Seining 2025 Part 2

 Tuesday i went seining with my friend Carlos Pedro. Carlos always picks up a new hobby every summer after the birds of spring have migrated. He has had summers where he identified a hundred species of dragonflies. Another year, he learned the safe mushrooms to eat so he was always out "mushrooming" while walking through the woods. 

   This year he has been trying to identify species of fish. He has been asking me to go seining all summer but our schedules (mine really, he is retired) have made it difficult. I went a couple weeks ago with Carlos and Sue Palmer. I found time to go seining again this Tuesday. This time it was just with Carlos.

  We hit the beach at 9 am and seined for two and a half hours. We didn't get a lot of species but he ended up getting three lifers. I didn't get any lifers but it is always fun to see tropical fish. 

   All of the photos below are from Carlos's iPhone. I held the fish and the tank while he took the photos. 

   The first lifer Carlos got was the Florida Pompano below

We ended up catching a ton of baby Menhaden. They go by many name: Bunker, when they are small they are called Peanut Bunker, and Pogy

Another lifer for Carlos was Kingfish. Usually we catch a lot at this beach but on this trip we only caught four

My favorite fish of the day was a large Atlantic Needlefish. It was roughly ten or eleven inches long. I did not realize how sharp their teeth are but they are like saws. 

A Redneck Woman at the Woodstock Fair

    Last Saturday, Laurie went to the Woodstock Fair in Woodstock, CT. This fair is actually the oldest continuously running fair in the country. A couple months ago I did a blogpost with many of the fairs that happen during the summer and fall. I wrote the post after going to the Barnstable County Fair. I hadn't gone to any of the other fairs since, however, Gretchen Wilson was playing Saturday night at Woodstock so I requested a day off from work. 

   County fairs are set up the same. There is a midway and food vendors. There are usually barns with farm animals and contests for the best farm produce. So in comparing the Barnstable Fair to the Woodstock Fair, I'd say the Woodstock Fair was way better. There were row after row of food vendors. Not only was there typical fair food but there was exotic food like Thai, Greek, and things like Strombolis. I bought some egg rolls that contained mac and cheese, another that had desert chocolate in it. I got Thai food for supper. Laurie bought a delicious milk shake. We could have gotten the typical dough boys or cotton candy but figured why not try something new.

   The Woodstock Fair had a lot of animals to look at. There was entire barn with rabbits, another with sheep, and another with cows. We saw a bunch of pigs including little piglets nursing off of their mother. Very cute. After the small amount of livestock at Barnstable, I was glad to see so many animals at the fair. 

   As for the entertainment, Gretchen was awesome. She went on at 8 pm and played about an hour and ten minutes. She started with "I'm here for the party". Her voice was still awesome at fifty two years old. She played her hits and a few covers. She played "Simple Man" by Skynyrd."  Her encore was "Redneck Woman"  and "Her Strut" by Bob Seger as he last song. For a free concert, it kicked ass. 

 

Google Images

    There are so many fairs within driving distance, that it makes since to go to ones that have a free show of someone I want to see. The reason I went to Barnstable was to see the oldies group The Buckinghams. We chose Saturday to see Gretchen in Woodstock. Sunday Uncle Cracker was playing the Woodstock Fair and honestly, I'd have taken the drive and paid the fifteen dollar admission if I didn't have to work. I don't think  I'm going to make it to anymore fairs this year because of my work schedule and other days I have to tke off for events. But I am glad I got to see the Redneck woman again.  

A great day finding herps

    I went herping this morning. Despite not finding my intended target, Red Bellied Snake, I still had a really good day. The first place I went was for the snake. Instead of finding it, I came across a mouse under a rock. This was the first time I have flipped a rock and found a mouse. I looked at the mouse and let it crawl into the brush before putting the rock down. I was afraid I'd crush it. 

   A little while later down the path I came across a small Eastern Milk Snake. Though it was small, it was feisty. It bit me the entire time I was holding it. It was a pretty little snake. After a few photos I put it back. 

After I left that area, I went to a small pond that usually has Northern Water Snakes. It took a few minutes but I found one. I didn't have my big lens. The best I could do is get this photo as it swam by.

Next I went to my favorite herping spot. I've seen Fowler's Toads, Black Racers, Pickerel Frogs and many other species. The sun was bright so I knew snakes and toads would be unlikely, but I'd probably see Pickerel Frogs. I caught three of them including one of the biggest I've seen.

Thinking my herping was over, Laurie and I went to the 

Cape Cod Canal for a picnic supper. After supper we looked for animals with a spotlight. It was a surprise to say the least, to see a Fowler's Toad out in the open. 

Fowler's Toad and below

Relaxing summer nights at the Cape Cod Canal

 

The Railroad Bridge

From Laurie's house, we can make it to the Cape Cod Canal in about thirty five minutes. When we both get out of work early, we spend many evenings at the canal. We usually bring a picnic and make chicken salad sandwiches or I bring the grill and have burgers. These trips are an extremely relaxing way to spend an evening.

   The first thing we do is find an open picnic table and carry our food/grill/ plates to it. I heat up the grill and cook while  Laurie pours us lemonade and gets the utensils ready. Eating supper while watching the boats go by is really enjoyable. When we are done eating we usually sit for half an hour before packing up the food and bringing it to the car.

   After dinner we usually walk along the canal. I bring my surf rod and make some casts. I haven't caught anything on these walks not even seen a fish. Still, it is good to take the rod just in case fish come by. 

   After our walk, sometimes we walk up to the road in Buzzard's Bay and get an ice cream. If we do, we walk back to the railroad bridge and sit on a bench. At this spot, as soon as it gets dark the mosquitoes come out and they drive us to drive home. 

 

 We have probably had supper at the Canal about ten times this summer. I would much rather eat outside than indoors and the trip is short enough that it doesn't feel like a long drive. There is a lot to do, besides supper, I can fish, walk, bike ride, get an ice cream, and go for a swim in Onset if we choose. Now that it is getting dark earlier, it is getting harder to make the trip worth it when I get out of work at 5:30. There are a couple days next week where I am working 8:30-4:30 so we may get to go another time or two before the summer ends. 

  These trips have been an easy way to enjoy nights after work. Between supper, boats, possible fish, ice cream, and walks on the path, the time goes by too quickly. That is part of the reason we keep going back

Bourne Bridge in the distance

Scopoli's Shearwaters and Dolphins

 

Common Dolphins

   Last year I retired from pelagic birding trips. I had gotten seasick too many times to justify the expense. Most of the trip would be a very expensive nap in the fetal position after throwing up. It made no sense to keep spending money to be miserable. Then I encountered a problem.
   

  Cory's Shearwater, a species I've seen many times split into two. There used to be a sub-species of Cory's known as Scopoli's. However, science is changing and the Scopoli's became their own species overnight. I had seen Scopoli's Shearwaters in North Carolina when I went on pelagics there. Kate Sutherland would call them out. They look almost identical to Cory's Shearwater except the tip of the underwing is whiter. This is an impossible field mark to notice when the birds are cruising in the wind. Usually you need a photo to positively ID the bird.

    In Rhode Island, I had almost certainly seen Scopoli's Shearwaters. No one called them out before when they were just a sub-species. But I have been on enough pelagics that without a doubt I laid my eyes on many of them even if I never did get the ID. Last year, on the pelagic that made me retire a couple of Scopoli's were seen but I never got on the birds. Then after I went in the cabin, I laid down for hours. So...when I got the ebird report of birds we had seen I took Scopoli's off of my list. 

   I immediately regretted my decision. As I said, I am positive I must have seen them in the past. I could have left the species on my list but I want my list to be pure with no questions asked (especially by myself). So I knew that I'd still have to go look for Scopoli's Shearwater again. I was not looking forward it.

   

   To avoid going on an eight hour pelagic, I tried getting a Scopoli's from the Block Island Ferry where they had been seen all summer. No luck. Then I went on a whale watch and still didn't get it. So I was already out $110. When Tim asked me if I wanted to go on the pelagic August 28 I said yes knowing I'd be around great birders, there would be multiple Scopolis seen, and I would probably get seasick.

   It turned out that I was right about the first two but didn't get seasick. The water was very calm. I had gotten a prescription patch to put behind my ear that helps with seasickness. Also, I was offered the strongest anti-nausea pill on the market (actually made for chemo patients). I took it and I felt great all day. There wasn't any negative side affects (like drowsiness) nor any other positive ones (such as getting a buzz). My stomach felt great all day long. It has been years since I felt so good on the open ocean.

   We saw tons of birds. I got my Scopoli's Shearwater. I made sure to put my binoculars on every Cory's type we saw. We got photo evidence of at least two. I got some decent shots of Cory's and Great Shearwaters. We saw a Sooty too. This left only the Manx that we missed of the possible types of Shearwaters. 

 

Cory's Shearwater

   If it weren't for finally seeing a Rhode Island Scopoli's Shearwater, the highlight would be all of the Common Dolphins we saw. We saw hundreds of Dolphins. Many of them swam right next to the boat and went right under it. I got some okay photos of them coming out of the water but most ended up blurry. The experience was awesome though.  

  This was by far my favorite pelagic trip in years. It opened up the possibility that I may go on pelagics again. There is still some worry. Did I stay vertical because of the calm seas? or was it the anti-nausea medicine, or the combination of both? I'd hate to find out the medicine won't work when the seas get choppy. Whether or not I "unretire" from pelagics, I had a great time on this one. It has been a long time since I could say that.

The dolphins and birds were following the trawlers

Great Shearwater

Cory's

Boat House Row

    Saturday night we went to Plymouth Memorial Hall and saw a "yacht rock" group called Boat House Row. Yacht Rock is basically soft rock from the 70s through the 80s. It is pretty chill music with some complex instruments. You could consider yacht rock a guilty pleasure for some.

   The concert, as I previously said was at Plymouth Memorial Hall. The venue was only about one sixth full and I felt bad for the band. However, the few people that were there were singing along and dancing their little hearts out.

   The show started at 8 pm. There was a fifteen minute intermission at 9 pm and including the encore ran till almost 10:30. Boat House Row was awesome. The band had six people in it. The keyboards guy and drummer took turns as the singers. The guy that played the sax actually played five different instruments throughout the show. They were very talented musicians.

   I knew I'd know most of the songs but not all of them. I don't really listen to soft rock on the radio. There were about six songs I'd never heard. For Laurie, that number was only one. My favorite song they played was "Brandy" by The Looking Glass

                                              My recording sucks. They sounded much better than this but you can still get a feel for the mood of the crowd. 

   The crowd really for into it when they played "Africa" by Toto and "The Pina Colada Song" by Rupert Holmes. Other songs that I very much enjoyed were "Maneater " by Hall and Oates and "Lido Shuffle" by Boz Scaggs which was the last song of the encore.

   I would be remiss if I did not mention the people watching. We were in the mezzanine near the stage. We had a great view of the band, the floor, and the mezzanine across from us. There were a couple gay guys dancing like crazy about as badly as I dance. There was one guy on the floor, a huge man dressed like a cowboy with sunglasses on. He looked exactly like Cole Hauser, Rip, from Yellowstone. The only way I could tell it wasn't Rip was listening to his voice when he ordered a beer.  I was ten feet away and could not tell it wasn't Cole just by looking. Multiple people asked him if they could take his photo.

Google image

   Lots of  spectators had on those white Captain type hats that Laurie says is from the Love boat. Before the show started I had counted twenty seven before I stopped scanning when the show started. One guy was wearing one but also a navy blue jacket. The best part was he was wearing an apricot colored scarf. I didn't realize why until Laurie explained he was being the guy Carly Simon wrote about in "Your so Vain"

"You walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht

Your hat strategically dipped below one eye

Your scarf was apricot"

   I wanted to ask the guy if I could take a photo with him but chose not to. When a song came on that I had never heard, I just watched all these characters and others dancing and having the time of their lives

  Boat House Row is from Philadelphia. They aren't playing any other tour dates around here. However, there are multiple yacht rock groups that tour. So any one of them could be playing again soon. They have some original names "Yachtly Crue" "Yacht Rock Review" and all have been in the area.

   I honestly have to admit that going to this concert was one of the highlights of my summer. With both Laurie and I being healthy, we have done a lot of fun stuff  this year. I had so much fun, the only thing I enjoyed more was catching the Brown Shark. There is no question that when another yacht rock group close close enough to go to, I'm going. Call it a guilty pleasure.

Differing views on rods and reels

    Admittedly, what I'm about to write is really about those of us that have multiple rods and reels. If you own one freshwater rod and/or one saltwater rod with no plans to buy others then you may find the following interesting but otherwise useless.

   Most serious fishermen have multiple combos for fishing. Most bass fishermen have spinning rods and baitcasters. From there, it gets broken down to mediums, medium-heavy, heavy, and even extra heavy. Some of these rods are made for special techniques such as swimbaits, dropshot, and Ned rigs. You can't use the same rod for dropshoting as you would frogging. In the ocean it would be difficult to use the same rod to fish chunks on the bottom and also casting small Zoom flukes on the surface. The point is most guys have rods for many situations.

   I have the added issue of not only fishin for largemouth bass and striped bass but everything much smaller and much bigger. I love fishing for many species. I've spent plenty of time casting for three inch Common Shiners. I've also chased sharks and everything in between. While I do not consider myself a gear junkie I do have rods and reels for everything I fish for. 

   While talking with other fishermen there are differing philosophies on how they choose what to buy.  When I am on my canoe I bring four or five rods. When I fish with Adam I limit myself to three and he brings three or four. Many boat guys will bring ten rods all pre-rigged with lures. 

   Many guys will use all of the same brand in different models. Some fishermen believe that if you get all of the same brand then you will be used to the feel when you pick up the next rod. For example, many pros fish Lew's so all of the rods in their boat will be high end Lew's rods/reels. They may have the KVD rod in ten different models from a medium light spinning to a heavy baitcaster. Obviously, many of these pros are sponsored so it is easy to use the same brand when the company gives you twenty five new rods a year. 

   But many working stiffs will also be loyal to one brand and model. They believe if something works for them why change (if it ain't broke why fix it?). Many guys come into the store who only fish St Croix rods. Many are really loyal to Shimano rods and reels. I can't argue their philosophy. If they put down a medium St Croix Premier and pick up a heavy Premier, in theory they should have a good idea of the sensitivity and strength of that model. 

   I had a conversation with Adam about this and he completely disagrees with this choice. He prefers to fish many different brands and has many models. His counterpoint is equally valid. It is fun to fish with different gear. It's fun to put down a Stradic and pick up a Johnny Morris Signature. 

   I think in general, most of us have different brands in our storage room. If for no other reason sometimes we are willing to spend more money and other times money might be a factor. So until we get really serious most of buy based on want and price over brand loyalty. However, there does come a time when you ask yourself "if I am satisfied with this rod/reel do I want another of the same model or do I spend more for the next one up in quality, maybe even a nicer model in a different brand?" 

   I've given this question a lot of thought. My boss makes fun of me and is shocked that I am (at my age) not loyal to one brand or another. Part of that can be explained that much of my gear is old but still in good shape. So until I got this job, I had kept the same stuff for years. But, since I now have access to almost all the brands on the market with a discount, I have tried a lot of different brands. 

  However, now that I've tried a lot of different models I reached the point of knowing what I think is great gear and what is over rated. So when I buy a rod now I ask myself that question of buying a different rod of a model I like or do I buy a different brand? I hate to ever admit agreeing with Adam but I think it is more fun to have differing rods and reels. It's more fun to use my Shimano Stradic for Smallmouth and a Carbonlite for trout than it would be to use two Stradics. 

   There is another catch to all of this... Experimenting with different rods and reels does not come without its own peril. Adam has a buddy that owns a bass boat. His name is Mark and he has multiple Bass Pro Carbonlite rods. He is satisfied with them but he is a gear junkie. He came in the other day and was thinking about buying the Platinum.  The Platinum is a $200 rod and honestly it is the nicest rod I have ever owned ( I did not pay $200 for it). Fishing it for five minutes and I knew it is better than any rod I have ever casted. When I told Mark how much I loved it, he actually went back and bought another Carbonlite AND NOT the Platinum.

    His reasoning was this, if he noticed the Platinum was far superior to Carbonlites then he would then consider his Carbonlites junk and he wouldn't want to use them anymore. This would send him down a rabbit hole of replacing very nice rods with an arsenal of $200 rods because he liked them better. I can not argue with this and I have faced similar circumstances. There have been times where I bought a rod to fish along side a similar power (like a medium) only to find out the new rod was so much superior that I no longer wanted to fish the old rod at all and it sits in the closet as a "spare". 

   There is no right or wrong answer to this question. It is interesting to think about the differimg philosophies. I doubt myself or Adam has ever missed a fish because we were not as familiar with a rod than the guy that has been fishing Daiwa for thirty years. At the same time, if that guy has been using Daiwa for thirty years (I've been using Daiwa reels for twenty for surf casting) who am I to say they are wrong.