By Christine Patton
This Big One Didn’t Get Away
When I think of fishing, I think of the quiet lapping of water against the bow of a flats boat, and the gentle drip, drip, drip of the water off the end of the guide’s pole as he quietly repositions it for the next thrust. By marriage, and therefore by training, I am a fly fisherman, but I know too, the pleasures of patch fishing, especially in a boat of fellow lady anglers, where the conversation is always more productive than even the best day’s catch. Standing around the gunnels, watching the line for a telltale twitch, I have shared healthcare adventures, local gossip and heartfelt confessions, all of which are, at the end of the day, as satisfying as the catch of mutton snappers and yellowtail. But what I have not experienced, and what I think is high drama at sea, is sport-fishing for marlin, sailfish and swordfish. Bigger boats, bigger quarry, bigger stakes. A recent outing by an Ocean Reef Member is a good illustration.
Seas the Day, with Larry Johnston and his captain, John Wolf aboard, went out one day this month for some deep sea fishing. Off Ocean Reef in about 1500 feet of water, they hooked a Swordfish, a big one that took them for quite a ride, the quarter-ton fish dragging the 37-foot Boston Whaler 18 miles away from where they originally hooked her up. The massive fish fought for 6 1/2 hours, giving the two fishermen plenty to do. She took out 600 feet of harpoon line, aired out 3 times, and pulled the dart on the buoy. Compare the scene on this boat to a quiet day on the flats… At some point some might have thought the monster would get off, maybe when the harpoon was lost overboard or when they had to jury rig a flying gaff by marrying a meat hook and a deck brush handle! But finally the 440-pound fish, an outstanding size if not a record (the record of 462 is held by the father/son team of Bud Copeland and Capt. Wade Copeland and recorded on the board outside of Reef Treats), was landed. It all worked out in the end, but what a fight she gave. As Larry said, “It was fun.” I think it sounds like something out of Hemingway.
Hats off to Larry Johnston and John Wolf, and here’s to the fishermen/women of Ocean Reef, who have the option to fish in so many different ways, all right out our door.
