Crabbing!

Yesterday I went out crabbing with my grandfather for the first run of the season. The weather was spectacular out on the Chesapeake Bay, and though other crabbers had taken his usual spots, we still found somewhere to lay our lines. Watching the sun come up on the bay is an amazing experience... the sun is reflected in a thousand tiny mirrors, amplified over and over. It comes up red and burning, and the sunrise is always spectacular. The wind coming off the bay is always a little chilly and also a little warm, making the entire thing an experience not to be lightly forgotten. As we drove out over the water at 5:30 AM, right before the sun came fully up, I chanced to see an osprey flying above with a fish in it's clutches, perfectly silhouetted against the sky. Fish leaped out of the water, water birds called to each other and flew off the water as our boat disturbed them. I even saw a very rare (in the bay at least) horseshoe crab.

We laid three "trot" lines (I'm not actually sure if this is "trout" or "trot" since I have only ever heard it spoken) with chicken necks tied up their lengths, and detergent  containers as floats on the end. We caught them up and ran them over a roller on the side of the boat, allowing my grandfather and I to take turns dipping them out of the water with a net. Leaning over the boat as far as possible without falling in, we dove after the crabs as they were pulled up, clinging to their chicken necks. Blue and shimmering, the females with bright red claws, they are agile swimmers and beautiful to behold. Each and every crab gets measured to make sure it is a legal size; if not, it is tossed overboard to live another day.

All in all we got 2 bushels of crabs, and called it in a little early due to the crabs ceasing to come up at a good pace. I always have a wonderful day out with my grandfather. He is one of my favorite people, and I adore his silly humor and loving personality. Crabbing with him is one of my all-time favorite activities, both because I thoroughly enjoy the experience as a whole, and also because it is a solid day that I get to spend with just him.