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The Dark Wave - Winter Update

This is a copy of our second email update in January 2021:


Greetings denizens of the deep, As numbers of Covid cases continue to remain high during this winter season, we will keep waiting for a slightly safer time to hold outdoor group events. In the meantime, here are some wet and slimy updates. The striper run moves continually deeper into the delta and fewer are caught in the San Pablo Bay, but an occasional fish has been landed at the Vallejo waterfront, even a couple halibut, which is a sign of high salinity in the late-season. This week's rain should change that, and improve conditions for sturgeon fishing. Sturgeon can be caught from Eckley Pier if you don't have a boat, but you will need a special validation to your fishing license. It is a living dinosaur and has low levels of mercury, making it a great fish to eat! Order your fishing license and extras online: Online License Sales and Services (ca.gov) Les Claypool knows...

For the upcoming windy and rainy days, The Dark Wave recommends staying inside and watching Dagon (2001). From IMDB: "Based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, the undisputed master of the macabre, Dagon tells the story of Paul Marsh, a young man who discovers that the truth will not set him free. Instead it condemns him to a waking nightmare of unrelenting horror. A boating accident off the coast of Spain sends Paul and his girlfriend Barbara to the decrepit fishing village of Imboca looking for help. As night falls, people start to disappear and things not quite human start to appear. Paul finds himself pursued by the entire town. Running for his life, he uncovers Imboca's dark secret: that they pray to Dagon, a monstrous god of the sea. And Dagon's unholy offspring are freakish half-human creatures on the loose in Imboca..." This is a film that feels straight out of nightmares, moving like a haunted house ride and permeated deeply with mold and slime. And it's campy. They even make it sexy, if you're into that sort of thing, and I think you are ;) Watch it for free on Tubi Dagon 2001

Did you know that once a year, millions of herring run through the bay to spawn? It's an orgy of mindblowing magnitude. Remember orgies? They'r emaking up for your lost time. The herring are out there right now squirting so much milt (sperm) into the water that it can become milky and the smell of fish sex wafts inland. It happens in localized areas for a couple of hours or a couple of days, and then moves on to another spot. There are only one or two places to get them from a public pier, and most people use cast nets to scoop them up from rocky shorelines. The eggs deposited on seaweed and eel grass are crunchy and delicious. Even if you do not have a net or fishing license, it's super fun to see it happening. Here's someone else's excellent video of the spot I caught them over the weekend. Biggest social event of the season!


Those are my fish in the cooler above. It was much slower the day I went, only a couple of fish in the net every 3 or 4 casts. They are tasty little things, and great bait for halibut and striper in the spring. I also prepared them for baking and pickling.


If anyone is inspired to bring art to the next event in the form of a ritual to summon Dagon, other elder/ocean goods, and the dark arts in general as they pertain to fishing - let's coordinate. Maybe some ritual objects as decor to start? Not to take seriously, but to create an environment. This artist has an Etsy shop with fun prints that are good inspiration. Zarono - House of the Necromancer


That's it for now. Keep working on your outfits and stay safe. We have big plans for "after-Covid" including some goth club/fishing-afterparty excursions for people that want to pull an all-nighter and see the scales shining on their lace gloves at sunrise.


Fishy kisses,

Becky

The Dark Wave

 
 
 

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