Can't hold us...from fishing!

Last Thursday the Save the Harbor/Save the Bay summer staff participated in the 3^rd Annual Fan Pier Fishing Invitational despite the cold, rainy weather!  Everyone arrived to Fan Pier by 7:30am, where they ate donuts, loaded up on hot coffee and headed to the pier to choose their boat for the morning!

Ready....set...fish-on!

This year the fishing invitational was extra special because each Junior Program Assistant was allowed to bring a guest; a parent or guardian, friend or family member.  Unfortunately, many guests were not able to come due to work obligations but of the ones that fished, we knew they had a blast!  Will Conroy brought along his little brother, Jack, who was a fish-catching machine.  Monique invited her friend Dali, while Will Clark's girlfriend hoped to catch more fish than him!  I was lucky to have Karrisha and Anicia's Mom, Marlene, in my boat, while Ahmed and Andy filled their boat with friends and Andy's brother.  Vinh rounded out the guest list with a fellow O'Bryant graduate, Jean.

Even Bruce and the Senior Marine Educators joined in on the fun!

Tom? Is that you? How's the fishing?

Thumbs up to a great day of fishing in the harbor!

As the fishing boats headed back to Fan Pier, everyone was excited to see who caught the biggest fish.  Although some groups had a tough day resulting in zero fish, Vinh caught a 22 inch striped bass and Will Conroy a 15 inch flounder.  Many JPA's on The Belle caught black sea bass but they had to be thrown back just like Vinh's striper because they were not regulation size.  However when it came time to award the fishing prizes, Vinh, Will Conroy's brother, Jennifer and Hung walked away from the invitational with brand new fishing rods from Fishing Fanatics! 

The winner! Wait, where did those stripers come from?

Everyone had a wonderful time fishing in the harbor but this day would not have been possible with out the help of many.  We would like to thank Joe Fallon and Fan Pier for hosting the event and Circle Furniture, Russo Marine and 3A Marine for sponsoring the invitational.  No one would have been able to even get out on the harbor without the different boats and captains that volunteered their Thursday morning to hang out with us - especially Rick and Steve of The Reel Pursuit which I had the privilege to fish on.

But wait, where did those stripers come from?  Sometimes when the biggest fish you catch is a 15 inch flounder, you need to improvise for a group photo.  Thank you Mike Fallon for the stripers! As soon as the photos were taken Tom went to work on fileting the fish.  Who doesn't love fresh fish for dinner?!

Big plans are already in the works for next year.  I will win the invitational.  Mark my word!

Keep on fishing,

Bridget

Prepping for the Fan Pier Fishing Invitational

This morning the Save the Harbor summer staff participated in the 3rd Annual Fan Pier Fishing Invitational!  Each Junior Program Assistant (JPA) was asked to invite a guest this year; whether that be a friend, parent/guardian, or any other family member.  The JPA's were so excited when they found out last Thursday about bringing a guest, that many informed me on Friday the name of their guest.  The summer staff and guests will be on one of five fishing boats tomorrow, with the biggest boat being The Belle.  

But before we can "fish-on" some necessary preparations needed to be gathered....

Stop 1: Meet with Michael Fallon - The Fallon Company and Kevin Lussier
Matt and I headed to Fan Pier late morning to discuss the final plans for the fishing invitational.  I had never been to Fan Pier before and it was simply amazing.  The new buildings, pier, and Strega on the Waterfront all at your disposal, who wouldn't love this area?!  We discussed logistics, who was fishing, how many boats were being used, departure and return times, lunch and awards the winners.

Stop 2: John Nagle Co.
In order to catch Striped Bass or Black Sea Bass tomorrow we need bait and what better place to get three frozen flats of Herring then Nagles.  This was my third time at Nagles and every time they are very helpful and efficient, never making me wait long for the bait.  I always have to remember to wear sneakers and grab a hairnet while getting the Herring.  Thank goodness there aren't any photos. Seriously.

Stop 3: Fishing Fanatics - Everett, MA
Shortly after picking up the Herring, I headed to Everett to visit Peter Santini at Fishing Fanatics.  I was sent to pick up prizes for the fishing winners (and no I am not spoiling the surprise as to what they are!), sea worms, sinkers, circle hooks, and frozen clams that Peter thought would be great to use as extra bait.  The shop was loaded with different fishing rods, hooks, bait, and pretty much anything you would ever need to fish - even crab traps!  Peter and his staff were so friendly and kept cracking jokes as to all the equipment I was picking up, I couldn't stop laughing.
 

A fisherman's dream

As I drove back into the Fish Pier, Iris, Matt, and Becky were waiting for me to unload my car.  There WOULD be a photo but it was vetoed and nearly impossible to take while balancing a flat of defrosting herring in one arm.  Oh well, maybe next year!

Stop 4: Target
Matt stopped in for some water, Gatorade, and ice tea.

This morning's preparations included:
   1. Dunkin Donuts - coffee, munchkins, and muffins for the staff before the fishing begins
   2. Cafe Trio - LUNCH!
   3. Emack & Bolio's - unfortunately there was no ice cream today...Emack and Bolio's was closed.

I'm sure you are wondering how this fishing tournament went.  Here's a sneak peak at my team for the day:

Ready to catch some fish!

See you on the harbor,
 Bridget