Gooseberry Cove looking SW
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Monday, June 20, 2005
Caplin
Went Caplin Fishing Friday night at Gooseberry Cove. The road in is not much more than a wagon track. We got there about 9:00 so we could still see. What a beautiful little cove surrounded by rocks with a big sunker in the middle. The beach is half deep sand and half beach rocks and gravel. There were only a couple of fishermen from Gabarous when we got there. but soon after about 30 or 40 showed up. Cape Bretoners are amazingly tolerant. Some newbies built a fire on the close side of the shore. Caplin wont come where there is light. Nobody told them to put out the fire they just resign themselves to working the far dark side of the beach.
One caplin veteran talked about waiting until four in the morning.
I hope there is an early shift I said. the wind was coming up up the waves were getting larger and it was cold and damp.
Cousin George headed for the darkside. I stayed with main batch of fishemen each group had 20 or 30 tote pans which can hold about 100 lbs each. George came back from the gloom with one caplin. Everybody sped to the dark side. about a quarter mile through heavy sand . 4 wheelers carried tote pans. Men ran into the surf with huge dip nets. Just a hand full.
George waded in the surf with our makeshift net. One sweep 3 fish, 2 sweeps 4, 3rd sweep broke the bloody net. Now what?
We start walking back a wave brings 30 or 40 fish to our feet. we grab them. next wave same 4 or 5 waves later hundreds then thousands. We soon have our pail full and drag it back to the car past the dying fire. Grab a beer and look back to the vague figures in the dark hoopin hollering and scooping thousands of little fishes into the tote pans. Caplin are much like smelt. They are a little richer and quite delicious. They are most often dried here and are called Newfie choclate bars. The reason I have no pics of the actual harvest is because the flash scares off the fish and if that happened I might have been hung up to dry myself.
One caplin veteran talked about waiting until four in the morning.
I hope there is an early shift I said. the wind was coming up up the waves were getting larger and it was cold and damp.
Cousin George headed for the darkside. I stayed with main batch of fishemen each group had 20 or 30 tote pans which can hold about 100 lbs each. George came back from the gloom with one caplin. Everybody sped to the dark side. about a quarter mile through heavy sand . 4 wheelers carried tote pans. Men ran into the surf with huge dip nets. Just a hand full.
George waded in the surf with our makeshift net. One sweep 3 fish, 2 sweeps 4, 3rd sweep broke the bloody net. Now what?
We start walking back a wave brings 30 or 40 fish to our feet. we grab them. next wave same 4 or 5 waves later hundreds then thousands. We soon have our pail full and drag it back to the car past the dying fire. Grab a beer and look back to the vague figures in the dark hoopin hollering and scooping thousands of little fishes into the tote pans. Caplin are much like smelt. They are a little richer and quite delicious. They are most often dried here and are called Newfie choclate bars. The reason I have no pics of the actual harvest is because the flash scares off the fish and if that happened I might have been hung up to dry myself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Surcouf or Swordfish
My Uncle Al Bussey harpooned a big swordfish off of Scaterie island In the Fall of 1941.They were in the process of drowning it when somethi...
-
When I was eight years old I found a young seagull on the beach not far from our house. It couldn’t have been hatched for very long, but it ... -
Destiny Empress which out wore her welcome here has found a new Home in St Johns Antigua and has a new coat of paint too. these Photos were ...
