Fishing in Woods Hole: Northwest Gutter

No, this is not about the movie or related to the movie salmon fishing in the yemen. This is about me going fishing and swimming with friends/lab mates after passing my quals. After studying for months, having tense muscles from trying not to think negative and going to sleep with my mind still riotously wide awake, I had a bit of relieve when the post-doc in the lab invited us (by us I mean myself and the summer student who is now actually a part-time member of the lab) to come fishing and swimming with him. We said sure. You see, working in the lab in a place like Woods Hole is not a big deal in the winter. In the summer, it's almost torture to look out the window and see the water spread as far as your eyes can see, sail boats, speed boats and yes canoes, bopping up and down the blue water.

But you can't really go out as you wish, because you are in the lab, working on a planned experiment. Yes, you can walk by the harbor after lunch, or sit by the park and watch summer hoarders and tourists act silly, but to actually go swimming or fishing or picnicking takes a little bit of time and planning and shelving the lab work, at least for an afternoon.

Woods Hole is blue and green all summer and very white all winter

So yes, when the suggestion for fishing came up, we said yes without thinking twice. Well, we had to plan experiments so that we had a bit of free time that Thursday afternoon. And so we got ready with fishing rods and hooks shaped like exotic fish and eels, dusted off the swim suits, lathered on sunscreen, packed some beer with ice, and off we go. 

It was most enjoyable, the wind was cool against the sun stinging rays. We went around the lab and under the drawbridge and into the distance. We glided on smooth waters and slowed around rocky waves. I didn't bring my camera, so we took pictures using our summer, now part-time students' camera phone.

                                                  

I tried my hands at fishing and was not very successful. I saw crabs and small schools of fish sprinting in the shallow water and got scared of swimming. I am paranoid and I was so sure one of those bubbly jellies would get around my feet. I did walk around for a while and lots of tiny fish nibbled at my feet.

The post-doc in the lab caught a blue fish. He likes fishing, so no surprise there. He cleaned out the fish and we all got some piece. I made pepper soup out of mine. Incredible! I think I will prepare it for the lab someday. An afternoon out swimming (well, I didn't really swim) and fishing (well, I didn't really catch) is exactly the fun thing to do right after months of quals study.

Woods Hole is really beautiful. I sometimes complain about not having a car to get around. I wish I could easily get to Harwich and Bourne and Hyannis more often. But within the small, academic village of Woods Hole, I still find immense exploration possible. I can walk to small rivers and sit and enjoy the quiet. I can catch the ferry to Martha's Vineyard in minutes if I wanted to, I can walk to Nobska Lighthouse and others in less than an hour. There is so much I get to do in the little village of Woods Hole and so much more to do and see still.

Woods Hole is a pretty little place that I complain about, yet enjoy immensely.