A failed fishing weekend

Yes it's true. I had a failed fishing weekend. By weekend, i mean 2 days of failure, but, this Blog is named "Ocean Bounty" for a reason.

Saturday morning, me and my sister decided to give our kids a camping weekend on Murração beach, a remote beach just 40 Km away from home in the west coast of Algarve.

The plan suited me and "Helder", my brother in law, because we could go fishing while the kids have their fun in the beach and the women would be on watch. Suitable plan for the men but not so funny for the women. They made sure we were aware of their feeling.

Since the cars were packed with all the camping gear, both of us had to chose only one fishing rod to take. No need to say which rod Helder took since he is the bream fanatic, and my self, the spinning rod, because on the left side of Murração beach the low tide creates some water inlets ideal for sea bass.  If I do not catch a fish, Helder would and vice versa.

That afternoon, Helder tried his fishing luck in the rocks in the right side of the beach.
Nothing happen. In the evening, at dusk and low tide, I thought to give a try but we started assembling the 3 tents and the kids asking for dinner that i canceled my evening fishery.

Fire was set and the meat was on the grill to feed 5 hungry kids. Good mood all around after the first steaks.

At dawn, with low tide, i thought my chance of getting a seabass was now or never, while Helder mention "Don't know if i'm going fishing or not !!!". I let him with his dilemma, i just could not lose the timing that morning.


The best excuse for my failure was that there was to much seaweeds in the water getting stuck in my lure all the time. My ego was getting damaged but could not get back to camp without a fish. Sad decision, never got a fish.

When arriving defeated to camp, 2 couples of friends with their camper trucks were there for a Sunday Pic-nic and Helder with a full bag of Mussels, goose barnacles and some sea snails while our friends had a bag of big limpets that they caught the day before, Saturday, in a neighbor beach.
And me !!! with empty hands.

I admit, was not much of an help, the sea food was cooked and eaten and i did not do i thing. For some reason I'm the King.

The mussels, the goose barnacles and the sea snails are cooked very easily on the fire. Just a 1 or 2 minutes on the fire and thats it, still with sea water flavor.

The limpets are different. They go in the pan with some garlic, coriander and a dash of good olive oil and lemon. It only takes a few minutes to get ready.

We all eat a lot of extremely fresh seafood and i've behaved like a Lord. Beer, red wine, good tidbit of this and that, the company of loved ones and friends with good stories to share, is all a man can ask.
There was no need to cook the meat we took along for lunch, it came back to town for a home Sunday dinner.

What was a forgettable fishing day became a memorable friends reunion day, all thanks to the "Ocean Bounty".

The kids slept like angels that night.... who am i fooling. Everybody slept like stones.

The sea provides and humans just harvest the bounty.

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That's what I call big game fishing.

HUPPSSS!!!

Did I said "big game fishing". Sorry I meant "big game feeding"

I'm sorry but I cannot avoid sharing this video with you.
They estimate the weight of that beast over ~450 kg (~1000 pounds).
I agree.

Can you imagine the size of the shark that made that Marlin his lunch????

There are a few more videos on Youtube, of Marlins be eaten in the end of the line, but this one sets the record.
And they say "megalodon is extinct", tell that to the Marlin.

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Saturday night fishing with "Wild line"

First of all, let me apologize for the fact that my trophy room to be my kitchen. I went fishing alone and there was nobody to hold the camera.

Yes that's true, it was last saturday, 28 of June, with no plans. Checked the tide table and ..... "wild line fishing" on the spot...
Grab 5 fat smelly frozen sardines, lantern, pliers, knife, hooks, line and a bottle of water. Small fishing kit for conger and moray eel.

Jumped into my 4 wheels, named by my kid as "Buble Bee" just like the transformers, because it is a car, it is all terrain and it's a small monster truck...kids !!! 5 minutes drive and I'm at the beach with a little of sun light, just enough to set my rigs.

Were 2,5 hours well spend that allow me to bring home 2 conger eels. 1 with ~4 kg and a second with ~2,5 Kg.
Lost a couple of hooks and a fish that i can only suspect to be a huge conger or a moray eel.

A medium sized moray, let say 1 to 1,5 Kg, can do so much strength in the end of the line that some time you believe that the hook have been caught in the rocks.
This time was a fish and not the hook stuck in the rock, because at some time I've felt a tremble in the end of the line
After pulling the line to the breaking point, some morays, not this one, come out of the hole. Moray can and will do a knot with their body and they are the fish that i know, with the most stamina and a huge strength in size relation.

There is also the possibility of an 10Kg, or over conger eel. I know they are in the beach, I've spear-fished those big fellows but a big size conger of 10Kg just can not be pulled out of the hole with line. Or you're lucky and pull him before settles in the rocks or it is going to stay with a hook in his mouth for some weeks.

The biggest conger eel i've pull out of the rocks with "wild line", was a 8 Kg buster, some time ago with my pal Pedro, now making life in L.A. with his big family.

A good thing about this fishing is that you are going to do a lot of strength with your legs, jumping from boulder to boulder, rock to rock and even a 2,5 hours fishing will guarantee an excellent night sleep.

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