Yesterday I promised one of my clients, Jennifer, that I would post a photo of the day’s catch and a quote from her. Now, I have heard just about everything in the book exclaimed when hooking a halibut, especially for the first time, but Jennifer caught me off guard. She simply stated that “this is bulls__t! Well, it wasn’t, it was real and she successfully landed her halibut and put it in the box. It was a funny note to what became a fun day of fishing. We didn’t kill any monsters, maybe 40# at the upper end of the string, but we landed sixteen (yes, the crew gets to keep halibut, too) and released many more than that. We did not have alot of bycatch yesterday, but a friendly octopus did get hooked and a strong man named Steve reeled it in against the tide. This is always a fun event on the Julia Lynn and not uncommon while fishing for halibut out of Homer, Alaska. Unfortunately, my camera malfunctioned and I did not get a group shot of fishermen and fish this day. Fortunately, our new deckhand, Jona, got a chance to hold the animal and I think she was amazed at how slimy they are. Slimy, yes, but delicious to eat, certainly. I LOVE octopus. Speaking of love, we returned to port a few days ago to be serenaded dockside by our neighbors in the Homer Harbor on the “Shadowline” a commercial combination vessel that fishes for halibut, cod, salmon, and even sometimes sports a hot tub on the back deck. Captain Tom plays a concertina and his friend, Guido, (the furry one on his shoulder) sings along…..that’s amore! Working and fishing in Homer can be alot of fun.