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Lexington - Captain Bob 3/15/17 6S.95W



It is 7:00 a.m. and my watch started at 6. We are sailing in 9-10 knots of wind and it feels great. I almost feel selfish because the others are asleep and I have not awakened them. It could die out at any minute but we are getting into the area where we should have some wind. I have weather information that indicates the wind might be a little iffy today but we are steadily moving to the area of steadily improving wind so those two factors combined are what we are hoping to improve our fate. Right now we have 7-8 knots of wind doing 4 knots on a beam reach (beam reach=wind coming directly from our side which is generally a good point of sail) I have two fishing lines out. I had two fishing lines out all day yesterday without any sign of a fish being anywhere near them. I did lose a lure three days ago. I can't lose too many more because I'm running short. Some cruisers have made lures out of cut up Coke cans. If you have a hungry fish and a little talent making something look flashy you've got a good chance of catching a hungry fish on the homemade lure. There is a moderate amount of skill involved. There are some boats that are more consistent in catching fish but no one has been outstanding so far. I might try to rig up another line today. In general it sounds foolish to say but you cannot catch a fish with dry lines and the more lines the greater the chance of catching a fish. Then there is the problem of landing the fish once you hook it. I am fishing with what are called Cuban yoyos. Instead of a large fishing rod and reel (which is not cheap) I have a piece of board fashioned so I can wind the line around it instead of a reel. The end of the line is tied to the board and the board is tied to the boat so I do not lose it overboard. At the end of the line I have a piece of elastic cord tied between a loop of line. This set up provides a little give in the rig so that when the fish hits the lure there is a little give in the system and it is less likely to instantly break the line off. Once I hook a fish, then I have to land it by winding the line around the board as I play it by hand. If I can get it real near the boat then I will use a gaff to lift it on to the boat. So far I have only hooked two fish and landed one. One was a sword fish that did a little tail walk and spit the hook out. A tail walk is when the fish comes out of the water standing on the tail. Wish me luck today with wind and fish. I am sending a photo of fishing rig. That is my lesson of the day. Best wishes to all. By reading this you are showing you are smarter than us by being on dry land. Bob

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