It’s all about fishing!

Fishing, fishing, fishing.

My father, Joe LaPlace, a master commercial fisherman of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands readily encouraged us to join him on his daily fishing excursions. This remained true throughout our childhood and adult lives.

The choice of fishing adventure was usually determined by wind and weather.

Netting, floating, trapping and bait catching are at the top of the list for most local fishermen. Long lining, drifting, trolling, whelk and conch diving, spear fishing and of course bamboo rod and ballyhooing are fun and in today’s market can be quite lucrative.

The pressures and demands of a fisherman having to provide for his large family meant that when not fishing you were either selling fish or preparing for the next trip.

Chores were endless. Mending nets, making traps, filling bait baskets, rigging hooks, restringing new hand lines, charging batteries, clearing ropes, securing anchor chains, making lead weights, making ice, cleaning coolers, sharpening knives, cutting finger guards, checking flash lights…the list goes on and on.

I especially liked when dad was relaxed on our porch mending holes in the net. His large tanned frame was surrounded by piles of sun bleached seine. The gentle breeze from the east always found its way from across the bay and cooled our sunned skin. It was a great time to ask questions and plot out our next fishing trip. He was the smartest man I knew when it came to fishing. Turns out the United States Congress thought so too. He was awarded the very first life time commercial fishing license ever given to a US citizen.