We’re on standby for herring these days. All the signs are in place: restless sea lions cruise the beach, seabirds flock on the water, including the bonaparte’s gull, which we only seem to see when the herring are around. Porpoises appear more often, loons fish off the rocks, and humpback whales, though still somewhat scarce, have begun to appear. I fully expected the run to start after a recent south wind, but so far, the shoals have yet to appear right off our beach.
That’s good. We’re anxious to see them, but other chores are keeping us busy these days, particularly cutting and hauling firewood, and planting the garden. I have yet to overhaul the nets, which I should be doing instead of writing this. Still, I find the time now and then to grab a pair of polarized sunglasses and wander down to the water’s edge to peer into the depths. And, I might just take a little time off from the usual chores to do a bit of casting. The Dolly Vardens show up about the same time as the herring, maybe a few will come out early, who knows? A fresh fish dinner would be welcome after the long winter.