Normally I like to kick off Memorial day with a camping trip but graduations got in the way. So, Thelma and Randy with newbie Mark met Debra and I  at South Beach Saturday morning. Off to Meatballs baiterie for a half scoop of pinners. Word from the baitman was a Saturday snap at Elephant Rock for linesides.  Weather was near perfect with 15 kts max predicted.

I wish I got more use out of her but I love my boat.

Relatively weak tides had me hoping for butts. We scoped the reefs around Alcatraz but set up on the west side of Angel. No dice and off to Southampton. Met  half the fleet there. I hooked a nice striper off the bow but broke a hook in half due to operator error/excessive enthusiasm. Next drift produced a keeper for Randy and Thelma’s dinner.

Of to the NW tip of Treasure Island for many exciting drifts amongst the throngs. Lots of linesides volunteering for BBQ duty but they avoided our stuff. Randy hooked two weird baitfish I could not identify?

Wind waves caused two beers to spill so we wound them up and headed to lunch. We lunched/mooched in the lee at Paradise but I know better than to camp there because naps soon follow. Back to the shoals and Richmond harbor entrance. Off to Red Rock for some interesting rocky drifts producing nothing but sharks.

As we headed back  south I spied with my glass eye a gaggle of party boats near Racoon straits.

We drifted in combat conditions for an hour watching many small stripers come to the net but we remained untouched.

Back to the dock by 5:00.

Debra and I stayed aboard Sunday night. I like South Beach harbor but miss the North Beach vibe we had at P39. Dinner at Salt House. We are talking Poutine. Look it up. Watched the Secret Life of Walter Mitty (weak!) and missed the meteor shower.

Next morning we had breakfast at Epicenter Cafe on Harrison (2 thumbs up) and back to the brickyard for a miserable Cubs victory.