Adventures in shopping...

L, G,&M on life in a failed state, and the asshole of the day award goes to this jerk...

Every once in a while I find myself in absolute awe at the balls marine retailers must have to sell stuff with a near-criminal mark-up.

For instance; I have two indestructible canvas rigging bags that are excellent quality, have given me years of use, and are still going strong As it happens, the WoodenBoat store seems to have the exact same bag for sale at $21.95 which a tad more than the $9.99 Harbor Freight (who I bought mine from) sells it.

So here's the WoodenBoat bag...

...and here's the Harbor Freight bag.

A tool that belongs in just about anyone's rigging bag and lives in mine is a "Speedy Stitcher" awl.

West Marine sells its Speedy Stitcher for $29.99 while Harbor Freight sells their identical "Quick Stitch" for $6.49.

As it happens, while I was on the WEST Marine site, I checked up on their lure prices of the Cedar plug sort. West sells its rigged 6" plug for $18.59. Looking around for pricing on the Sea Striker plugs I found the street price to be somewhere between $10-$13 dollars

Sea Striker plug from West Marine

That said, Tail Chaser Lures (my go-to place for Cedar plugs) sells their rigged painted six-inch plug for $7.95.

Tail Chaser Cedar Plug

I'm pretty sure you can do the math but I'll point out a few dollars here and there really do add up where budgets are concerned.

Listening to Noel Redding & Friends

So it goes...

and today in the "this really belongs in Fishing Under Sail but what the hell" department...

On the subject of a morality scale for meat, some impressive stupidity, and a bit of situational awareness in cartoon form...

Fairly recently, a reader wrote and asked what sort of fishing "kit" he should buy to fish from his newly acquired sailboat. As I've not done such an article in a while, I proceeded to search out what was currently available.

While searching out available fishing kits that would make sense for frugal cruisers who actually want to eat seafood on a regular basis, it did not take a lot of time to realize, in point of fact, that the options were somewhat bleak.

For starters, most of the kits on offer seemed to fall into the incomplete, not very good, and overpriced or incomplete, not very good and cheap zone. Which, I suspect, explains why a lot of boat folk have fishing gear which never gets used because it's crap. That said, there were a few good kits out there but at prices that were just silly expensive.

So, I found myself asking...

"Why doesn't someone have something both good and affordable?"

I mean, seriously, how hard would it be to put together some line a few lures and a means of deploying said lures to the fish? Hardly rocket science.

Obviously, if you were to look at any of these so-called kits anyone with half a brain would be able to reverse engineer it, buy the component parts, and put it together yourself. Still, it would seem, that a lot of folks might just want to skip the research and buy a kit that works and it's been pointed out to me that such a thing would make a nice gift of the boat-warming sort.

Which is, I suppose, why I've been spending a lot of time lately coming up with a couple of fishing kits that fit the requirements of being simple, effective, affordable, and better than what's currently out there on the market.

I'm pretty sure I've sorted it out and I'll be talking about it here and over at Fishing Under Sail in the near future.

Listening to Grant Lee Phillips

So it goes...

Something you need to watch...

A better way of looking at economics, an empathy free zone in Idaho, and in the "Racism has many forms" department...


Reef or Madness from Julie Hollenbeck on Vimeo.

Listening to Amos Lee

So it goes...

The cost of things...

A quick look in the crystal ball, a very interesting article about trout, and 31-days...

Yesterday while doing a little shopping I could not help but look at the lobsters for sale at $39 a pound and reflect that a simple lobster snare can be put together for two or three bucks and there are lobster pretty much everywhere down here.

Just saying...

Listening to St Paul & the Broken Bones (still the best album so far this year)

So it goes...

On the project front...

Taibbi on the "HFS" factor while asking the big question, a little history, and about that water in your tank (you really should read this link)...

One of the new projects added to the list is to get away from the old washboards entry and replace it with a proper "door"... For those curious about my headspace, I might add that I'm looking at a lot of pictures of Contessas...

Another project of sorts is that the other day I realized that no one was making handlines for fishing anymore of a needful quality/price-point and, as I have a few ideas on the subject in general, thought I might try and come up with an affordable sailboat fishing kit that was at least idiot proof while giving a pretty good chance of catching dinner on a regular basis. More information on that will be coming up soonish on Fishing Under Sail.

Otherwise aboard "So It Goes" it's just the same old same of trying to catch up on paint and redoing the galley/salon yet again (just bought a new stove and sink!)...

Listening to JB and The Moonshine Band

So it goes...

A pastime that pays dividends...

Something well worth a read by E. L. Doctorow, "60 Minutes" was once the cutting edge of serious journalism but not so much these days, and something you should know about shrimp...

I've been meaning to get back into lure making mode here on "So It Goes" for a while...

I've always liked tying flies and making lures because it's relaxing, I get to use odd scraps of wood, and I can always use a few extra. It also helps me catch more fish as most of the lures available on the market are not really meant to be trolled at normal sailboat speeds.

Right now I have two big teak backing pads which, while no longer needful on the boat, should yield a few dozen lure sized blanks... Recycling rocks, does it not?

The excess output past my own personal needs becomes a reasonable trade good and something I can sell whenever I find myself at a nautical flea market or reasonable facsimile. Kind of a win/win situation.

For those looking for a good basic how-to on the subject you might want to check out "How To Make Fishing Lures" by Jonathon Roberts.

Listening to The Volunteers

So it goes...

About spearfishing...

In the hmmm department, worth a listen, and some days I just hate opening the news...

I thought about writing this over on our sister blog "Fishing Under Sail" but off hand I expect the people reading "FUS" already know all this...

So, here's the thing... Spearfishing has a seriously bad rap and a very undeserved knee jerk reaction with a lot of cruisers and folks who should know better.

Let's say you go to the local fish market and buy a pound of fish... Chances are that the pound of fish you're buying represents an additional four to nine pounds of by-catch and if you throw in some of the other tactics and unsustainable bad practices commonly used by the commercial fishing industry, it's safe to say that your Mahi Mahi filets represent some seriously heinous ecological practices.

Canned tuna AKA death in a can... well, it's even worse.

So, how about hook and line? I fish and when I catch fish that I don't want I practice catch and release but the fact is that catch and release often results in a damaged or dead fish no matter how careful you are. That said, since the amount of damaged/injured/stressed fish is so minute to the hell that commercial fishing entails, it is still acceptable and preferable by comparison in terms of scale...

Spearfishing, on the other hand, is the only method of putting fish on your table that lets you select your catch. This means you can harvest a meal sized grouper or a medium sized wahoo or mahi that reflects your needs rather than catching fish that would be better off left swimming and breeding.

While a lot of places we visit have made spearfishing or even owning spearfishing gear illegal (and we always follow a country's laws in the matter or simply do not visit them), we find most of those laws are based on fairly spurious logic and bad science. Sure, some spearfishermen in the past have ignored laws, exceeded limits and cleaned out reefs of fish but so do commercial fishermen who have used everything from bleach to dynamite to show that extra profit, which after all is the real problem... Greed! Where spearfishing has been problematic it has almost always been in the hands of commercial fishermen...

Just saying...

Listening to Kitty Daisy & Lewis

So it goes...

World records, fishy business, and a nudge...

A marine review with teeth, the war heats up in Somalia, and you wonder why things are so screwed up...

So the results are in on the "How often do you fish" poll and, for a bunch of cheap-seats cruisers, the results were seriously disappointing...

For those folks who never fish, might I point out that if you never fish you'll never catch anything? Just for the record (and talking about records), are you aware that both Babe Ruth and Micky Mantle both held the record for being struck out while kicking some serious butt in the whole hitting lots and lots of home runs? Am I making a point?

Lately, I've been doing a lot of looking at food costs and it is getting real scary as the prices seem to be skyrocketing. Last week we noticed that the ground turkey we buy as a semi-regular staple just went up 50%. I'm sure you'll all agree that a 50% rise in something is substantial and over the last year we have noticed that most items on our shopping list have risen along those lines... Like I said, scary.

I've also been watching the costs of a lot of the food we don't eat, canned corned beef for instance, which down at the big supermarket on island is $6.95 for a 12-ounce can... Is that nuts or what? My guess is that people who do buy corned beef and Spam, tend to think of them as cheap so don't quite twig that they are spending as much for over-salted canned mystery meat as they would for a T-bone steak or three times as much as fresh pork chops. Something to keep in mind...

But, we were talking about fishing/not fishing and one thing to keep in mind when making the choice regarding to fish or not, is the effect it will have on your monthly budget.

Unlike what a lot of people think, fishing does not cost much to get into. For less than a couple of Mahi filets, a one pound lobster, or a case of Old Milwaukee you can outfit a boat to catch fish... Sure you can spend more but you don't actually need to.

For those new to all this, check out "The Any Fool Can Catch Fish Guide... Basic Kit" article over at "Fishing Under Sail" and keep an eye out for new entries on the subject as there will be a lot coming up over there in the not too distant future.

Some of you may be aware that from time to time I make flies and lures and have even come up with a basic three lure trolling kit of the all-you-need-to-catch-fish-while-on-passage variety that I sell at the odd nautical flea market here and there. So, a carrot for those who need a nudge to get fishing... I'll be giving a kit away to the best fish caught between now and December 15th from a sailboat (you'll need to send a picture)... I hardly have to say that you actually need to have caught the fish, do I?

Listening to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones

So it goes...

Mommy's alright, daddy's alright...

They just seem a little weird...

I've become somewhat obsessed by a fish...

I went diving this weekend (lobster being on the menu) and both dive sites were heavily infested with Lion Fish. Lion Fish are sort of the evil mother-in-law of the fish world as once they get a foothold they simply won't go away.

They are kinda pretty though in an evil-don't-touch kind of way... But pretty as they are, they are spreading like cancer through the Caribbean and as they have no natural enemies things are looking somewhat dark. Sort of a weapon of mass destruction with fins/spines for reef life as we know it...

On the plus side... They taste good and can be excellent as Sushi or sub for any white fleshed fish in your normal fish recipes.


Making Lionfish Safe to Prepare from Marine Resources on Vimeo.

Need I say more?

Listening to Ox cover Cheap Trick...

So it goes...

Gifts that make sense for someone cruising...

Since this is Christmas, Boat Bits might as well get on the "let's make a list of things to pimp" bandwagon in an effort to bring a little income to the blog (everyone else is).

I noticed that Blue Water Cruising (who seem to know lots about pimping) had such non-essential gear as a carbon fiber clock (but with nautical flags!), a doggie bed, and a nautical-themed (yep flags) charm bracelet... Obviously NOT the sort of territory we cover here at Boat Bits Central!

So, what sort of stuff to pimp err... suggest?

Well, I don't know a single cruiser who is not also a voracious reader. Factor in the fact that good books are hard to find in most cruising locations and a box of books starts looking like a mighty fine gift that will be appreciated not just by the giftee but by those he comes in contact with through book trades and suchlike. For sure, the sort of gift that keeps on giving!

Though one thing to keep in mind is that if you are going to give someone a book that is part of a series, send the whole series. Often I've found it nearly impossible to get either the next book in a series or the one preceeding the book someone just gave me. So It Goes has an entire bookshelf devoted to books I have not read because I have not come across the earlier titles which would make sense of the book I have... So if you want to give someone the new Joe Pike novel by Robert Crais, you might want to include the earlier one (The Watchman) as well...

Tools are always a good bet as I don't know anyone on a boat who has all the tools they need, much less want. While a tool like a little folding pull saw for the tool kit or a ceramic pocket knife for the rigging bag may not be as nautically twee as a carbon fiber clock with signal flag motif, it will be appreciated for years to come, as well as earning its keep.

Fishing gear is always appreciated. A lure or two is always a needful thing on a boat but then, just maybe, why not a whole new hobby and get them a fly rod or fly tying kit?

Something I'd love for "So It Goes" is a good inflatable two-person kayak as we sold our old one and have been kicking ourselves ever since...

But, since I guess a list like this has to have something cute (though I'll be damned if I go the Blue Water Sailing little flag twee route), how about a cool backgammon set? We really love to play backgammon but the backgammon set always seems to be something of a pain to get out. This set is in a bag and folds up into no space at all and it's cheap... Neat!

A quick word about our fishing and food sites...

Here at Boat Bits Central we still get a lot of mail asking why no fishing and cooking stuff anymore...

Well, that's because we wanted to give the fishing and cooking stuff their very own blogs to better cover a couple of our favorite things!

Fishing Under Sail is 100% fishing, spearfishing, and other assorted critter-catching mayhem from sailboats. In the not too distant future... Well, I'll leave you with one simple phrase that sums up the future of Fishing Under Sail...

"It's going to get radical"!


Island Gourmand on the other hand, is about food on boats and you might say we cover the galley... Some of our best friends are charter chefs and they will be sharing some of their best recipes but it won't be all frou-frou and napkin folding lessons! Island Gourmand will touch on all the various subjects that make cooking in a small sailboat galley just a little bit easier... From provisions and galley gear to mind-numbing libations.

Tasty!

Tostadas...

Homesick Texan has yet to come up with a single dish I do not feel the need to make for myself and eat...

Her most recent Fish Tostadas Vera Cruz style is all sorts of good ...and the salsa is perfection! Just the thing to make with all that Mahi Mahi you've been catching!

Speaking of catching fish...Because the various "My place in the food chain" posts have been so popular and people keep asking for more, I've added a new blog dedicated to things centered around fishing, spearfishing and similar mayhem done on and around sailboats. Do check it out... Fishing Under Sail.

A new Blog...

Just a quick note.

Over the last few years I have received a lot of feedback on the various "My place in the food chain" posts. People seem to like fishing and spearfishing from sailboats it would seem and I get a lot of email of the "Why don't you do more fishing stuff " which does not always fit in the Boat Bits framework...

So it seemed like a good idea to do a blog devoted to the art and madness that is fishing and spearfishing from sailboats.

On the bonus side it also allows me to throw in the whole gamut of what do you do with that fish after you have caught it thing and as a couple of my great loves are eating and cooking I expect that the new blog will contain a lot of cooking/eating subject matter as well.

Fishing Under Sail... (An evolutionary step above fishing with clubs)

First though...

...You have to catch the fish!

My Place in the food chain (Ongoing)

"It was the Law of the Sea, they said. Civilization ends at the waterline. Beyond that, we all enter the food chain, and not always right at the top."

Hunter S. Thompson

The current Compass ( a Caribbean boat rag) has yet another anti spearfishing rant which would be OK if the ranting fellow did not eat fish or fish with hook or line...

Sadly I no longer fish or spear for any reef fish confining myself to blue water pelagic fish these days as ciguatera is so widespread that reef fish is something of a Russian roulette gig down here but over fishing whether by spear or line is equally bad but that does not make spearfishing evil in itself.

Responsible spearfishing is much more ecologically sound than line or commercial fishing as you are able to target what you want ( Mahi Mahi) and unlike a line fisherman you don't wind up with Barracuda, Puffer Fish, Angel Fish etc which even if released will be stressed and damaged by their encounter and whose survival is an iffy thing at best. Catch and release is certainly better than catch and kill for those unwanted critters but it is not so great from the fish's perspective. Spearfishing on the other hand if you are looking to catch a grouper of a certain size that is what you are going to get...A much more selective process. As to the spearfishing is bad for reefs canard... Do you know how much my spears and spearheads cost? Do you really think I "Mr Cheapseats" would shoot reefs or coral? DUH!!!

If you are going to catch fish for dinner the simple rule is be responsible....Harvest only for your needs.

It gets a lot harder where store bought fish is concerned...Commercial fishing is pretty much a rape/pillage affair and profit is the only rule that matters. So if you think the fish you buy at the local market is harvested in any sort of "Green" manner you might want to Google the term Bycatch and see just how wrong that thought is.

Speaking of Phil Bolger and Friends...

Phil Bolger and Susanne Altenburger AKA Phil Bolger and Friends have been in the news recently regarding their Green concepts for boats and where they might be a big help to the struggling fishing industry. Check out the article as always when Phil and Susanne say something it tends to make a whole lot of sense...

My place in the food chain part 1

I've been trying to make sense of my quiver of fishing and spear fishing gear on So It Goes and truth be told I have the too much stuff but sure could use some more blues...Has anyone ever actually had enough fishing gear?

Fishing from sailboats is partly art partly skill but mainly it is simply just having to remember to do it sort of thing. Face it the people who catch fish...fish.

Of course I hear a lot of complaints from cruisers who never seem to catch anything but I find if you ask them it mostly turns out that they very very seldom drag a line behind the boat...Well yeah that would be a good cause for not catching anything!

Of course another reason for not catching stuff is that most lures are designed for trolling at speeds a whole lot faster than the speeds done by most boats and those high price fish seduction machines with the rattles, sexy skirts and the come hither jet streams of bubbles at five knots just seem to look a lot like that geeky girl at the dance that no one wants to dance with and the Mahi Mahi and Wahoo have no intention of filling out her dance card either.

I have been meaning for a while to try out some of the offerings at Hawaii Fishing Lures who actually understand that fishing from sailboats is a bit different than ripping fishlips off from fifty foot custom sports fisherman with a gazillion teasers and suchlike trolling at eighteen knots. HFL has a dedicated section on Sailboat fishing which includes a very concise but excellent primer on fishing from sailboats. Certainly worth checking them out.

On the spearfishing front I just picked up a new three piece pole spear from Ray Odor who just may be selling one of the best bargains around these days. The spear is well built handsome and packs a wallop...Of course not to say I was not sorely tempted by the wonderful Gat Ku spears but will be buying one of the Gat Ku slip-tips and paralyzer tips which should round out my triggerless spearfishing quiver quite nicely!

Speaking of triggerless ( Pole spears and slings) there is something of a renewed interest these days as many places are putting restrictions and bans on speargun hunting ( a very misguided thing by the way) so if you care to be selective about what you catch triggerless is the way to go...Now days I reserve the use of my band gun for blue water and pelagic fish off soundings which is the best of both worlds.