it out and onto the dock. Everyone took a step back, I brought my rod up and went to go over the dock and SNAP. The line broke.

I stumbled back and looked at my empty fishing rod. We were in disbelief, we were shocked the whole thing just happened. Out of breath from the reeling battle I said, "bait every hook and drop them in the water". A little girl named Jasmine came up to me and said, "don't give up, you need to keep trying". I told her to give me a highfive because that was exactly what everyone needed to hear, including myself. No matter how let down you may be, you try and try again. I told her to always keep trying, not just on the dock but in anything she encounters. That moment was so much more important than the fish, it so valuable to teach our Harbor Explorers that we don't give up, we keep on trying!

P.S. For the record, Piers Park has never had anyone that close to catching a striped bass on their dock.

On that note: Don't give up!

Spent my lunch break fishing because I wasn't giving up

Briana

Fishing:Monkey See, Monkey Do

Last week on Thursday, August 11th, I had rushed back to Boston from the Capes to make this huge fishing trip on various boats! I slept whenever I could on my commute back to Boston and I fantasized about the huge fish I would come across. Not long after I arrived, everyone was split up with an assigned group led by boat Captains who would take us out to fish with the hopes of landing any large sea creature that could take the spot as the "largest catch!" I ended up on a small boat that was able to coast along the edges of water just a few feet above sand led by John and Al. I learned that these guys were from the Brighton area themselves and when they started telling me about their fishing experiences, I knew without a doubt that I was in good hands. It was unfortunate to hear that by the time we had reached John's Striped Bass hot spot that the tide was too low and that the larger fish probably left. Minutes had barely passed by when we snagged our first fish, a Striped Bass! He was roughly 26 inches, to small to keep. 

John and Al were telling me techniques to snagging Striped Bass and Blue fish! Things like making sure to troll the fishing rods to attract fish that are primarily surface and medium depth water feeders like the Blue fish and Striped Bass! We made sure to constantly use fresh bait and soon enough we landed our second Striped Bass. Then we got the call. Immediately our boat pushed past a few islands to be around "Graves" and "B.G." code names for areas in the harbor/ sea where these fisherman have nicknamed. We were now on a hunt for Blue Fish and we had arrived to the party late. We still managed to snag a huge bluefish that both John and Al had to wrestle into the boat!

-Raymond Chai

"Fishing Queen"

Hi everyone,

This past Thursday was by far the best day ever this summer. It was also one of my favorite days because it was the fishing tournament. This year for the fishing tournament, I was known as the "fishing queen". I was also lucky enough to be on a fast boat with Sedny. We had the best captain whose name was Brian. Our boat did not have a name but Brian said we could call it "The Green Contendent". Before we were picked up, Brian had caught a 39 inches striped bass. Sedny and I became good friends with Brian so with that being said, the boat ride was extremely fun.

We went fishing near Spectacle Island where we caught nothing after being there for about 15 minutes. After we decided to go cast somewhere else where there were blue fish. I never caught a blue fish so I had no idea what they looked like. Somehow I had a blue fish on my line and as I was reeling, I looked to my left and Sedny also had a fish on her line. This was a double header and as Brian watched us reeling in thr blue fish he was laughing because Sedny and I were just screaming like crazy. We reeled in for about 5 minutes because the fishes were really heavy and were putting up a good fight. A moment after, I decided to cast my own fishing rod and when I say I had a fish on the line right away, you guys would not believe me. This other blue fish was also putting up a good fight. I struggled to reel it in but I was happy to bring it in. As we were about to wrap up fishing, I had another blue fish on my rod and this time it was a bigger blue fish who also put another good fight and also had me talking all by myself. Thursday's fishing tournament was just my lucky day. I was able to catch 3 blue fishes. One was 31 inches, the other was 33 inches and the bigger one was 36 inches. When we got back from the tournament, I was getting all of the attention from my co-workers. A lot of the started saying that "Its insane how everytime I go fishing, I always end up catching something." They ask me how do I do It and I just do not know what to say. I am guessing my fishing skills are just getting better and better day by day. Lastly, I would like to thank my captain Brian and the other captains who volunteered to donate their boats. It was the best day of the summer and I had a blast.

Until next time,

Andrea Lopes

Crazy Camp Harbor View

Hello again fellow adventurers!

 This past week had the opportunity to do something I had not done in the past two years of working at Save the Harbor: I got to spend a day at Camp Harbor View! From the beginning of the day to the very end, the campers and counselors of Camp Harbor View are overjoyed at the opportunity they have to attend camp. With bright shining faces and loud chants, the campers arrive in the morning ready to discover new and exciting things they've never seen or done before.

The Grand Crab Hotel!

One of the biggest conundrums at the camp in past years has been how do you keep the sand on the beach? While this may seem like a weird question, Long Island has had trouble with erosion and the recession of the beach. In order to combat this phenomenon, Save the Harbor has developed a couple hypotheses to test out this summer. The first is that by clearing a small section of beach of all periwinkles and Asian shore crabs, hopefully algae will collect on the rocks and eventually act as holdfasts that will prevent recession of the sand on the beach. With the help of some of the campers, every day we will be removing these organisms in order to test our hypothesis. This past week the campers were a great help! But of course, all work and no play makes for dull campers, so the campers came up with a creative way to relocate the crabs and periwinkles. A group of campers constructed a "crab hotel" out of rocks, complete with a pool, rooftop hangout, and even rooms for each crab we found.

The day ended on a high note when the fishing club joined us on the dock. Having been placed underwater days earlier, we pulled up our crab traps to find a slew of rock crabs and one giant spider crab! It was hilarious to watch the kids' and even counselors' looks of terror as we pulled the crab out and passed it around for everyone to touch. The real excitement came a few minutes later, when one of the kids who was fishing on the dock landed a Striped Bass! While it wasn't a keeper, it was as exciting for me as the kids because it was the first time I've helped catch a striper! I'm confident that there will be many more striper to be caught this summer, and I'm hoping one will be a keeper!

The first of hopefully many more to come!

Until next time, keep on exploring!

-Luke 

Firsts During The First Week of Summer

If I wasn't already excited for summer, I am even more excited after our first two days out on the islands. This first two days, we embarked the Provincetown II to reach George's Island. We might have started a new tradition of playing "Quackadilly" on the boat ride over. Both rides over Carlos made it to the final two but was beat out by Andrea the first day and by Cristian on the second.

Our first day on George's, we were met by high heat, a hot sun, and little to no shade. The groups we came to the Island with found salvation in Fort Warren's cool and dark tunnels. Though we had few participants to brave the heat with us, we had great day for ourselves. Kharliyah and I started the day exploring the tide line. I had heard rumors of seastars in the tide zone and was eager to have success in finding some. Though we were unsuccessful in finding seastars we found a killdeer and her two chicks. They were so tiny when I tried to take a picture, they didn't show up! I also saw a pair of ducks with ducklings which were also adorable!

Andrea set the bar high for fishing this summer at SHSB. She helped kids catch not one but five striped bass! This has never happened before at George's Island or any other site. We also caught Red Crabs on the second day on George's. It was fun to talk to kids about what kind of animals crabs are and how to tell a male and a female apart. Rock Crabs are also a native species that have been recently outcompeted by Asian Shore Crabs and Green Crabs, so it was great to catch many of them instead of invasive species.

My favorite part of both days was the boat ride home. Not because the day was over but because it showed the connections the AABH team made with kids. Kids were coming up to us asking to play "Quackadilly" again, talking to the boys about sports, asking questions about the harbor, or seeing a few kids fall asleep after a very active day.

I'm excited to see what the rest of the summer holds!

Nora

Flounder Pounder

This Wednesday I had the pleasure of going out on the first of this summer's fishing trips that Save The Harbor charters for the campers at CHV.

The morning started with a quick run out to Long Island aboard the Belle, with Captain Charlie at the helm. Upon arrival at the CHV docks, we loaded up the kids from fishing club. They were eager to get started, and had high hopes for the day. I knew, of course, that these wishes would not go unfulfilled, as Capt. Charlie is very knowledgeable, and has put me in the right spot every time that I have been on his boat. 

Within a few minutes of leaving the dock we had reached our fishing destination and dropped anchor. Rods were quickly baited with sand worms, and dropped over the side. It did not take long before we had our first hit, a nice sized flounder fit for the cooler. I knew this was a good indicator for what was to come. Sure enough the day only got more exciting, with flounder after flounder being pulled over the gunwales. I counted at least 13 on the day, but keeping track was hard, and it may very well have been more.

Uno

Dos

Tres

While the flounder kept the action going throughout the day, the most exciting moments were when Greg, the lifeguard, hooked into a striper. While much too small to keep, it still put up a great fight, and had the whole boat clamoring to get a view. It also provided quite a nice photo opportunity for the group.

Charlie, the kids, Moby the Mop and a striper.

Of course it wouldn't be bait fishing without skates.

As time wound down, Charlie and I began cutting up the flounder. A nice stack of beautiful fillets, on ice, and ready to be sent home with the campers, was the result. A few opted to take their catch home whole as this is how their parents preferred to cook it. An awesome day out on the water to say the least and plenty of fish to show for it. Many thanks to Capt. Charlie and the kids who made the trip so fun.


- Happy to be catching,
              Tom Rebula

Where are the big ones?

Today marked a momentous occasion at CHV. We caught our first lobster! While I am quite familiar with lobsters both in the wild, in other traps, and on the plate, this was the first time that I have caught one at Camp Harbor View.

A small, but handsome fellow. 

Last summer, despite having both a crab and lobster trap out in the water everyday, we pulled in no lobsters. Employees from previous years have also reported similar luck with Long Island lobsters. This could have been due to various factors including, but not limited to, the sandy beach that had been installed at the camp to provide a nice swimming area. Unfortunately for the camp, this area of The Harbor was never meant to hold a nice sandy beach and mother nature saw fit to return the area to the way it once was, as is often the case for man made things that try and contest with nature. This process had been happening gradually over the last few years, but this past offseason a large storm likely rolled in and claimed all of what remained.

With the beach gone it appears the lobsters have returned to the immediate area, as proven by our small catch, and the plethora of lobster traps dropped right near the shoreline and docks at Harbor View. Hopefully we will be pulling more, and larger specimens in as the summer progresses.

Also on the upswing at CHV, is the fishing. This year in fishing club has been marked by numerous catches, though to date, they have all been skates. A little foray on my part showed that the stripers are there in numbers and more than willing to take lures both on and below the surface. Regrettably, these fish were caught in an area too hazardous to take the campers, I however plan to make a return trip on Tuesday during fishing club and hopefully send the kids home with some fresh fillets.

Just a baby, but there are lots of them.

- Happy to be catching,
                Tom Rebula

The sea life

Hey it's Marco and today we caught an amazing stripe bass. Each day we have caught crabs ,spider crabs and  some fish.  The types of crabs we catch are called green crabs and they are an invasive species from Asia they have been here for a long time. Wednesday we came to work and it stated raining which was not fun. On Thursday we have a tournament for fishing which will be a lot of fun.this weekend we have a sand castle competition which I think is so cool. I'm so happy because within a week of being here I have been able to conquer my fear of being able to hold crabs  and I'm really excited about it because that is one of the small goals I had hoped to accomplish this summer. This summer is going great because I'm getting to work with little kids and with people who are so nice. I can't wait to spend more time with save the harbor save the bay this summer because I know each day is going to be more and more fun.

Our first catch of the summer

I will see you all at the Children's Museum!

-Marco

The Elusive Striper

Hello All,

On Monday at the Children's Museum, we caught an elusive striped bass that swims in the Fort Point Channel. Team Children's Museum often sees the fish swimming to the surface to munch on some bread around 2 or 3 PM. On this day, Sam, one of our Senior Harbor Educators, was determined to get the striper out of the water.

Team Children's Museum with the Winning Catch

He started with a simple bread hook with no weight attached. Candido, one of our Lead Harbor Explorers, directed Sam to the area that was most promising. It was only 11 AM, but Candido spotted a striper swimming alone near the bridge. Sam casted out with the hopes that the fish would take a nibble; his prey took a bite. When Sam knew that the striper was securely on his line, he slowly reeled the fish in. The tricky part was pulling the fish up 15 feet and getting it over the railing without losing it. Candido tied a rope to a fishing net, threw it into the water, and scooped up the striper. Many people nearby stopped to watch Sam reel in the fish that was about 35 inches and at least 15 lbs.

The Elusive Sriped Bass and I

After we took pictures with the striper and showed the fish to the kids, we put it back in the water, so it could swim freely. Hopefully, we'll catch one again soon. 

See you on the pier,

Iris Ayala

For The Love of Cod

This Thursday marked Save The Harbor's annual Fan Pier Fishing Tournament, and it was an eventful one to say the least. I along with four others were placed on the Dive Inn, with its captain Steve Sacco at the helm.

With no bait on board, we had to stick to trolling and jigging to pull in our fish. To me this was a nonissue, as I often prefer the challenge and work of lure fishing to the waiting game involved with bait. Additionally it gave me the opportunity to better explain the finer points of fishing to the other members of my boat. One of the kids, joining us from The Boys and Girls Club, really took to the instruction and wanted to know everything he could about fishing; which lures to use, how to use different types of reels, what types of fish we might catch, and so on.

While learning the basics of fishing is great, it can become quite tedious if there is no catching involved. Fortunately after only a few minutes of trolling we were able to get him on a rod with a small striper on the other end. I was happy to hear that this was his first.

Not too big, but still a fun fight.

After a little more trolling with no luck, Captain Steve decided to make a location change, and had us reel up and lock down for the run out to Graves Light. Rumor had it that, despite the relatively early date, some bluefish had been spotted out that way, and I was excited to get my first of the season.

Once there, we got right back to trolling, hoping pick up a bite. With no luck and the clock running down on the tournament I suggested a change in tactics, so Captain Steve cut the engines, and I outfitted our rods with a selection of jigs. After giving everyone some instruction on what to do, we had our jigs deep, hoping for some cod, or anything for that matter, to put our boat in contention for the win. Jazeel was first, as he hooked into a nice 24in cod, caught on a pink and chartreuse butterfly jig. I was next with a much smaller, but at least in my opinion, better looking fish.

Jazeel with his.

And me with mine.

Capt. Steve managed to hook a nice bivalve

Unfortunately, the long run back in meant that we had to pack up before we had the chance to hook into another fish. On the bright side, we were able to get a nice fish in the boat and I had the excitement of nice fight. All in all, a great day out on the water. Many thanks to Steve for his time and the use of his beautiful boat.

- Happy to be catching,
                Tom Rebula

A Striper Surprise

As we were setting up at the Children's Museum today I had a feeling that it was going to be a long day. The sun was right on top of us. I didn't expect that it would be so hot today. But I enjoyed teaching the kids how to use the fishing pole and helping them put bait on the hook. Also, today we caught a lot of green crabs, two spider crabs, and a moon jelly fish.

As I was educating the kids about the green crabs, the other half of the Save the Harbor team started to reel in a big fish. They couldn't just pull out the fish with the fishing pole. They needed the help of a net to get the fish out the water. The fish was big with many teeth.

                                                           

We put the fish in the bucket with water, so it could stay cool. Also, kids and parents could see the fish that we caught. Everyone who walked by was interested in the big fish. The excitement over the fish changed my mood for today. It actually gave the team and myself the confidence to catch more fish!

See you on the pier,

Edward

Striped Release

After a few attempts fishing at the Boston Children's Museum, Sam and I caught a striped bass.
The fish was fairly large it could have snapped the line, so Sam and I tied a rope to a net and I pulled the fish out of the water. The kids were excited to reel in the fish. After the fish was landed, a lot of people began to surround us.  They all wanted to hold it and learn more about it.   After pictures were taken the fish was release back into the water. After catching the first fish the kids were excited to catch a fish on their own, but we had no luck.

An Eventful Day

Today at the Boston Children's Museum, it was an eventful and exciting day.

We started the day normally: taking our supplies from the utility closet, cutting up bait, throwing in the crab trap, and setting up the fishing rods. Maybe it had something to do with the type of bait we used.

In the morning, Bruce brought us a bucket of fresh quahogs for the day. We usually use herring or bass for bait. Within the first hour, we caught not just one spider crab but two!

Candido, Lead Harbor Explorer, and I cracking a quahog

Also, we have been chumming the waters with white bread and a few saltine crackers. Candido, our Lead Harbor Explorer, and I spotted a few striped bass close to the underpass. We often see the stripers after our lunch break at about 2 pm.

While we try to catch the stripers, we like to talk to the kids and family we see about what they find in the channel each and every day. Many kids and even parents are surprised to see how many different types of creatures swim below them.

Sam, Senior Harbor Educator, fishing for a striper

It was a fun day filled with sun, laughter, and teachable moments. I am hoping for many more days like this one at the museum.

See you on the pier,

Iris Ayala

Ready, Set, Summer

The kickoff of summer programming this year was a great one. The day was filled with excellent finds, and lots of thrills for all the kids who spent time with us.

Our morning started at Blacks Creek with our partner sailing program run by the Quincy Rec. Department. I was happy to see a lot of familiar faces returning from last summer join us for games and exploration in this wonderful estuary. Even more exciting was the growth in size of our program at the site, made evident by the presence of so many newcomers.

Horseshoe Crabs are always a big hit.

After finishing up in Quincy, the team and I headed out to Camp Harbor View on Long Island. This beautiful harbor island is a special place, and the camp at its end is a true gem. Run by The Boys and Girls Club, it offers all the opportunities of the finest summer camps, but offered to the children of Boston for a mere 5 dollars per four week session.

Live skates provide excellent opportunities for brief bio lessons

The day there started at fishing club, where we managed to catch a small skate, leading a lot of excitement on the docks. Even more well received was the 38in Striped Bass provided to us by Bruce Berman. Filleting and dissection of this behemoth went over particularly well, and the kids were ecstatic to be able to take home some delicious pieces.

A camper holding a monsta'

-To many more perfect days,

                        Tom Rebula

Striper On!!!!

Will here, with good news about the CHV fishing trip. It was the second time this summer we had taken a group of kids from the camp out on The Belle with Captain Charlie and his crew. This month was a new group of kids in fishing club and it wasn't bad reteaching all the same skills we had done for the first group. With less kids on the boat this time it made it a lot easier for us to help each camper individually.

 We had an amazing start to the day with one of the campers, Tristen, who reeled in a great 29in. Striped Bass. It was the first fish of the day and got everyone really excited. After that we only pulled in two other small Bluefish and used them as bait. But that striper was a great catch with a good fight for Tristen. At the end of the trip Tom filleted the fish as the campers watched his delicate knife work. A lucky few took pieces of the fillet home, planning on having it for dinner. 

Tristen, Tom, and Captain Charlie holding up that days prize 

I had a great day and I know the campers did too. There was no one left out that day, having all the kids doing some activity on the boat. We had those not wanting to fish upfront talking with Manuel about sea animals and harbor history. So the day went as planned, with everyone having the best time they could out on the Belle. I wish we could take the kids out on another trip before the summer ends but we still have this last week with them.

Manuel and I debating with the campers on which species of sharks are the best

-Will Conroy

From the harbor's choppy waves, I emerge victorious!

Yesterday was Save the Harbor's annual fishing tournament. As usual the day was hectic as the Save the Harbor staff rushed to accommodate all of the staff and many of their guests. Although the weather was extremely cold and windy for a summer day, the staff and their guests were still buzzing with energy and high expectations. Yesterday was the polar opposite of last year's fishing tournament, because the temperature reached well above a scorching 90 degrees. After a not exactly healthy breakfast of munchkins and donuts, it was time to be sorted out into the five different boats commandeered by some friends of Save the Harbor. My friend Jean and I were lucky enough to be placed into Captain John and Cyndi's boat, along with my coworker Hung. I have known the pair since my first year working here, and as usual they were glad to see me once more.

Jean, myself, and Hung

It was just the three of us on the boat. The ride out to the harbor was incredibly fun, because the boat was very fast. Captain John decided that it was time to troll and drop a set of lures called "niners''. This type of fishing lure is designed to mirror a school of fish. Pretty soon the fishing rod was tugging, and I decided to take the initiative and grab it. The fish was surprisingly strong! It put up a very good fight, but I was able to conquer it and pull it onto the boat. Sadly although the striped bass was 22 inches, it did not meet the keeping size requirement of 28 inches. However, I was elated to have caught my first fish of the summer as well as winning a spanking new fishing rod for my feat!

Hung, myself, and Jean on the boat

My 22 inch catch!

Until next time,

Vinh Tran

FISH ON!

Today was an extraordinary day at both of my program sites.

The morning started as usual at Blacks Creek, with the first session of kids going through and fully enjoying the activities in which we normally have them participate. As the second group came in we realized that staffers from the Quincy Rec. Sailing Center had placed our crab trap out the previous evening. When we pulled it in, I was thrilled to find that a two foot eel had made its way inside, most likely to feed on the many crabs that had also been trapped.

 

Trying to get a hold of a slippery fellow.

The kids loved feeling the slimy skin, and a few of the more adventurous ones even tried to hold it, a task comparable to grabbing a fist full of air- those suckers are just so darn slippery. Besides delivering boundless entertainment for the kids, the captured eel also provided an excellent opportunity for me to explain the biological characteristics of a species that our Blacks Creek Explorers had yet to see. Not sure if they understood my discussion of the Sargasso Sea or the journeys that American eels make between fresh and saltwater, but it was still a valuable experience. They may have just been too captivated by the eel itself.

With such a fantastic start to the morning I would have been surprised if the rest of my day at Camp Harbor View would be as full of novel experiences and room for teaching, but surprised I was.

After our block with fishing club the campers at CHV had a performance to attend, leaving my team with a small amount of downtime before we would receive groups of campers again. I, naturally, went fishing, and as luck would have it hooked into a decent sized striper after only three or four casts (I believe this marks the first striper of any SHSB employee during work hours this summer. Prizes?). 

 

First striper at SHSB and first fish at CHV (now we just need to get a few on the end of campers rods)

After landing and measuring, I decided to keep the fish for educational, as well as, culinary purposes. When the next groups came around they exhibited a level of excitement and interest, equal to, or surpassing, that of the kids at Blacks Creek, and I was more than happy to share the knowledge I had. 

Grabbing hold of the monster

Words cannot express how glad I am to be in a place and position where this type of opportunity is commonplace.

 

- Thanking our bountiful Harbor, Tom Rebula