08/08/09 The first sign of fall.

Accompanying me today was a lifelong friend. We started with with a quick trip to Dutch Harbor, NH for some much needed lobster bait. After securing the bait and loading the boat it was off to Great Bay.

#1 sign of fall. Man, was it cold on the boat ride out.
#2 sign of fall. The ducks were roosted on the Durham flats by the hundreds.

From experience these are subtle hints of what is to come.

Bugging is poor. 25 traps today, 5 keepa lobsta. The full moon tide was humming. Had to back track on low tide to find stragglers.

No tom cod today for striper fishing. But we did catch two small cunners for bait. What a waste of time. Cunners suck for striper bait. I'm done with that.

The high pressure sure turned off the bass bite. Live eels were laughed at. We didn't see a fish break or any other anglers with fish on. Even though the Bay conditions were perfect. There was a limited breeze and the water was like glass. And NO POGIES!!!!!

The hard shell lobsters are still coming into the Bay. That is a good sign for the September run.

"Next shed.............your dead".

08-15-09
For the first time in a few years I thought I was going to get the skunk.

The first 15 traps in Little Bay produced only short lobsters. Then it was on to Fox Point. It wasn't until trap number 17 that I got my first keeper. I am optimistic. It can only get better.

I caught a small tom cod, about 6 inches. After checking traps I took a ride to Adam's Point. Put a number 4 hook through the tom cod's nose and a 25" striper was in the boat on the first drift.

With an outgoing tide and a pail of eels on board I headed back to Fox Point. The first stop was the honey hole. There was no need to go any further. I caught bass all through the falling tide. The fall bite has started. I caught the last fish at noon and it had to be 85 degrees.

Who says eels don't work in the daytime? 35" I need a bigger cooler.

Darmok and Jilad on the ocean.

"The story behind the phrase is something like what follows: Darmok arrived on an island alone. Jilad also arrived on the island alone. together, they had to fight a beast. They won their battle against the beast and left the island together. The concept expressed was one of strangers, or possibly enemies, confronting a common cause and becoming allies or friends as a result."
By Lara
Featured Rightgrrl November 1998

If you are a Star Trek Next Generation fan you will know these terms. I am reminded of this mythology when I get together with good friends and we try and conquer the sporting world we live in.

Today Darmok, Coalman and Jilad, Roccus got together to try and conquer the food chain.
We started before the sun came up chumming and catching mackerel. Next it was off to the boulders for some balloon bobber fun. The stripers didn't show up for the battle.

We hooked our cannon, the bait well, to the 115 Merc and went looking for trouble. A short boat ride later with our front line offense swimming the sand a bluefish, otherwise known as lobster bait was soon on board. It didn't take Jilad long to add another to the fish box.

The rising sun turned the enemy, the stripers and bluefish, battle weary. Jilad added two linesiders to the boat before the heat sent the troops for shade.

As Jilad's Dad would say, "It was a good day to be alive."


So the mythology is complete. Two soldiers from different backgrounds, Darmok the Great Bay and Jilad the Merrimack River came together on an island of friendship on the open ocean and slayed the enemy.

Thanks Plugmeister.

I got my hat and certificate this week.

The striper was tagged 5/17/06 as a wild fish in the Hudson River in NY. It was 34.48" long.

I caught her 08/04/09 and she was 40". 6" in three years.

This is my second tagged Merrimack River striper. The other tagged striper I caught there was in 1992 and it also was tagged in the Hudson River.

08-22-09
My fathers eightieth birthday party is tomorrow. And yours truly is the cater. There wasn't much time to work the Bay today. My mind was elsewhere. Happy Birthday Dad.

It was so hot today it wasn't fun. The only breeze was when you put the boat in gear. The 25 traps produced 4 fold over last week and I ended up with 8 keepa lobstah. I put them in the car for future use.

No tom cod so bass fishing was out. I am getting enough horseshoe crabs in my traps to support bait in my eel pots. Eel trapping is good. I kept two eels from the trap today for a friend who loves to eat them. Man there are some hogs in the river. Both eels were so big it makes 'em scary.

08-28-09
Due to Tropical Storm Danny's arrival in New England tomorrow and a co-worker who has a taste for lobster I took a ride in the Bay to empty the lobster car. I took a few eels with me. The tide was right to do a couple of my favorite drifts.

As I was baiting up I saw XP600 and bdragon in XP's boat on an intercept course. It is always a pleasure and special time when you meet friends on the water.

We made a plan and both our boats boated bass. Before I knew it the last rays of light were coming from Durham and the west. That left me with a six mile high speed twilight boat ride. I was the last one off the Bay. It was good to see the trestle come into view. That means I had been blessed with another adventure on my "Great Bay".

Great Bay 08-30-09
The first B is for bugs. Checked 25 traps and caught 6 keeper lobster. Lots of shorts today. One trap had 5 lobsters in it. Only one was a keeper. Also saw my first female lobster in about a month. Where they go........the males will follow.

The second B is for bluefish. I caught two tom cod in my lobster traps today. The tide was just turning out as I did the boathouse drift. I get a nice hit, fish runs, I set the hook.........nothing. While reeling in to make sure the circle hook wasn't embedded in the bait and I only see half a fish coming in. Then like a ghost the bluefish comes back for another bite. After a minor tug a war and I end up with a hook and a head. Those boo fish would haunt me the rest of the day.

The third B is for striped bass. After losing my tom cod at Fox Point and with a bucket of eels in the cuddy I pointed the boat south to Great Bay. I got there just in time for the first outgoing drifts. Not to slow, not to fast. And that is where I stayed until a fuel check told me it was time to go home. I left biting bass.

I fished the Bay from approx 11AM to 2 PM. I had non stop action. The first 3 drifts produced 3 bass. Biggest 27". Then the bluefish moved in and I lost a couple eels. And then just like me I hook the biggest fish of the day, it turns south towards Greenland, against the tide, peeling drag and I lost it. I bet I had action on half the drifts I did.

There was another fisherman over to the west. When I landed my last bass he couldn't stand it any longer and came over to do the drift. I knew it was time to leave. I am learning something new in the Bay every time I go. Yesterday I could tell within 20 yards of where the bite was going to be. Two o'clock in the afternoon of a bright sunny day, live eels and I ended up with 7 bass in the boat.

Can you image what is there at night?

I'll end with the T's. On the way to the boat this morning I saw this brood of wild turkeys.
Somewhere in that grass is about 16 turkeys.


Yesterday was a good day to be a "Bayman".

Always a great read, Coalman!

09/05/09
The trees are starting to turn their fall colors and the honkers are winging into Great Bay. I wish I could say the same about the lobsters. 25 traps produced 6 keepers. I brought them home and my son cooked us up a lobster bake. Thanks Shawn!

It was almost low tide when I took these two pictures. I took them to remind myself what striped bass habitat looks like under the waters of Great Bay.

09/12/09
For anyone keeping up with the coastal NH weather Saturday would have hit the snooze and gone back to sleep. It started raining about 9AM and didn't quit till after to deeds were done. If it weren't the first day of clamming season I would have slept in. But those Bay clams were calling.

I had company today. Joe joined me for the bounty. But the most I saw of him while checking traps were his feet sticking out of the cuddy as he tried to keep dry. This wasn't my first time checking traps in the rain and I was prepared. I would have made the Northwestern proud.

We started hot. 8 keepers in the first 6 traps. Then it was time to check the gear I relocated deep into Great Bay last week. One lobster out of 15 traps. I put 5 traps back into Little Bay where the action started hot.

And that is the way the day ended. Lobsters, a peck of clams and a very soaked soul.


I'd do it all again tomorrow.

09/19/09
Low tide was at 0800 this morning on the shellfish grounds. It was a chilly three mile ride.

We arrived in time with enough water to float in. What I wasn't prepared for was one of the lowest negative tides we have ever dug. It exposed the oyster beds.

We had a limit of clams and oysters by 0900. On our wait for the tide to return we purged the oysters of rocks and empty shells.

We just finished with the oysters and were starting the clams. I was giving the USS Coalman a hull inspection.


The lobsters have moved back into Great Bay. The first three traps way back in 12 feet of water produced two keepers. The next 22 traps in deep water produced two keepers. I am going out Sunday and pull all my gear back to the shallows.

I bought the USS Coalman from the Farm. Today was my annual thank you trip. Ever since I have known the Farm they have let me hunt, fish and trap unsupervised around the property. There have even been a few deer hauled out in the bucket of their tractors.

Payback this year was a multiple family feed of shellfish. I'm in like Flynn.

It's really, really hard not to hate you sometimes. Oysters, clams, lobster are some of my favorite things to eat . . .

09/26/09
I had the pleasure of sharing my boat with Captain Danny today. I wish I could say we filled the cooler with bugs and ran out of eels we caught so many striped bass but that is not the story.

My motor acted up today. It kept fouling the #3 cylinder. This was a first in her long hour life.
I opened the drain on the bowl of the carburetor and then snapped it off by attempting to secure it tight.

We made it back to port with gas leaking out of the bowl. The landowner of the dock was home and helped us take the carb off and removed the broken bolt from the bowl. Now we had to find a new drain bolt to fit. A year ago a friend was going to throw out his old 90hp Yamaha. I took it in case any day like today I needed a part. A quick trip home and we found the drain bolt to be a perfect fit.

Back to the boat to install the carb went smoothly. We took her for a test run up the river. She seemed to run fine. No more fouling. We met Dad at Chapman's Landing. He was having the same kind of day I was. But that is a story for the Memory Maker.

Time was not on Dan's side to try another return the Great Bay. I thanked him for coming and his much needed help and bid farewell. I motored up the Squamscott River with a better conscience.

But water in the gas is not my problem. Again she started running on two cylinders. I was able to make the clam flats and check all my lobster traps at 2/3 power. It scares me to be in the Bay with a sick engine.

My motor will get my full attention after work this week. If she is still sick, I am going to end my season. Stay tuned.

Understand the motor issue. With the tide shifts you all have a sick motor can get you in real trouble. If it is just #3 it might have something to do with the ignition wires. I would check to see if you got a good spark on that cylinder. You already addressed water in the fuel so maybe you have a loose wire or something. It sounds somewhat intermittant and wiring can do that a lot. Good luck getting her fixed.

With all the running you do in the woods and waters I didn't think you would have to wait to get out of work. There are times I didn't think you were employed with as many adventures you have. I think it is wonderful for you, guess I am just a little green.

Hope you have a great time on the water. I am sure you will figure it out.

Vic

Thanks Vic. On the water I took #1 coil and wire off and switched it with #3 to see if it was ignition. With #1 coil in the #3 cylinder spot #3 again fouled.

It takes a great wife to make a good man. Between us we have been employed by the same company for 50 years. We live a half mile from work. All my play lands are within an hour of home.
We are truly blessed.

10-04-09
Armed with a two boxes of tools, a compression gauge, new fuel and water/fuel filter I tried to fix the USS Coalman on the slip. First I drained every fuel hose, the fuel filter and fuel pump. Then each carburetor bowl. New spark plugs were installed.

She started up, sounded good. Compression check on a warm engine showed no failure. A short test run up the river was encouraging. Back to the dock to get supplies to pull traps and then up the river I went. And my problem returned. #3 cylinder is fouling the plug.

When I get her on plane she runs fine. At slow speed only two cylinders. I was able to retrieve 6 traps. But I'm not going back till the problem is solved.

It is good to have friends. My partner boat on the dock, Ray, has retrieved all my traps with his boat. Half of my gear is in the barn, half on shore at the dock. It makes my conscience rest better knowing my gear is safe.

Fuel was not my problem. I saw no water in the gas.
Cylinder pressure is not my problem. All three tested 110 lbs.
I had 1976 Rupp Nitro 440. Same three cylinders, three carbs. Same problem. A new fuel pump fixed it.

Riverfront Marine had the parts to rebuild my fuel pump on the Yamaha. Parts will be here this week. I'll be back to the dock this weekend.

Stay tuned.

From your process you are working it in the right direction. I would think it is either the fuel pump or your #3 carb. I am not familiar with that carb but if it is fowling at low RPM I would guess you have a float not working in the carb, I have had them get a pin hole in them and not float up and close off the needle valve. When this happens the fuel keeps flowing in the cylinder with too little air to burn it all. This can cause fowling. If they are side draft carbs a needle valve under the piston can cause problems too. I had one out too far on my TR6 and it made it run real rich on the back three cylinders. However, with the TR6 it was fun to blow the carbon out until I got it tuned right.

I am sure you will get it straightened out. Good luck!

Vic