My wife does not understand me. # #

Not that I blame her for that. In fact I am very fond of her. After all, she was the best I could get with the car I had. #

But she has never understood my clumsy, naive, unskilled, always optimistic, later-in-life fishing passion thing. #For instance, as she was going to bed at 12.15am last night, she thought that I was nuts going out at that time to give Green Island a go through the 2.51am high tide and into the daylight. # #In fact she thinks that going out into the Bay on a dark cold night in a #small boat in lieu of a warm bed is insane at any time. #Women just don't understand. #

Maybe she is right. # #Night fishing is always a challenge. #For instance, I nearly did not go last night because after I had launched at Manly, I discovered that the fuse to my navigation lights had blown. I was able to fix it though as I carry spares in the boat's glove box. #But there I was, sometime after 1 am, crawling on my back under the helm searching for the right fuse, managing to crush it with my pliers right above my face with bits of glass falling down on my face (whew! - thank goodness that I wear glasses! #) and then noticing that the shadows in the boat from the marina lights were moving. Hang on! #That cannot be right - dammit! - #I am drifting in the channel in the boat harbour. #Quick - start the motor and beach the boat again - this time noisily throwing the anchor on the beach to hold me as I go back to crawling under the dash of the runabout. #Hmmm! - a problem with the anchor light that caused the fuse to blow - no problem, will rig up the little portable anchor light that I made up to plug into the cigarette lighter socket ( and to slip on the canopy top so that the glare of the 'permament' anchor light does not bother me when i am fishing ). #All fixed - off again. #

Ariving at spot x at Green. Anchored. Time to unplug the boat's permanent light. Plop! # #Oops! #There goes the top section of the anchor light into the drink. #Damn! #

Ah well fishing at last. # #Heaven. # Shooting stars , peace and quiet , and lots of juvenile bream. #Hmmm - wonder why so many aeroplanes fly over to land at around 2.30am. # #Ah heaven! # - a bit of hot coffeee out of the thermos. #

4am - fishing is a bit slow - and it is a bit cool. #Wonder what I did with that beanie? #I could use it now. #Oh - I am already wearing it. #

5am - hey there is another boat just arrived. Did not see him come. #False dawn starting to appear. #Gosh - a baby baby baby squire - fishing sure is slow tonight. #

6am. #Might start some drifting runs. # #The other boat has gone - he can not have been catching anything either.

6.45am - buggger this - #I am going up to Mud. #

Ah! - #drifting over the Grazier - that always gets a few bites. #But nothing. # #...and that southerly wind is starting to irritate me - might drift around the northern bays.

Hmmm - quiet around the northern bays but at least it is calm. ... #and a glorious morning too. That warm sun on the back is lovely. # #Lots of bait fish jumping around in the shallows - must motor over quietly and have a look. #Hmm interesting but nothing to see chasing them. #Oh well back to drifting. #At long last a fish # Dammit - it is just a grinner - and only a little one too! #

Oh well - let's have #a look at the pearl farm.

Nothing happening here. # #9.30am Dammit, I am going home. # #Time to get last night's sleep. #


Total legal catch for the night - one miserable lonely bream just a few cm over legal. Bait used - banana prawns, small frozen squid, pillies, and berleyed with frozen mash of old (but good) bait. #On the upside, I don't have to spend my morning cleaning fish. >

So I just don't know what makes my wife not understand my fishing passion. #