I don’t know how many readers are old enough to remember the “lady’s choice” at high school dances but it warrants an explanation. In order to solicit some foot traffic on the floor the DJ would announce ladies choice unleashing Aggressive Alice or Reckless Rita who would march across the uncomfortable gymnasium void to collar a boy. You never said “no” to a girl or Mrs. O’Connell would pinch your ear. Thankfully it’s been ages since women depended on men for their choices and some of my best days on the water were guiding woman and young girls who took to fishing like a duck to water.
A few did not just adapt they excelled and some went onto become noteworthy anglers or professional charter skippers. Although most of the women I’ve guided had no intention of becoming professional anglers, I’ve received emails and calls from some of their partners who reported being quite comfortable with their wife or girlfriend as their first mate. One wealthy New York woman initially turned me off because she thought I was onboard to serve her water, snacks and drinks. She became jealous while I was teaching her grandson how to bait hooks, net fish and handle a conventional rod and reel. Let’s just say we didn’t hit it off until the end of the day when she noticed her grandson having a wonderful time.
She asked to participate so I moved to Isabella Beach to ease her into fishing and she fell in love with the feel and satisfaction of having a fluke on the line and then in the net which translated to inviting her girlfriends over for a meal of fresh fish that she actually harvested. After numerous requests, and a generous increase in my fee, I reluctantly agreed to take her and two girlfriends fluke fishing off Fishers Island in her family vessel. The girls came aboard wearing shorts, Polos and new Sperry deck shoes. We had a great day; they brought great snacks and although I informed her that her husband had already paid for the trip she provided a very generous gratuity.
That day ended with dinner at the posh Old Saybrook Fish House. The exact opposite of the aforementioned situation began 5 years ago when I was invited to a charity auction for a charter skipper’s child who was critically ill. I was asked to donate a trip for the auction which Captain BJ Silvia and I teamed up on and that’s when I met Eileen Faxon. She bid $1200 for the trip which jump-started the auction. Although I’d never met her I’d seen her at angling events and viewed her name on leaderboards along the Southcoast so I was aware that she was an experienced and successful angler.
We finally sailed out of Portsmouth, RI and enjoyed a great day of striper fishing from upper Narragansett Bay to the open ocean. She was right at home on deck and didn’t need any help from either me or the skipper unless it was netting one of her stripers. We learned that Eileen is a charter member of the Blue Water Anglers and has competed in numerous tournaments earning various awards and prizes.
She comes from generations of rugged country stock where she milked cows and netted blueshell crabs along the upper Westport River. She began fishing as an alibi for her father and grandfather who would buy a case of Boh beer, some bait and anchor up in the river while she manned a handline and tried to catch a fish to no avail. She caught her first fish when she was 16 years old while fishing at the Swansea Dam where the panfish pulled the string which provided a pleasurable experience.
Since then her interests have turned to saltwater and she has annually reserved ticket number one for the prestigious Back Eddy fall classic where she has won an annual largest bluefish award. This lady loves casting, particularly surfcasting and the month of September will find her on the south side of the Vineyard tossing lures into the breakers looking for a daily, weekly or the annual prizes for bluefish, bonito or albacore. Her favorite outfit is a custom Zack Richardson spinning rod with a top of the line Shimano reel. She also fishes her clubs annual tourney chartering a boat out of Block Island. A few years ago they began running into sharks at one of their most productive bass holes and even though that spot had provided numerous trophy bass she insists on avoiding it because she will not subject any more stripers to the saw-toothed denizens that prowl what she now refers to as the SHARK PIT. She kindly acknowledged that her favorite lure is her tried and true AOK silver metal in 2 ounces that she has caught numerous species with.
