I am so not a fisherman (18/4/14)

I awoke this morning to the smell of bacon. As long as I live I'm sure that will be the one thing to always get me out of bed. I came out my room just as the egg and bacon hit the toast on the plate. This was going to be a good day. The plan for this morning was to head out on Ryan's boat and do a bit of sea fishing. So after breakfast while Lauren and Ryan went to pick up the boat from one of Ryan's mates, where he stored it, I got some bits together and they picked me up on the way back through. It was a beautifully hot day and perfect for a spot of fishing. I haven't been fishing since I was about 12 and even then it was only ever in rivers or lakes (ponds). On the last occasion, I can remember, we were camping and the tent next to us had just left so my dad and I collected a few worms that had surfaced to use as bait. Either that day or the next we went fishing at the local lake and started off using corn pieces as bait. Having not had much success I said to my dad "maybe we should use our master bait" talking of course about our worms. He looked at me with a smirk and said "Yeah I don't think that's going to work Mickey, I don't think the fish are into that". I digress. So this would be my first sea fishing expedition so I had high hopes despite having completely no memory of what bit on the reel does what, how to cast or even whether to haul a fish in or let it run. Just no idea. We met up with a couple of Lauren's friends at the boat ramp who were coming out with us and soon had the boat in the water. We set out to sea sticking close to the markers that the giant ships use to sail into the harbour to pick up their next load of iron ore from the mining. There weren't many other boats out so there was very little in the way of obstacles or competition. Ryan found a few shoals of fish using his sonar and we sailed over them with a line dragging behind us hoping to catch something that way first. After about 30 minutes of this and with no luck at all we changed rods and dropped a couple of lines over the side, one for me and one for Ryan. After about 5 minutes my line got a tug and so I pulled on the rod and the tip started twitching rapidly (Stop it people this is not a euphemism. You've all got one track minds!). I'd caught one and so started to reel it in. I kept pulling on the rod and found that whatever was on the end was putting up a real fight as the line refused to go slack. After struggling for a bit to get the fish near the boat Ryan took over. He fought too and it was then that we realised what I'd caught was absolutely massive and weighed a ton. It was in fact one of the cement and steel marker pylons that we were floating near. The fish had obviously swam through it after being caught and now the line was stuck firm on it. Ryan spent about 10 minutes trying to free it and in the process the handle broke off the reel. Then I found out it was Laurens rod, and then the line freed from the pylon. This wasn't a great start. We sailed further from the markers and Ryan spent a bit more time fishing over the side but still with no success. We resorted back to dragging a line behind us on the way back to the harbour and enjoyed the hot sun instead. Usually if a fish gets caught on the line you're dragging then the reel will start spinning rapidly and then you grab the rod to try and reel it in. Not so as we caught our only fish of the day. Ryan just happened to turn round to see something silver bouncing on the surface of the water and actually said "have we caught something?". We had. It was the most uneventful catch in history. We reeled it in to find a small mackerel hanging off the end of the line. Ryan got it off the hook and asked if I'd like a photo. Of course I did as this would be my first pretend sea catch. I handed him my phone and took the mackerel from him. It was then the fish decided to start fighting, and with it's slippery skin and my lack of knowing where to hold it, the fish freed itself from one of my hands. As it writhed around, it splashed fishy blood on everything, including the girls. I'm not talking 'pulp fiction' amounts of blood here but enough to make the girls jump to the other side of the boat screaming. I finally managed to get it under control and pose for a photo but it was too late, we all stank of fish already. I think Lauren's two mates were going out after the trip without going home. Oh dear. I did apologise, however. We threw the fish back and decided it was a better idea to stop fishing for today. Ryan sailed us round the harbour for a while showing us which areas were owned by the mining company and which boats were destined for which destinations before heading back to the boat ramp. Once on shore and with the boat back on the trailer we said goodbye to Lauren's mates and made our way home. I think we'd all still enjoyed it, it was just a shame things hadn't gone to plan. On the way Ryan drove Lauren and I past the area where iron ore is brought in by trains and where it's loaded onto containers to be shipped round the world. I think these figures are correct but I'm sure he said that for every train that arrives, the company makes $3 million profit. And there are 30 trains a day! That's ridiculous amounts of profit and is what has made WA so expensive. It was now only about midday so once we got back I helped Ryan wash the boat and then him and Lauren dropped it back to its storage location and picked up a 'chicken treat' lunch on the way back through for us all. We chilled for a bit in the afternoon in front of the TV as it was so hot outside and then Ryan phoned one of his mates to find out if he'd be able to weld my exhaust today at some point. Late afternoon, once Ryan's mate was home, I rode the bike round to his for him to have a look at it and see what was involved and we decided it would be easier for him to do it on my return to South Hedland after I'd been to Broome as I had to come back through this way to start my journey back south. So Ryan and I stuck around for a couple of beers and chatted with the group that had gathered there before heading back to the house to help Lauren finish off the roast dinner that she'd started in our absence. Luckily my job was to sit and drink beer as most of it had already been done. Once it was ready we all sat down to enjoy the roast and after dinner I got a chance to watch the whale shark diving DVD that I'd bought. Ryan and Lauren watched it too and afterwards I checked out my recordings on my action camera to see how they compared. They weren't bad but I was definitely glad I'd bought the DVD as it was a lot better. After the videos I spent a bit of time planning my trip to Broome to decide how many nights I wanted to be there and made a phone call to book a place at the hostel in town. Luckily they had room so I arranged with them to arrive tomorrow and stay for 3 nights. I spent the rest of the evening packing, chatting with Ryan and Lauren and watching TV but by about half 10 was well ready for a sleep. I said goodnight, thanked them both for a good day, and went to bed smiling about the days events.