Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

Dalton, MA. Woodstock, VT. Dalton, MA. Providence, RI. Lincoln, RI. Portsmouth, RI. Orleans, MA. Provincetown, MA. Portsmouth, RI. Cumberland, RI. Dalton MA.

Yes, it was a wild ride this weekend! Taking tests, visiting relatives, seeing old friends and eating as much lobster as possible- by the time I got home I was exhausted but pleased with my marathon trip. The highlight of the journey was without a doubt going deep sea fishing with my Dad and Papa!

Dad and his cronies have been going fishing off the Cape for years now, always with the same guide named Glenn. Every time, he returned with gigantic fish- striped bass and bluefish, the occasional shark and tales of whales, sea turtles and ocean sunfish. Dad and I planned a trip before I left for DC. I have never been on one of these trips, and I was excited to reel in those 40 inch gigantic Bass I had heard so much about.

I'm not going to lie. Waking up at 4:45 am was a little painful. The day was gray, misty and freezing cold. I dressed like I was going skiing- it felt ridiculous until the boat pulled out and the icy ocean wind whipped through to the skin. My teeth chattered, and my dad assured me that as soon as I was catching fish, I would warm right up.

Our guide's radar showed that there was a school of big fish below us, so we pulled up next to a pack of other fishing boats. (I can't believe so many people get up this early.) It wasn't more than a second after I cast my line into the water that I heard my Papa yell: "FISH ON!"

Then my Dad. "FISH ON!" Then Glenn. "GOTTA FISH!" I reeled in my line desperately. We used long, rubber lures that looked like eels. Mine was chomped off, but no fish to be seen! Quickly, I re-rigged and threw my line out again. Cast after cast, and no luck for me! Dad and Papa and Glenn continued to yell and laugh, reeling in giant bass after giant bass. The huge fish were spiky, shiny and heavy. I was getting so mad! Why couldn't I catch a fish!!? The guys finally pitied me and let me reel in a few.

The hours crept by, as the boat explored different spots in the bay. All told, the guys caught more than a dozen fish. The sun had come out and burned off the cold mist, and the end of the morning was fast approaching. One last cast, I thought dejectedly. Maybe I'll get lucky...

Yes, that's a fish. It's about half the size of the lure and somehow I speared it reeling in my line. The odds of me catching a fish that small with a hook that big have got to be one in a million. I mean, is that even possible?

When we got home to show off the pictures, Katie paused at my trophy catch. "Hmm. Tor, I dunno. I think you're holding it close to the camera to make it look bigger."

Only me.