For those who don't know, the Alworths are absolutely ADDICTED to fishing. It's our thing. An Alworth child is raised to be out in the water, in a boat, with a pole in hand. On the Cape, of course :)
My dad refers to himself as the King of All Things Fishing. When I was 12 or so, I asked when I would deserve such a cool title, since at time, I was still Worm Girl. My dad told me once I caught a "keeper" (a Striped Bass at least 28 inches long, gotta keep it legal), I could earn a new title. The next summer, I got my first keeper fish! So I've been the Rock Goddess of All Things Fishing since then, and we've been on the hunt for a new Worm Person.
Enter Judd.
Judd finally got to spend a week up at the Cape this year! The last few times he's been, he's only gotten to go for a couple of days, so he hasn't had all the awesome experiences you just have to have while you're there. And since Judd had not caught a keeper at that point, my dad and I decided he was Worm Boy.
So what does a Worm Boy do? Dig for bait!
Not any worm will work. Striped Bass like sea worms, which leave a distinctive trail when the tide goes out. They are angry looking creatures, you can't miss their evil fangs, especially when you get bit.
You could go out and buy these worms, but that's cheating. Then you have Fake Worms, which means you displease the Fish Gods, and they will frown on you (yes, my family takes this stuff semi-seriously. We also believe the fish need to be sung to, so we make up ridiculous fish songs to try and lure them in). So the way to prove you are a real person of All Things Fishing is to dig them yourself.
And as Judd learned, it's strenuous work! My dad and I critiqued as he took the rake to the wet sand.
I stepped in to show Judd how it was done. But I'm wimpy, so I didn't last long ;)
Eventually, we had enough worms and a workout to last us the day! My dad was thrilled, he really wants to make sure the important traditions get passed down, haha.
I've learned the hard way that cameras and boats don't get along. So all these pictures are from the dock afterward.
And as you can see, the hard worm work, plus HOURS at sea were all worth it! Dad, Judd, and I all brought home a keeper!
This Striper is about 31 inches. Judd's was 32, and my dad's was 34. We have an extended family competition each year over this. The person who gets the biggest fish that year gets their name on a plaque and they get to keep a shiny fish trophy for a year! I won about 5 years ago with a 41 1/2 inch fish. So far, Dad is in the lead this year! We'll see what happens when all the aunts and uncles get to the Cape this weekend for their turn.
Judd of course was thrilled to catch his first keeper! He's still working on his official All Things Fishing name since he has progressed from Worm Boy. We tried to make them kiss, but I think they had other things on their minds.
It's okay, we'll do the kissing.
The best part about catching your own fish is eating it for dinner that night. We had a HUGE group to feed at our house, and we still had too much fish. Luckily the most awesome family EVER (Geigers) took about half of it, so everyone wins.
I have a crazy amount of Cape Cod pictures, so I think it's easier if I break them up into categories. But since fishing is the best, it had to go first!
