FLYING FISH TAILS

ABOUT THE TRIP

It seems like almost every time we encounter a goliath grouper it makes for a memorable story.  I guess they are just naturally inspiring.  The truth is that they are impressive fish and their antics make great stories.

There we were, on yet another one of our favorite grouper spots and I hooked a nice one.  There were only two of us on the boat that day, so I was very vocal about my pending success and my ability to provide sustenance for my family.  The fight was noteworthy, but after a couple of minutes I began to gain line so fast that it didn’t seem right.  Curious about the goings-on in the water, I looked over the side of the boat to see what I could while I continued reeling.  As I expected, a keeper sized grouper was heading up through the water column to our boat.  It appeared to be about 15 feet from the surface and closing rapidly.

What I did not expect to see was an identical copy of that grouper, except 50 times larger, chasing it towards the surface.  The much bigger fish, with its mouth wide open, seemed to be headed at warp speed at my face.  My fight or flight instinct kicked in and I did both.  I reeled as fast as I could and at the same time I screamed like a child and threw myself down on the deck.  Hearing the commotion, my companion turned around at his station on the other side of the boat just in time to see me and the keeper on the deck and the tail of the goliath descending past the gunwale of the boat on its way back down into the water.

I did not know if that several-hundred-pound fish actually cleared the water completely like some terror-stricken mahi-mahi on the end of a line, nor did I care.  I just wanted to ensure that I kept both my grouper and my face intact and I was successful.  My companion thinks I was lucky in both cases and suggested that I not try it again.  I agreed.

LESSONS LEARNED

When things don’t feel right, they probably aren’t.  Whether it’s a rod tip that bounces too much or too little, a trolling rod with a planer that straightens up, or a slow increase in pressure on a line holding a bait on the bottom, unexpected circumstances often mean “fish on” in the Gulf.  Remain curious and always look over the edge, take a couple of cranks on your reel, or put some additional pressure on the line to see if you can tell what is causing the variance from normal.  If you become complacent in your fishing and wait for the “big hit”, you will find yourself fishing on credit (using a hook from which the bait has been stolen) far too often.  And those stories are never memorable.

ON THE HORIZON

We tried fishing for snapper last night past midnight.  Two experienced charter captains and two accomplished visitors.  Nothing.  Nada.  This is when we break out the old line, “even the best fisherman can’t catch them when they are not there”.  I hate having to say that.  But spring will be here soon, and I will be able to put that line away until late summer.