Recently, I installed a brand new Stryker T-Top on my Key West Bay Reef 216. It is an impressive product. The aluminum welding on assembly parts is unbelievable.
It came to me shipped and unassembled in several pieces. It took me several days to assemble and install.
Best boat canopy investment I have made! Maybe a top for you to consider.
Good Fishing!
The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a beautiful bird. Camera in hand, I photographed them among the craggy rocks and islands.
Copyright 2024 Photo by Ed Hale
Here in Newfoundland, along the Bonavista peninsula, the town of Elliston is home to thousands of Puffins who come to land, mate and raise their young. Like many of you, I am not a Puffin expert but I just love Puffins.
Their satirical eyes and orange beaks are captivatingly reminiscent of parrots and the long beaked Toucan.
Spending most of their lives in the open ocean, Puffin dive, often down to 50 feet or more using their wings like penguins and feed on small fish like sand eels and similar size fish. We human visitors flock to see them each year in spring and summer. They are hunted in parts of the world for food but not here in Newfoundland. Off shore along Elliston below, they like nearby islands where there are few predators to bother them.
Copyright 2024 Photo by Ed Hale
Elliston, by-the-way, is also home of the worlds most numerous root cellars, where historically, locals store their hard earned seasonal vegetable and food larder. Below, immaculately built stone faced root cellar, the door fit snug to keep vermin out.
Copyright 2024 Photo by Ed Hale
I hope to cod fish here soon but regulations restrict cod fishing to weekends and Monday’s to five fish per person. My wife and sister-in-law inherited land and a home on the shores of Newfoundland where we visit with cousins, and perform upkeep on the property. Being on the shore, we get out and cod fish when we can.
Local seiner’s got some capelin (a small very edible fish) and I was gifted some to grill. Years back we were grilling them near midnight, my first capelin ever and initiation was to bite the head off my grilled fish.
Smoked Caplin Tonight
I gutted cleaned and brined them for an hour in a sea salt bath. Then smoked them on my dome charcoal smoker for an hour, I made enough for two more meals to smoke with fishing friends and more beer. It’s a tough job but… someone has to do it. Might as well be me.
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I did so with a grin and washed it down with cold locally brewed beer made of 20,000 yr old iceberg water. It was fabulous!
Enjoy!
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I have owned a 16 foot Fiberglass Old Town Katahdin Canoe for many years. This winter it fell off its saw horse perch and flipped up. Snow filled it and we had powerful Northeasters and pounding rain. The poor canoe took a beating and filled with water demonstrating it was still leak-proof.
Our Katahdin began its life as a bright red canoe and my sons and I used it greatly in Northern New Hampshire along the backwaters of the Androscoggin river and the ponds nearby.
Later, I spray painted it with camo paint for duck hunting but used it rarely as my sons flew from our nest.
Now, emptied of water, I need a new yoke and one web seat. But the camo faded and looks very sad. Accordingly, I promised the canoe, a rebirth and a new professional camo paint job because I have 12 year old grandsons and a granddaughter to teach how to fish and paddle.
I went on-line and found my new birch yoke and web seat. But there is more… I found a camo spray paint kit and a kit of camo stencils to reinvigorate its life.
And the stencils too. All of these below in a plastic/ synthetic overlays with which to spray camo paint on.
Below is the new camo job on the canoe.
Good Canoeing!
Liars figure when figures lie.
Biden Administration has a goal of 30GW by Offshore Wind by 2030. That’s just 6 years away!
And as long as Biden is President, nothing will stop him, whales or fish and fishermen be damned. “We The People” have no say?
He is, in-fact forcing “big government” on “We The People.”
When Biden says he is saving Democracy, he is lying to you , straight-up.as does CNN, MSNBC, et al. Biden is a Global Socialist.
Once Biden’s ocean damage is done, it will forever change sealife, and fisherman and even beachgoers forever.
We Outdoor loving Americans must strongly resist this unconstitutional Ocean takeover.
Thus livelihood of millions of fishermen who have fished in wind farm planned waters for centuries. I’m sure beachgoers will love to watch a sunrise in the midst of dozens of windmills. Not me!
Biden/Obama secret overall goal is to fundamentally change America to a global socialist/marxist state replacing god fearing, constitution loving Americans.
I bought this 21.5 ft boat “The Americana” and trailer on-line via POP-Yachts. They were great.
The process was straight forward, see pictures and boat specs, make a bid. Once accepted, a formal marine survey was performed by an independent expert. Then using an escrow account money was deposited and then closing.
The boat arrived from Florida just as I hoped, in perfect condition. I used Interstate Haulers to haul my boat north. Also great! The driver gave progress reports as the boat was driven north.
I inspected my new boat, and compared identical with the dozens of photos on pop-yachts website. I was so pleased.
The gas tank is 80 gallons and at 5 bucks a gallon that’s an expensive fill-up.
Having registered the boat and trailer, my wife and I took the boat out. She purred like a kitten when I turned the ignition key and the Evinrude 250 hp performed very well at speeds just under 50 mph and at trolling speeds. Going out again to fish with my son in a few days.
More soon…
The new used Boat and aluminum tandem trailer arriving is a 21.5 ft modified v-h below. Retail brand new? No, I could not afford a new one!!
On the very same day, I purchased this boat, i also sold my 16 ft Sea Fox.160cc Pro. A great day.
We love salt water but equally this Key West boat is supposed to be good on lakes. It sports a trolling motor too and a power-pole anchor.
No T-Top yet but we shall see…
We hope to find some Haddock with this rig besides stripers and mackerel.
More soon!! See you on the water. Look for “The Americana” out of Newburyport in a few weeks.
Good Fishing!
Honestly, I am trying to find a larger boat but in the wake of COVID, used boat sales have gone bananas. Why a larger boat like 21 feet? Can you say family and grandkids! And deep sea fishing. Haddock will be biting and soon stripers will be here. We are looking at a used 2007 Key West 216 Center Console boat at the moment, and in the buying process.
At the same time my Labrador retriever, Bella, and I have begun retriever training. Yes me too!
And I am the home improvement contractor for my house. New furnace and bath shower, rebuilding porch rails. New fence in back yard soon. I am a busy guy! But there is time for Turkey hunting too if I plan well. Life is tough but, hey, someone has to do it!!
See you out there!
Be Safe!
Out Hunting big Trophy fish with Dee Cee Charters and Captain Chuck, Islamorada, Florida April 29, 2021, with my twin brother Richard and nephew Rick.
https://fishingbooker.com/charters/view/1081?booking_persons=2&booking_children=0
April, they say, is not the best time for sailfish or marlin as you can chew up a day trolling and come up on the short end, so we concentrated on top water for Blackfin Tuna and Mahi.
Below, I caught the first Blackfin tuna of the trip.
Below is a big fight, a king mackerel ate a smaller blackfin tuna we were reeling in and brother Richard had a real fight. The king got near the boat and spit the hook but wow, what a fight!
Let’s see what else bites!
Ed Hale – New Hampshire Rifleman-Editor in Chief
Glorious Morning Sunshine!
Morning has Broken! Glorious Day! Thank You Lord!
Below a 2 part video of my Mahi coming aboard.
Rick is a professional fisherman when he is not working in the Electronics industry. Loves to catch and eat Albacore Tuna and Pacific Salmon.
Tackle at the ready…
My First Fish a Blackfin Tuna
These Blackfin’s fight hard. Sea is getting heavy with 8-10 ft waves.
Ricks first Blackfin!
No Sir, you ain’t getting off my line!
Another on for the Cooler!
And Another Tuna
Say Ahhhhh….for the Camera.
Up close, such a beautiful Blackfin!
First Mahi of the day by yours truly. I love the colors!
Just having the time of my life! What a thrill!
Richard’s Picture perfect Blackfin Tuna! A gorgeous fish!
Another Mahi!
First Mate unhooking a Blackfin.
All fish were filleted. We ate some on the beach as Ed’s Sashimi Shooters and I took the rest home frozen.
I brought a soft thick zipper freezer bag to hold the frozen bagged tuna and mahi in my luggage. After 12 hours of travel, it was still frozen solid.
We had a spectacular time with Captain Chuck and the first mate. I would book a trip again!
Later after filleting by our first mate, I invented my own Blackfin Tuna Sashimi Shooter while on the beach with thin slices of cucumber on the bottom of a large shot glass or Dixie cup next some pickled ginger, a small 1/2″ square or so of raw tuna (sashimi), add wasabi paste to your liking, another slice of ginger, topped off with avocado and add a teaspoon of soy sauce to the layers. Shoot the whole thing in your mouth and chew. My eyes pop with the wasabi! Wash it down with your favorite beverage like beer or white wine. WOW! You can get fancy if you like with sesame seeds etc. if you like. But on the beach, a plateful those simple Sashimi shooters below took over a beach party with a pack of little Dixie cups full of the ingredients. Lots of smiles! Good Shootin’.
All the fish were frozen and taken on the plane to my home freezer. I had Sashimi Shooter’s for lunch while writing this article. Sooo Good!
Good Hunting! Good Shootin’!
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I went striper fishing last week and had fish bait left over so I froze it. In the mean time have been creating a back yard garden. I noticed that my summer squash and zucchini plant are not growing fast like my other plants. I am watering them so what’s going on?
Before adding fish parts
15 days after fish parts added and watered.
Some research finds that they are perhaps not getting enough nitrogen. It dawned on me that our early American bretheren learned from native Indians used fish as fertilizer. I had 4 small tinker mackerel in the freezer! I started by taking the frozen juices of the fish and creating an emulsion to pour at the base of plants but later cut the fish into chunks and buried a chunk at each root.
Some research on line says I am on the right track. We shall see! I will take a photo next week and track progress. I did feed my tomato’s and Cuke’s some fish as well.
Here is what the cuke plants look like now. Left is a tomato plant and right are cukes that have fish parts added. Soil is dry so watered daily. Cukes are flowering and growing cukes like crazy. I’d say water helped greatly but the fish caused the bush to have explosive growth. And that is no fish story.
Good Gardening with the fish I was going to throw out in the trash.
© Copyright 2020. All Rights Reserved.
Wow! What an odd combination! I awoke today November 30th to read a reminder article in a publication called Imprimus from Hillsdale College. The focus of the article written by Roger W. Robinson. Read it here: “How and Why the U.S. Should Stop Financing China’s Bad Actors.”
I awoke see my folly in purchasing Christmas gifts for my hunting and outdoor family and friends manufactured in China and sold here for a fraction of the price of other similar goods.
Yes, you got a deal on that China made item! But in the long game, was it really?
It hurts our future and that of our children and grandchildren. There are plenty of products not made in China today so look at the tag where it is manufactured.
Look for American Made Gifts and labels my patriotic hunting friends or for sure, “Not made in China.”
With your financial support, and mine too, the Chinese have launched a massive campaign in 2015. “Made In China 2025” otherwise known as MIC 2025, to become the worlds leading super power… and its predatory trade practices are evident.
You and I have never heard of it because the Chinese don’t publicize it. In fact, with the current trade dispute under President Trump the Chinese have rid the name MIC 2025 but in essence the goals have not changed.
The goal is WORLD DOMINATION.
Further that your retirement portfolio likely include investments which aid China. As Mr. Robinson writes;
“Do any of us have the financing of concentration camps in mind when we transfer money into our retirement investment accounts? This sounds difficulty to believe, but it is an empirical fact: the majority of American Investors are unwittingly funding Chinese concentration camps, weapons systems for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and more.”
So when you are talking with your Financial Advisers or shopping for Gifts please read the label.
Please purchase your hunting and outdoor gear that is American Made or Not made In China.
Good Hunting, Merry Christmas! God Bless America!!