18 Inches Made Me Scream Like a School Girl!

I'm so mad at myself. I forgot to take my camera yesterday when Jess' parents took us out on their boat. As always, we had a great time. For someone who is terrified of natural bodies of water (i.e., any water that can sustain a life form) I LOVE being out in the middle of Cape Cod Bay.

Chuck and Jeanne called around 9AM to let us know they'd be at the pier around 11AM. Jess and I grabbed lunch for the four of us--yummy sandwiches, chips and cookies from the nearby General Store. Chuck and Jeanne already had plenty of wine and beer chilling on ice. We put on our swim trunks, grabbed sweatshirts, and headed to the pier (a five-minute walk from our place.) The boat was sitting idle in the harbor waiting for us. When we arrive Chuck pulls up to the "Courtesy Landing," a small, public dock where boats can tie-up briefly to load and unload passengers. We climb aboard and are greeted by Oliver, their 10 month old French Bulldog, clad in an orange doggie life vest. (Very cute!) We decide to eat lunch right away, even though it is early. We're going to fish and want to eat before handling the bait. Chuck takes the boat out to Long Point, drops anchor, and we have our sandwiches with a nice Sauvignon Blanc. When we're done eating, Chuck points the boat toward the open sea and heads for a certain spot that is known for excellent cod fishing. The spot is the sight of an old shipwreck, which you can see on the sonar. (Pretty cool!) When you find the ship's wreckage, you cut the engines and cast your lines.

I've gone fishing for tuna and bluefish with Jess' folks, but never for cod. Tuna and bluefish are big and powerful and put up a good fight. You cast and start reeling almost immediately since these fish chase their prey toward the surface. With cod, you let your bait sink to the bottom (100 feet below, where we were) then slowly pull-then-reel, pull-then-reel until you either catch something or your bait is back on the surface. Chuck graciously put bait on my line. Wimpy, I know. But in my defense,this is not like putting a worm on a hook. The thing we were using looked like a mobile you would hang over a baby's crib, except this mobile had numerous three-pronged hooks festooned with oysters. I lowered this contraption into the water, waited for it to hit bottom, locked the line and started the pull-reel cycle.

I had only done the pull-reel thing three times when I felt a heaviness on the line. I wasn't sure if I had anything, so I kept quiet for bit. Pull-then-reel. Pull-then-reel. Finally I'm convinced that there's a fish at the end of my line, so I ask for a second opinion. "Oh yeah, you've got something!" Pull-then-reel. Pull-then-reel. Whatever this is, it isn't putting up a fight. I'm doubtful I have anything more than seaweed. Pull-then-reel. Pull-then-reel. I stop looking at the water and focus on the end of my pole (huh huh.) It's not bent toward the water very much. Could I possibly have anything?

I'm still looking at the end of the pole when Chuck says, "You've got it!" I look down toward the water just as I yank the fish up and out. The first thing I notice are teeth. Lots of them. I didn't know cod looked like this. I takes me about a second to identify the thing I am eagerly pulling toward myself as a shark. "FUCK!" I shrieked. I lower the end of the pole back toward the water, barely resisting the urge to simply drop the whole rod and reel into 100-feet of saltwater. The whole boat erupts into laughter. It was a shark alright--about a foot and a half long. Not exactly a man-eater. Chuck once again comes to my aid and cuts the thing off the line and releases it. Time for another beer!

We saw lots of other marine life during our six hours on the water. There were several Humpback Whales that were ENORMOUS. There was a rather large seal. And I saw a huge but harmless Nurse Shark gliding along the top of the water. But it was an 18-inch shark that nearly made me shit my pants.