The Rhythm of the River

I think I had last written in the calm before the storm. It had been around 5 days since I began the pre-season, and Jesus Christ those people were strong. It wasn't necessarily the most incredible workout. It was that it was constant.

The Opener

Take the day before, for example. We began at 9 PM. We set nets, picked them, pulled them through the boat, took them to the tenders, then back to the cabin. We got to the cabin around 12:30 AM, ate, and got back out there till around 3 AM. Then we woke up at 11-ish to go to the boats and begin the whole process over again.

It was usually a 17-hour window to fish, allowed by Fish and Game and our fishery, Peter Pan. During that time the beginning, the "openers," was the most important. After that you did the usual: setting, pulling fish, and resetting. Then you took a break for food or coffee or a short nap, and got back out there till it closed. And the cycle continued.

Being New

You ever been new at something? It's a bittersweet thing.

The downsides are your ignorance and trying not to fuck up. Having someone explain things to you at a basic level, although they're not condescending, makes you feel small. Like a child listening to what the grownups have to say and just going along. And there were the mistakes that could be made, especially out there where profit and safety were involved. I was constantly checking the few things I had learned, trying to repeat them to myself, which made me mentally and physically tired.

But I wasn't trying to be negative. The good things about being new: it expanded my perception. Learning in general helps you learn better later because you can relate it to something. It made me feel young. It's always rough to be stagnant. It prevented the time from just slipping away.

There was generally a sense of accomplishment. When I started recognizing patterns and being able to do things without being reminded, that was a huge step. Plus it's more enjoyable doing rather than knowing.

The First Days

I woke up the next day. It was more of the same. We fixed those little things we needed to be comfortable. We unloaded the rest of the boat's valuables, mostly food and other materials we needed to survive comfortably in that cold and wet place.

The rain came and went. Nothing too harsh yet, but enough to make you conscious of it. I did love the pitter-patter from the roof. It was nice because it was a break from the mosquitoes trying to swarm you. The bad thing was it created more still water for the larvae to hatch.

We fixed and organized the cabin. Side note: "Swamp" was the name of the cabin most of the guys slept in. Creative!

Afterwards I got my first nibble of what that upcoming summer would bring. We suited up, which meant sweatpants, normal underwear, a T-shirt, a sweater, a hat. That became my regular uniform. Then we put on the suit: neoprene chest-high waders that kept me waterproof, gloves, and a rain jacket.

That day we just got the nets ready and did some minor things out on the boats. Turned them, moved them. But to me it was still all an adventure. And so far I enjoyed that type of weather. I wasn't used to it, and honestly all of it felt manly.

I had all my suit on so I was fairly dry except for my face. Whether we were on the shore or the river I could feel the small rain droplets hit my face and the cool ocean breeze pass through my beard. It felt marvelous. Like I was doing something right, something useful.

We returned. The same routine happened: clean, make food, tell jokes, grab a beer, go to bed.

Preparation

I was given an extra blanket so I slept well that time. I think I overslept because when I woke up we had to run and get suited up. I put on that clumpy gear and got back out onto the water.

Same feeling of fulfillment. We got to jump onto boats from the shore, or from boat to boat, all very fun. In the end we took the boats out to the deep end because when the time came to actually go fishing the tide would be low and we could walk through the mud to get there.

It was the period between our preparation and go time. Our bellies had been filled and we were supposed to be relaxing because we were most likely going to be out fishing for 17 hours.

Our time to fish was coordinated by the fishery we worked for and the Fish and Game commission. I was still extremely ignorant of what was going on. The guys had been doing a good job helping ease me in. There were many things they said to try and prepare me, and I hoped I would know what they meant when the time came.

I tried to rest and do what I could to prepare for the storm.