FISHING IS GETTING BETTER

This week has been great for fishing! Usually the water at the beach in Jabi is a little bit murky, but the last few days have been amazingly clear and I was able to try some spear fishing! I did nail a few small ones mostly because things look bigger underwater, and because the small ones didn't take off as fast as the big ones. This was the biggest fish I caught spear fishing, I'm not going to show you the pictures of the other ones; they were really tiny! Today Carmen and I went to "Radio Tower Island" and did some fishing in the morning. As usual, I don't realize how long I am spending out in the sun, and got totally burned. I also had one small fish sting me and it hurt a lot; it felt like a bee sting and my finger started to swell up, but after an hour or so it was back to normal. I threw all of the fish I caught back because I kind of felt like I was fishing in an aquarium; they have some amazing colors on them! Today was a good day for fishing, and I caught 5!

Carmen and I are going to go swimming at the beach tonight. I'm hoping that the water is clear enough to take the spear; there is a nice little reef really close to us. This time I want to only get big ones, no more small ones because they are easy!

I've noticed that all of the small fish are in close to shore, so on our vacation we have been talking about doing some deep sea fishing! Who knows what will happen...stay tuned...

RAINY DAY FISHING

There is nothing quite like a rainy day in Sumatra. Sunday is the only day that Carmen and I have off work, so we decided to head for "radio tower" island rain or shine in the early morning. We don't know what the proper name for the island is, since it is so small, but it has a large tower on it, so "radio tower island" seems to fit.

The day wasn't going as planned; I broke out in the night with a rash all over my body (some sort of reaction to the heat or something I ate). I was quite miserable with the rash and lack of sleep, so we decided to wait for the afternoon to head to the island. After an anti-histamine my rash disappeared, but when we went to leave a big thunderstorm was starting. Well, as I said before, rain or shine, so we went fishing in the rain. It was great because it was the first time since being here that we have felt the slightest bit cold! Yes, we had chattering teeth, and we loved it, it was great and refreshing. I got lucky and hooked into a nice fish (shrimp for bait works well), and after 45 minutes of toughing it out in the rain we left for home. I cooked the fish Canadian style, with lime, onion, and black pepper. It was really good, but kind of small! Oh well, I'm having better luck now! This Saturday night I'm going Lobster fishing with one of our local staff who knows the area; it should be a lot of fun. Until next time...

MEMORIES FROM LAST SEASON

Being in Indonesia is great, don't get me wrong, but sometimes it's the little things in life that you miss. For Me, I miss hanging out with the boyz! Scotty, Zank, Dan, Tim, Andy, & Let's not forget Marty! You Guys Rule, it would be fun to hang out again! The other things I miss are home cooked meals,Tim Hortons, and the adventures of the hunting season. Hunting with my Dad, Clark, Hartwig & Tina made the last season a good one. I feel so blessed to have such great friends and family to share these experiences with. I love being outdoors in God's great creation, and having the privilage to bring meat to the table.

Clark and Guiness were good company, especially chasing ruffed grouse on Mt. Aarowsmith, too bad the big blue grouse always seem to evade us! Sometimes we were lucky enough to bag two! Guiness was a star in hunting ducks and made several good retrieves in the water, although he wasn't too fond of blackberry bushes. I wish Clark would show him the difference between a duck and a dead salmon (oh well, and least we didn't have to get wet)! Dad and I went on our first BIG hunting trip this year, and it was a trip that I will never forget! It was the first time either of us had been to Nothern BC, and it was amazing country! We caught some big fish, saw lots of animals, and had some excellent hikes in the backcountry!Neither one of us got to shoot off our cannons, but we bagged a few grouse and Dad got a lot of naps. Above is a typical group of Mounatin Caribou that weren't legal but were fun to see and take pictures of. Clark was fortunate enough to get his first moose this year! It was his first big game animal and everyone was proud of him, although Dad wishes he would buy his own tags next year!

Clark wasn't the only one to bag his first big game animal last season. As it turns out I drew a LEH tag for a Mule Deer Doe and Hartwig and I hunted two weekends in a row in Lone Butte to find one. I was able to drop my first deer in one shot to the neck from about 25 yards, and the only thing I could think to say was, "I got one"! It was a great hunt and I'm very proud of my first deer, thanks Hartwig and Tina!!! The great thing about going up to my In-Law's Place is that Hartwig and Tina know the area well. This season was good for them and more than one deer got put in the freezer. Now, my father-in-law doesn't like to boast, so I'll do that for him, and say that he's a good hunter. Here is a nice three point he got this year.

Carmen also shot her first grouse this year, and I can honestly say that I'm more proud of her than she is of herself. She went hunting with a .22 with her mom, and shot the grouse in the neck with one shot! Then she felt bad when she saw it flop and I wonder if it will be hard to get her to go hunting with me in the future! Carmen I love you, you make me a happy man!

These are some of the memories that I have of the hunting season and I am looking forward to coming home during the next one! Too bad the boys from the island don't have their licences! Matt Neilson, I haven't given up on you yet! Remember where we are planning to go in the Fall of 2010!

FISHIN' AGAIN

Well, I don't have much of a story to tell. I haven't really caught many fish although I have tried to. Today Carmen and I walked to a local island, it's knee deep water, so we just wade over. I brought my fishing rod, and managed to snag a small fish for bait. After that I just caught bottom...
Last week I was more fortunate. I caught a small grouper with my fishing rod, and managed to spear a small fish with my Hawaiian sling. The funny thing about the sling was that I was aiming for a larger fish but missed, and ended up getting a small one! Since I haven't been catching much I think I will just buy them instead...lobster here is cheap!