I didn't do it.

Well, there's lots of things I did, but I saw a dead rooster on the road yesterday and I want to go on the record to say that it was already dead when I went over it. Seriously. I do not want to get a bad rap for being on the "hunt" for roosters when I have not started yet. Besides, clearly, I would have started much more near my house than 6 or 7 blocks down the road that the poor dead fowl lay (my earlier comments about the hen notwithstanding.)

Now one thing I DID do was catch my first fish of the trip. Let me set the stage. It was yesterday afternoon and I had the Penn International 975 out ready to rage and epic battle with a worthy adversary. I had the week old squid sliced into srips and my semi-circle hooks ready to go. I have been snokeling in the "backyard" and pulled out many a piece of lead left by other local fisherman so was sporting the actual hardware used by more experienced surf fishermen than I. Yes my friends, all of the preparations had been made. Week old squid stinks by the way and the smell likes to linker post several washings. Just thought you would like to know that little tidbit for future reference. OK, back to the battle. I cast my line out with a skill that belies my relative inexperience with surf fishing and set it up in my "stake" (the beach rod holder.) Within seconds I felt the familiar tap tap tap of a fish on the other end and set the hook.

Within seconds, the fish was on the beach and i'll have you know that it was a very colorful, not very big, but potentially very lucrative in a sushi restaurant ..wait for it...blowfish. So, there it was a rare sukiyami blowfish. (I totally made the "sukiyami" thing up but it added authenticity until I clued you in, ya?) It was croaking at me with big cow eyes saying "let me go let me go." Sort of like that fish in the kids tale..."let me go and I'll make it worth your while." (or whatever it actually said in that tale that was more descriptive and relevant) Well, as much as I wanted to fillet that little blowfish and take my chances with the toxic sac that will send 99.9% of the public into instantanious convulsions and the throes of agonizing death, I decided to let him go and hope for him to deliver on his telepathic promise (imagined or not.)

I was supposed to go fishing tomorrow with my new fishing buddy Tony, but alas the weather is not cooperating. Small craft warnings persist here on the north shore with surf coming in the 15ft range and trades blowing 15-25 and gusting much higher. Hopfully this trend will die down and we'll be able to go out soon. Now we are shooting for Friday.

What else. Oh, I purchased a dive float for some offshore freediving. I used to do this alot when I lived here before. I'm not in shape to do the same stuff I used to, but will hit the reef tomorrow and see if I can spear some eating fish. So, we'll see how THAT goes...swimming on the reef by myself with 15 ft. surf...sweet. The way that works is that you trail a float behind you on a nylon cord with a bag on it, so if you spear something or catch a lobster you put it in the bag. That way, if a shark comes along because it smells the blood in the water it goes for the bag instead of you. Clever strategy, really. Did I ever tell you the story of my buddy who was diving and spearing in scuba gear (very unsporting) and had his bag strapped to his side instead of on a float while my dad and I were freediving above? This was off of Makaha, where about 3 years ago a surfer was killed by a 20 ft tiger shark. Well, ask me about it sometime. Its an interesting story.

Peace out.
b.