Originally, this blog entry was to be titled "What I did on my Christmas Vacation," and the video was going to showcase me and my buddies banging ling, cod, and pollack in the frosty seas off New Jersey. However, a bum offshore forecast and severe lack of fish changed the plan. Although I wasn't going to post this, I put the video together anyway as a documentary of real-life fishing, which so often results in trampled hopes and destroyed expectations that were high in the first place because of shear stupidity. Besides, if you want to see loads of fish being caught, go watch Bill Dance. I keep it real.

Two notes about this video: One, my favorite part is my friend Chris standing on a icy bow in 7 to 8 foot seas, in 25 mph winds gusting to 35, trying to hang on while also attempting to execute the dropping of an anchor I swear is heavy enough to hold a boat three times the size of the one we were on. We enjoyed this from the relative safety of the cabin. And two, I promise my feet were numb during the entire filming, and my optimism and vigor in the beginning while filming at 4:15 a.m. are just as genuine as my complete demoralization and extreme fatigue while filming back at the marina at 3 p.m. Give me an "AMEN" if you've had trips like this. Enjoy!

JC

http://fieldandstream.blogs.com/honestangler/2008/12/cermele-putting-it-to-bed.html