I was lucky to grow up fishing with my father. One of my earliest memories is casting my new kids rod with a Zebco reel from the dock at our place on a lake. My Dad loved to fish and was comfortable dropping me off river side while he headed down stream to a favorite spot. This is how I learned to wade rivers, read rips, match a hatch and yell at the fates which keep fish’s mouths locked tight. For my Dad, fishing was a state of mind- meaning if he wasn’t fishing, he was thinking about fishing.

I have now had a lifetime fishing. I too think about it frequently and make plans for the next adventure. I was very fortunate to meet a woman who grew up on the beaches of Nantucket. She watched her father and his friends catch bluefish on Sunday beach outings and she learning to surf cast in a gym class. She loved to catch bluefish. She loved to tell the story from early in our marriage where I was knee deep in the surf on a cold Nantuckety day. I was wearing jeans because we went for a beach walk after her grandmother’s funeral and came across a high school teacher of hers who had an extra rod that he lent me as the bluefish were blowing up the surf.

My wife and I had many fishing adventures in Boston Harbor from our boat and our daughter learned to love the water and fishing. Since my wife passed away after a long illness in the fall of 2023 those cherished memories seem both close and far away. As do my memories of fishing with my Dad. In my mind’s eye I can see the first rod I bought (Daiwa fly rod). I can smell the amazing mixture of salt air and diesel exhaust from a charter boat. I can hear my wife’s gleeful cheer when she hooked a fish. So many memories of family and fishing from over the decades.

The best fish I caught last year was a bluefish. In May and June I caught a lot of trophy sized striped bass. A life-time goal was fulfilled when giant bluefin tuna was caught in July- that was a team effort- the Mass Bay Guides crew and 2 friends- again fishing and connections. But these were not my favorite fish of 2024.

The first year after my wife died was a challenge and as the anniversary of her passing approached to only way I could imagine spending it was fishing with my daughter and son in-law. We went with Mass Bay Guides for the day. On way back from some Cape Cod Bay ledges, we searched the beach shallows for striped bass which we marked but could not get to bite despite the amazing efforts of the crew. But then a school of bluefish attacked all of the lures we were trolling. My wife’s favorite fish to catch came out of nowhere in a year where bluefish were hard to find. So more memories, more bent rods, more gleeful cheers and smiles.