FISHING WITH CAPT. STEVE CHACONAS ON THE POTOMAC RIVER - I CAUGHT MY FIRST FISH -- LQQK!!

My fishing line kept getting caught on grass or dead logs under the water. I was used to occasional tension. What I WASN'T used to was the line suddenly WIGGLING BACK! OMG -- I CAUGHT MY FIRST FISH EVER!! You can see the video of the big catch below a few.

But let me back up! Last weekend, Ben, my nephew Zach, and I went fishing with Captain Steve Chaconas, National Bass Guide Service. I wasn't sure what I was in for; I had never been fishing before (save for trying it once from a pond at Camp Scuffy when I was 6, fishing with bread crumbs...)

We climbed aboard his Skeeter boat -- how SWANK! It has all kinds of compartments under the floor boards -- spots for everything -- even our lunches. We got the low down on safety, Zach was told (a few times) to always remain seated when the boat was in motion, and then we were off. But first we spotted a really cool Osprey Nest near the Belle Haven Marina. Have a look below!


Captain Steve has all types of fishing lures -- NO LIVE BAIT (and that is PRECISELY how this meteorologist likes it!) Some make a rattling noise, some reflect the sun, some wiggle when your reel them in. All of them come in pretty colors. He explains them to us in this next piece of video...


The first catch of the day was reeled in by Big Ben. We were specifically looking for Large Mouth Bass. That is exactly what Ben found. I had my camera rolling...

Between the two of us, Ben and I have four cats. So a catfish is an appropriate catch, don't you think? Ben was on a roll -- it was his second fish of the day. In the video below, Captain Steve explains which part of this fish is kind of not so safe to touch (and it is not what you may have heard) and answers the question "Do you eat fish?" -- Interesting answer ahead in the video below!

In this next video, Zach helped Capt. Steve reel in a small Large Mouth Bass (doesn't that sound funny?) It was begging to be touched....so I gave it a try... kind of. Well, just have a look...


I don't know if I was more surprised or the fish dangling before me was more surprised at what happened! Of course, it wasn't what we were looking for (that would have been okay if it was a snakehead.) A little bitty yellow perch was the fruit of my standing in the rain for 7 hours. But it was nice and stripey and I liked its yellow color. When my line initially got pulled (again I thought it was the sea grass playing keepsies with me) I tugged and then it TUGGED BACK. This sent a shock sensation up my arms, through my heart and into my brain. My brain translated this as "you have a fish on the end of that line and in a way YOU ARE TOUCHING A FISH!" So, I spazzed out and pretty much threw the fishing poll at Ben and told him to "take care of it!" and I proceeded to jump behind the steering wheel of the Skeeter! It was THRILLING and scary, and yucky and OH-I-SO-WANT-TO-DO-THAT-AGAIN! Here's my spastic video below:
WE HAD A BLAST FISHING WITH CAPTAIN STEVE! If you are interested in taking a professional, guided fishing trip, you can visit his website BY CLICKING HERE.

FAVORITE PARTS:

• Learning how to cast. I love this!
• Going SUPER FAST over the water in his boat -- you have to wear sunglasses even if it's raining so the rain or bugs don't hurt your eyes... 2/3 of the boat is actually not touching the water when you go faaaaaaast.
• WILDLIFE -- We saw Osprey and their nests, a King Fisher bird, a turtle (with his neck just sticking above the water like a periscope), and a beaver (lots of other birds too!)
• TOUCHING A FISH! -- I touched an iddy bitty bit of the very tippy end for about a nano second!

IN SEARCH OF SNAKEHEADS

I love my job because I get to meet the most interesting people. I can't quite remember how I met CAPTAIN STEVE CHACONAS, I think he emailed me inquiring about a forecast for a fishing trip a year ago, but I can't be sure. Anyway, Capt. Steve is a master fisherman. (Is that a correct term?) In search of bass? Head out with Capt. Steve.
But what is interesting is that lately, his business is taking a turn towards snakehead hunting. Have you heard of these things? If you haven't, you must be new to the area. Here's the skinny: There are two theories as to how these natives from northern China and northern Korea landed in north America -- either someone emptied some with the desire to fish them at a later date or an aquarium got rid of some because they might have been overwhelmed by their size. (This is according to an article I read by Rita Zeidner Special to Inside Smithsonian Research).
Why the concern about snakeheads? Simple: these fish are voracious eaters, often feeding on other fish's young. They tend to move in and take over. No fun for the native species. Have I mentioned their TEETH? CHOMP CHOMP. How would you like those things nibbling on your toes as you rest them over the side of your kayak? The truly unique feature that FREAKS me out and intrigues me at the same time is that these things can breathe oxygen. So, if a pond dries up, they can wriggle (walk) across land for up to 3 days to find another source of water. So, like the cockroach, they don't give up on life very easily.

(SIDE NOTE: I can't believe I can eat a breakfast sandwich as I write this blog and post these pictures!)

Alright...stay tuned for a future update about my snakehead hunting fishing trip with Capt. Steve, Big Ben, and my nephew Zach. I'll be sure to shoot some video (and not fall overboard!)

FLIMSY FLIP FLOPS and an EARTHWORM ALERT

Here we go again...

SPRING RAIN floods out the little boroughs of our NECESSARY - BUT - OH - SO - SLIMY little friends: THE EARTHWORM!

YIKES in all it's capital letter and MEANT - TO - BE - HYPED glory!

It's not easy to avoid these little fleeing, workers of the soil. Don't get me wrong -- I know how important earthworms are. REALLY, I do. I just don't want to see them. LET ALONE POSSIBLY STEP ON THEM IN MY BARELY THERE FLIP FLOPS (that I soooo got on sale at H&M for $5 last month - shut up!) If there is one thing that can stop me cold in my tracks it is noticing a parking lot full of earthworms and the seemingly a p p r o a c h i n g infinity distance between that spot where I freeze and my parked car OVER YONDER.

Luckily for me, when this happened on Sunday, Big Ben was nearby (we had taken separate cars to a church lunch) and my handsome fiance came to my rescue and safely escorted me to my car in the Giant Parking Lot. You can watch the video below to see one 1/1000 of what I saw on my way to my car...

What ARE those rubber band things around the earthworm's neck, anyway? Listen to this: Your favorite wack-a-do is volunteering to go fishing with Big Ben, my nephew Zach, and probably the best pro bass fishing guide in a few weeks: Captain Steve Chaconas. A quick look/see over his website did confirm that he uses lures and NOT FRESH BAIT. Phew! But what on earth will I do if we catch the ever elusive snake head??? More to come on Captain Steve and that should-be-fun trip in a few. In the meantime, HEAVENS TO BETSY, don't wear your flip flops in our torrential rain! That is, unless you like brushing up against our little nightcrawlers... EEEEEEWWWWWWWWWW!