2022
I've already written about my first time fishing off the coast of Florida. The second time I went fishing, it was completely different. I got to go deep-sea fishing. I didn't go with a professional or charter service, so all of the things that could have been "done" for us by a tour company, we did for ourselves.
Our first step was my favorite one. We anchored the boat near a shallow reef not too far offshore and went bait fishing. This means that we had to catch the little fish to use as bait later in the day, when we went to catch the bigger fish. We spent a lot of time - hours - catching the bait fish, mostly because an eel decided our boat was a great place for a snack. Almost every time we went to reel in a catch, the eel would eat it right off the hook before we got it back to the boat. This really annoyed the people I was with, but I found it hilarious, and that resourceful little eel is a fond memory for me.
One of the prettiest things I saw this day is in the photo below. The Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish has tentacles that trail behind it in the water for about 10 meters. (The tentacles can get as long as 30 meters!) It was a beautiful color - the light reflected off of it like holographic foil. Its stings are very painful, and even deadly, but looked so harmless floating in the water.
As we caught each "bait fish" we added them to a tank in the boat that kept them alive for the other fishing later in the day. When we had enough, we headed out for deeper water.
As the ocean got deeper, the waves got rougher, the wind picked up, and the color of the water turned from a beautiful turquoise to a deep navy blue. We hooked up our fishing poles and drove around in a patter, hoping to catch the big fish for the day - a sailfish.
I only have a few photos to share, because once I hooked my first sailfish and began reeling him into the boat, time went into fast forward. Our sail fishing that day was for sport - we didn't eat the fish we caught. Because of this, we followed careful rules about the type of hook used, how long we fought the fish, never removed it from the ocean, and made sure it was doing well before we left it behind. Being extra careful to preserve the well-being of the fish as I reeled it in took all of my attention and focus. It was such a powerful creature - I had no idea it would be so strong.
Watching this powerful fish leap out of the water was an incredible experience. My fish was so strong that we eventually had to turn the boat around and follow the fish, bringing the boat to it, instead of the other way around. You can see us turning the boat in this video clip.
The urgency and excitement of the moment are very powerfully conveyed by the tones of voice in this video clip from that day.
Without taking the fish out of the water, it is impossible to truly estimate its size. However, in the photo below it was right at the surface, and it is clearly a powerful and majestic creature. My friends estimated that it was somewhere between 30 and 35 pounds in size. At the time, my son was a toddler weighing about that much, and I can say that the comparison felt accurate in the moment.
Obviously I was unable to take my own photos of reeling in my fish. These images were taken by a dear friend, Robert Q, of Bozeman, Montana. Used with permission.
This post is part of the #StateChallenge organized by @Kwiksatik and @Denise_Barlock. If you want to find out more, check out this post. You can also find other submissions by searching the #StateChallenge hashtag.
I will admit @Ewaade_3A this fish was caught for sport. It was the only time I have ever fished that was not for food, and I doubt I will fish for sport again. While it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I did not feel good about the idea of merely playing with an animal that is trying to survive in its own environment.
Thank you so much @KamalHossenR! I am so glad you enjoyed the article! I hope you have the chance to go fishing again soon!
