So, here we are – another birthday party for our great country has come and gone – and now the 5th of July has just about closed down for the night.  It was a very long, but wonderful day on the crystal clear blue water of Redfish Bay.  When the alarm went off at 5: 00 a.m. (aka O’Dark Thirty) it was tough not hit the snooze button more than four times – but knowing that Fred (aka TrailBoss) had the boat ready to go with poles and provisions for a day of fishing.  The goal for today was to catch enough trout and redfish to provide dinner for the gang down here at the Coast.

We did have a good day on the water – what is it that they say . . . a bad day fishing beats a good day in the office!  Brian landed two reds while Jean brought in a snapper and two trouts.  In between a couple of hardheads, a black tipped shark and a couple of rat reds found their way to onto our hooks.  All in all it so great to be out on the water.

Our real excitement was when while fishing off the coast of Dagger Island, a VERY large ship was moving across the ship channel and as result sent a VERY large wake heading our way.  Now keep in mind this ship was like 3 miles away from us – so as the wake gained momentum it grew in size and speed.  In less than 20 seconds we were hit with not one, but two 3-4 foot waves that set us on our toes and the boat to more than a 45 degree angle.  Luckily, and we mean VERY luckily, Fred had hollered at Brian to get the anchor up and in lightning speed mission was accomplished and although hit broadside we managed to stay right side up – Jean must admit that she’s never had a wave crash over her shoulder-high while standing on a boat.  Brian was on the downside and managed to hit the deck before being drenched.  A big thank you to our Heavenly Father for making sure we survived to fish another day.

As crazy as it sounds, within a minute of the above excitement was over the seas returned to normal.  We continued to fish for about 5 more hours.  Again – it was a great day to be on the water AND it was a wonderful meal was enjoyed by all.

For tonight’s wine we ventured into the HEB in Portland and found an interesting label called Arrogant Frog – aka Lily Pad Red.  The 2010 blend is a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  The wine is French in origin and although our great nation has received many a nice gift from our neighbors – this wine is one that we would most likely return and not ask for seconds.  Upon opening it has a tart, musty, earthy smell and the taste puckered up our lips so quickly that our heads spun.  The finish came and went quick as a snap – translation – going, going, gone.  As you can probably guess – this wine will not make the Bondy Deck Wine list.

Welp, time for bed – O’Dark Thirty returns in a few short hours and these two fisherpeople are needing some rest.  Have a wonderful evening, and as always remember to enjoy responsibly and recycle whenever possible.