Going fishing

After arriving at the Gros Morne campground on the 16th, a couple of us were able to set up an early morning fishing trip with a local cod fisherman. The residents of Newfoundland are now allowed to take 5 cod per day (up to 15 cod in the boat) during the month of August. At 0630, three of us went out with the local man and his wife into the North Atlantic about a mile from Rocky Harbor so we could jig for cod.
We could only use heavy hand lines dropped to 20-22 fathoms to jig. The current was running hard and we drifted off the fish very quickly so boat captain was constantly raising the dragging anchor and repositioning us over the deep water.
Between us we only caught 8 of the 15 fish allowed before heading back to the harbor. That jigging is hard work and if you get a cod on, it’s like catching Alaskan halibut! You’re pulling up the heavy weighted jig and a non-swimming fish. Oh, but fresh cod is so very good to eat!! This is a photo of the crew skinning the cod.
We have also purchased a couple pounds of mussels at $1.29/pound, so Karen is in Heaven!! Somebody in the caravan suggested we have a fish fry for dinner so the ladies went down to the local fish market and purchased enough fish to feed us all. The men cooked it all up and we had a great social dinner. We had catfish, cod and salmon along with all the various pot luck items everyone provided. Then unknown to us, the wagon masters made arrangements for local entertainment to bring the day to a close.