Sent Reeling

On vacation, we awoke at 5:30am to meet the fishing boat captain only to have him stand 30 meters from the water for roughly 12 seconds and determine the wind and surf were too much for the Typhoon to handle.  We rescheduled and gave it another go.

Successfully underway this time, we headed off for the deep water where they had recently landed sailfish, big tuna, and large barracuda and wahoo.  The adrenaline surged as the reel screamed on our first bite of the day while heading out, but what had to be a monster fish based on subsequent catches got off the hook.  As it turned out, the trip to the deep water was short lived.  Wind blowing the opposite direction of the current resulted in 4 to 5 meter swells which were not conducive to either fishing or a narrow, 40-foot, low horsepower, single prop boat.  The captain decided to bail and head to the calmer waters of the reefs.

It didn't take long trolling along the reef for the next bite to come, though it wasn't a big one.  After some debate amongst the crew as to whether in fact a fish was on the line, I jumped on the bench with the fishing pole belt and reeled in a small tuna.  Turns out it's actually called a "little tuna".  We thought he was going back in, but apparently he's on the larger size for what is found in the area and he wasn't going to make it anyway.

Laura donned the belt and took to the bench after another fish/no fish debate and reeled in another little tuna with considerable effort.  With two lines in the water, the blue reel on the port side of the boat was proving to be both lucky and incredibly difficult to reel in.

Finally a fish was hooked that put a bit of a run on the line.  Sure enough, blue reel on the port side.  I brought in a gorgeous coral grouper, slightly larger than the tuna, that was a fighter all the way.  I don't know that Schwarzenegger in his prime could have landed a much larger fish on the blue reel, it was brutal.  I asked the crew how they told the big fish to get on the much more substantial and smooth gold reel, the sarcasm didn't translate.

The three fish ended up being the haul from a beautiful morning on the water.  I was able to sample each for lunch, both delicious, while Laura indulged in a specially prepared chicken breast.

Sun rising on the open water.

Aboard the fishing/sea plane transfer boat, the Typhoon.

Crew setting up the reels.  Even though they went
back and forth after a catch, occasional crossed
line, etc., always the blue reel on the port side.

Laura and her breakfast getting rocked from the
large swells with another forming behind her.

After the what was likely a very large fish got off the hook.

You can make out the edge of the reef from the change
in the water.  Somewhat wavy/choppy water
makes a change to absolute calm beyond the reef.

Reeling in fish #1 ... maybe

That's a little tuna

LT on the line for fish #2 ... maybe

Gotta be something on there with that kind of struggle

Little tuna #2, she's not allowed to touch

The coral grouper

He's a cool looking fish

Lunch