The Art of Helming

Because of my injured arm, I have been at the helm this season and not pulling any fish out of the ocean. Driving is not quite as easy as it sounds. The main thing is to stay in the right water depth - I don’t want to get too shallow or we will drag gear on the bottom and lose gear. But I also don’t want to be too deep, especially when we’re king fishing, because we want to be as close to the bottom as we can. I’m always looking for the path through the right water depth, usually between the 20 fathom and the 50 fathom lines. That’s number one. 


Secondly, and just as important, I don’t want to hit anything. There are always logs floating around and you don’t want to hit one or have it hit your gear. Most frustrating is the kelp. Kelp is everywhere and if it gets tangled in the gear it can impact the way we fish so you want to get away from the biggest clumps. Even one or two stragglers can get stuck in the gear and it’s a pain when you’re trying to pull the fish in to untangle it from the gear. Also, kelp can knock the fish right off the hook as you pull them in. 

Clumps of kelp to avoid

Then there’s the sea life. Whales (see my blog regarding close collisions with whales), I definitely don’t want to hit one of those. I also want to watch out for sea lions. They like the easy meal that they can get by grabbing fish off of our lines! Not only do they take the fish, they tend to take the gear as well. It can be a big financial hit if they are following the boat.  If they are persistent you either want to pull your gear until they get bored or pick up speed and go somewhere else to fish.

Of course there are other fishing boats to avoid as well. Hopefully you’re on a drag where everyone’s going the same direction and you can just follow the leader and take your turn. Trolling etiquette says that when your starboard pole is toward land you have the right away. This means most boats run close into shore when they have the right away and then circle out when they turn the port pole to land. However, sometimes you’re in an area where the 20 fathom line circles around and you get boats coming from every which way. That’s a difficult one and you have to keep your eye on where people are, how far away they are and if you’re going to cross their path. 

I used to think driving was boring and it can get that way if you have clear space and everybody’s going the same direction. However, there are a bunch of times when that’s not the case and then it’s all about staying alert.


Comments

  1. Thanks for the glimpse into life on the seas, you proud fisherwoman. ❤️

    ReplyDelete

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