Cool fishing

Jacksonville isn't in Florida; it's in south Georgia. Well, not really. But we experience continental weather, not the "Florida" weather northerners think about when they imagine Florida in the winter. 

We have been lucky the last few winters--especially last winter when we didn't even have a killing frost. Not so, this year. We've had frost on the ground, which has caused several of our perennials to shed their leaves earlier than usual. So far, the banana trees and the papayas have resisted the cold weather.

The cold has gone away for a few days, and we have been able to go fishing (without freezing). Thursday it was so nice--no wind and near 70--we decided to hit the beach and do some surf fishing.

The ocean was quite calm with clear water on Thursday.

The water was clear and calm. I let Jim get wet; he's better at casting far distances than I anyway. We weren't super-lucky, but we did bring home three whitings, which made for a great dinner. 

Jim pulled in these three whiting when we went surf fishing Thursday.

 Friday we took a boat out and tried out luck. 

This little guy is a redfish. Great eating, but he was too little.
We threw him, as well as an undersized spotted trout I caught, back into the marsh.

No keepers, but I hooked my first (undersized) redfish and (undersized) spotted trout. Each would have made a great meal except for those pesky rules about keeping undersized fish. Jim wasn't lucky. Maybe we will have better luck next week. Sunday is supposed to be another great day. I believe we may try surf fishing again. Until later, Your no-longer Reluctant RoVer, but Merry Mariner Linda

On the water

The only roving this Reluctant Rover has been doing is on the water. Since we sold our truck camper, we are now vagabonds without transport, and (at least for the moment) we are not planning to change that condition. However, we do go boating, as members of the JAX Boat Club. We try to boat/fish once or twice a week, weather and schedule permitting.

About a week ago, we went boating when the wind was blowing from the east. We have to boat in the San Pablo River before we get to the bay area where we fish the marshes. The water was choppy! It felt as though we were on a roller coaster, not my favorite theme-park ride. 

Jim said there is a saying that refers to fishing conditions: "East is least; west is best."  I guess the saying is true. We didn't even have a nibble that day.

The next time we went out, the wind was better, but the only thing we caught was a baby stingray. I caught it; Jim released it. Again, not a profitable time on the water, but at least it was pretty calm. That day, however, had a ha-ha moment: Jim was doing something with one of the lines when either the boat rolled a bit or he lost his balance. He quite gracefully rolled over the side of the boat for an unintended swim. The water was only about three feet deep. The hard part was getting back on the boat, since we were in a 16-footer that had no dive platform. Fortunately it was a warm day and the top half of him (clad in a fast-dry shirt) dried quickly. And even more fortunately, he did not have his phone in his pocket. His reading glasses floated out, but we were able to retrieve them.

Yesterday was a much better day--a beautiful autumn afternoon, with a calm wind that actually dissipated by the time we came in. On days like that, I don't mind taking a ride in a boat.

Jim caught two under-sized red fish yesterday.

We took more than a ride, however. We actually caught fish! Jim snagged two under-sized red fish (red drum). They have to be at least 18 inches to keep; these were about 13 inches. He also caught a 15 inch flounder, which I pan-fried for dinner. My only catch was a six-inch pin fish. Pin fish are often used as bait, although we have made meals on larger ones. We believe there is no such thing as a trash fish, only fish that are less tasty than others. Pin fish fall into that category. But six inches was just too small, so we let him go.

The flounder Jim caught was just enough for a tasty pan-fried dinner. 

The weather has been hit-or-miss for anglers. Those darn hurricanes that keep forming in the Atlantic have not directly threatened us, but they create nor' easters that churn up the water. Today, for instance, a small craft advisory kept all boats in harbor, with gusty winds of 30 mps blowing. When winds are predicted in the 15-20 mph range, boating is not fun and fishing is usually not good, either, even if no advisories are announced.

We have two boats reserved for next week when the weather is supposed to be good. Wish us luck. We plan to have roasted fish for Thanksgiving dinner, and dinner would taste better if it came off our tight lines. If we don't catch anything, though, the fish monger in Mayport will have some nice snapper or grouper for our Thursday dinner.

Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving.

Until later.

Your Reluctant Rover
Linda

Good-bye, Lance! We will miss you!

 September 24, 2020—“They” say that the happiest two days of a boat-owner’s life are the day s/he bought the boat and the day s/he sold it. The same holds true for an RVer.

We sold the truck camper!

Good-bye, Lance 1172! We will miss you!

Actually, although we are happy we sold it, we will miss camping. I know, I know…for the longest time I truly was the Reluctant Rover. I kicked and screamed (not literally, of course) when we bought our first motorhome, that 38-foot 1998 Dutch Star. Of all the RVs we have owned, the Dutch Star by far was the best crafted. We had relatively few problems with it. We traded it in mainly because, with only one slide, we found it crowded with the cats. (Litter boxes take up a lot of room!)

This 1998 Dutch Star was our 'Baby.' 

Our next RV was supposedly an upgrade. It was a 40-foot 2005 Country Coach. With its three slides open, it was as big as a New York apartment. Gorgeous. However…it was nothing but trouble. I think Jim spend more time fixing it than he did enjoying it. It did not pain us to get rid of it. We were happy to do so.

The 2005 Country Coach was beautiful,
but it required a lot of maintenance. We did not regret selling it.

Our mistake, however, was buying our third RV—a 27-foot Thor Axis. The downsizing did not bother us; we had decided we were not going to make any more long, cross-country trips. But, we bought the wrong configuration: One slide in the back, which extended a queen-sized bed. The cabin/galley did not have a slide, and we had to put up a table every time we ate. (Other configurations had a slide in the cabin area, but had twin beds that could be converted to a king.) The only seating to watch TV was the couch, and it was not comfortable. Theoretically the driver’s and passenger’s seats were supposed to turn completely around, but the driver’s seat did not, and neither of them had a good view of the TV.

Thor was 27 feet long. Its configuration (not its size) caused us to dislike it.

Every time we went camping in Thor we both complained about how much we hated it. We were not unhappy to sell it.

Jim somehow got the idea about getting a truck camper. When we came across a combination package—the 1999 Dodge Ram 3500 dually truck plus a 2003 Lance truck camper, Model 1121. The combo was a deal we could not resist. Both were only used by the original owner, a local rabbi. We discovered the truck camper actually offered more room than Thor. Jim installed a new flat-screen TV and put in new plank flooring. After having spent so much time fixing our RV, it was a pleasure just to enjoy it.

This combo package was quite a deal: 2003 Lance 1121 camper
plus the 1999 Dodge Ram 3500 truck.
We really enjoyed the camper but it lacked a comfortable seating area.

However, after a few months we realized that the one thing the camper was missing was a comfortable area in which to sit and watch TV or read. So…

Last September we traded the 2003 in for a brand new 2019 1172 Lance, the largest model the company makes. It had everything the old one had, plus a couch with foot stools. We really enjoyed it. And now someone else will have that pleasure.

And this is Lance 1172. We will take it to its new owners next week.
We are keeping the truck, though. It will continue to serve us well.

Why did we decide to sell? Well, time is marching on, and we have found that we don’t have time to do everything we want to do. Right now, instead of traveling, we want to fish. It’s just a matter of priorities.

Jim doesn’t want to rule out getting another RV, possibly a small trailer, in the future. I don’t want to rush into buying anything. Right now, we will just enjoy life.

Will there be any more Reluctant Rover blogs? I don’t know.

Until maybe sometime in the future,

Your Reluctant Rover,

Linda

Anchors away!

March 26, 2020—It is no secret that I was not an enthusiastic RVer when Jim and I purchased our first motorhome in December 2010—hence, my blog’s name, The Reluctant RoVer. Over time, however (and really, not a lot of time), I came to look forward to our travels, despite all the melodrama some of our RVs have given us. (OK, our misadventures  really only occurred with in our first and especially our second motorhomes, not so much in last three.)

So, you might be wondering if I harbor any reservations about joining the Jacksonville Boat Club. The short answer is "no." For us, it seems to be a good deal. And as long as we use the membership regularly, it is money well spent. The only thing I don't like? (You might be surprised at my answer.) The water.

Here I am, Cap'n Linda, piloting the Nauticstar. 

Yep. The water. Actually I love to swim--in a pool. I am not too fond of swimming in open water. And I am especially uncomfortable as the water beneath me becomes deeper. What bothers me most, however, is traveling fast in a boat and crossing over wakes and waves. I am afraid we will tip over! Why don't boats have seat belts? (Duh, I understand why...but I would feel more secure if I were battened down.) Jim is good (and getting better) at managing those waves and wakes; so am I when I occasionally drive the boat. I am also more comfortable going slow, rather than fast. I suspect that the more I go out in the boats, my fears will decrease. Let's hope so. 

The boat club gives us access to five different fishing boats, ranging from a 16’ boat to two 23’ boats, and we can take them out six days a week. No mess; no fuss; no cleanup; no maintenance. All we have to do is bring our fishing gear, jump on board, and pay for the gas when we are done.  

The larger boats are big enough to take five or six guests. (They would not be comfortable if everyone were to fish, but for a boat ride, they would be fine.)

My favorite boat of the five is the Nauticstar XTS, a 23’ bay boat with a Yamaha 200 HP engine.  I like this boat because of its size and comfort. It easily absorbs the shock of plowing through wakes and waves. Additionally, it has a very shallow draft—only 18”—so we can get into the marshes easily to hunt predator fish.  It also has a power pole anchor for shallow-water anchoring, as well as a GPS trolling motor, which can hold the boat in place in deeper water.

23' Nauticstar XTS; 5 passengers. 

Jim and I both like the smallest of the boats, the Key West. Although it is only 16’, it has an economical 60 HP engine, as well as a GPS trolling motor. It is small, but we enjoy using it.

16' Key West; 3 passengers. (Obviously this is a stock photo. Those people are not younger versions of Jim and me.)

Our third favorite, I think, is the Tidewater, a 20’ boat with a 150 HP engine.  It also has a GPS trolling motor, but we have found this accessory a bit more cumbersome to use than the ones in the other boats.

20' Tidewater; 5 passengers. 

The 19’ Scout can hold more passengers (six), but it doesn’t have a GPS trolling motor. Nor does the 23’ Polar, which can accommodate seven passengers. Why is the absence of a trolling motor important? Well, that little electric motor can act as an anchor and hold the boat in place while you are fishing. You don’t have to throw an actual anchor overboard.

23' Polar; 7 maximum passengers

19' Scout; 6 maximum passengers

I don’t know if I will ever become a boating enthusiast--someone who would rather spend time on the water than anywhere else. Just as I would not go to the beach just to soak up the sun, I don’t get much pleasure out of just going for a drive in the boat. I am enjoying the freedom we have to go find fish, instead of waiting for them to come to us. (So far, we have been catching flounder...nice.)

Although we have the boat club membership, we still have our modest 14’ Port-a-Boat with its little 5 HP engine. Our intention right now is to use this little boat on area lakes or more inland rivers, where we cannot use a JAX Boat Club vessel. (The club’s boats are allowed to go all the way up to Cumberland Island in Georgia to the north and as far south as St. Augustine.) But freshwater fishing in in the future. Right now, we are just enjoying our boat club membership and learning how to fish the Intracoastal.

Until next time,

Your Reluctant RoVer (Merry Mariner?)

Linda

Merry Mariner?

February 12, 2020—Ah, what could be better than feeling the wind in your face, watching pelicans dive for their supper, dipping a fishing line in hopes to catch your own dinner, and watching dolphins dive “up close and personal?” Not much.

Jim and I decided that life is much too short not to enjoy it to the fullest. This week we joined a boat club, and now we can feel that wind, watch those birds, dip our lines, and seek out dolphins just about any time we want—from the bow of a boat on local waters.

 We have toyed with the idea of purchasing a boat (more than the 14’ Port-a-Bote that we own) for some time. But, like an RV, boats require a lot of tender loving care. TLC translates into a lot of expenses. It is said that the two happiest days for boat owners are the day they buy a boat and the day they sell their boat. That is because in addition to the purchase price of a boat, there are costs to maintain in, fix it, store it, and equip it. Plus, you have to figure in the time it takes to launch, take it out of the water, and clean it.

A membership into a boat club eliminates all of the negatives of boat ownership. It’s like joining a country club: There is one-time “initiation fee,” then monthly dues. Not inexpensive, but not too bad, either. We make a reservation for the boat we want, drive down to the marina (only about three miles from our house), and climb aboard. A club employee meets us, helps load our gear, and when we return, greets us at the fuel station and unloads the boat into a waiting cart. Our only additional cost is gas.

View from the boat to the marina

Out on the San Pablo River

In a creek off the San Pablo River. Gorgeous day.

Our particular membership is for weekday use, for any boat 25’ and under, including both fishing and pleasure boats. And if we have guests who would prefer to tube rather than fish? The club provides the recreational equipment. Nice.

We took out a 16’ fishing boat this afternoon. Before we could do that, however, we each had to complete an online boat safety training program. (We probably didn’t have to do this, since we already had certification from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary for a different boat safety program, but we decided a safety refresher of our knowledge couldn’t hurt.) 

Then, yesterday, we went out with Captain Randy, another club employee, who trained us in navigation, as well as how to drive and dock the boat. (I docked it perfectly three times:]) Incidentally, it was during that training that a large pod of dolphins decided to accompany our boat. So exciting! We've often seen dolphins cavorting in the waters of the St. Johns River, but they were never so close to us as they were when we were in the boat. 

I hope that having a boat will allow us to go where the fish are, instead of waiting for them to swim by our lines at the end of a pier. (Today, when we found some fish according to the fish-finder, but they weren’t hungry. We had a great time, anyway, since our goal was mainly to get comfortable with navigating a boat.)

What all of this means is that the Reluctant RoVer may have to get a new moniker. How does the Merry Mariner sound?

Until later,

Your Reluctant RoVer Merry Mariner,

Linda