Travel Talk

Pirate Pulls in Grouper on a Sunset Seawall Session

Greetings,

I’m sitting here in my office waiting for a nice backpacker with the demeanor of a nurse to help tend to my wounds. Yesterday, I carried around a long bow like piece of metal meant for a teenage mutant ninja turtle, I used it and connected deeply with my primitive side as the hot sun beat down through a thick of clouds on to my bare back, turning it lobster red.

Enough of that, let’s discuss friend “Max the Pirate” who pulled in a slick rockfish, yes? The story goes like this, I’m walking into the guesthouse dazed and confused when a pirate says “wanna go fishing?!” to which I quip “sure” as the only other thing on my mind was nothing. We roll over and I catch a baitfish, switch it up and we hang out with a beer, a smoke and a few jokes on the seawall at sunset.

“The Pirate” catches a small bait fish, switches it up with a big hook through the back and tosses it to the seedy sea bottom. Twenty odd mindless minutes go by and BOOM goes the dynamite; off to the races is my friend’s line. This thing pulled like a big animal and with a loose drag we listened to every fisherman favorite song, the sound of a reel singing and hopefully stopping before the spool. Remember, it could be ANYTHING when you’ve got a line in the world’s largest pool…

This and that the fight goes on, suggest we walk the seawall to the beach to land it, rocks get in the way; tense moments pass. Next up is beaching it in front of the crowd that has amassed, it’s 5 feet from the pirate when the hook comes out; the rod is cast to the floor and the pirate dives in for more. I’ve never seen someone go to grab the gills in white water of a fish they’ve not yet identified, miss then wrestle it onto the beach. These rockfish are part of the grouper family and have some seriously spiked fins.

For a few moments I thought this pirate was going to trade his hand for a hook.

I’d continue but I’m sure you can imagine what happened from there. I’ll note that these fish get way bigger as rockfish are part of the grouper family. I met a lady who sails and said she used to troll between Big and Little Corn Island; she caught this monster shark once and a few times had her line break. I inquired what she was using and it was 100lbs spyder wire, the big ones are out there; you just need to get serious and have a date with lady luck.

My signal in the office right now is 3G and I’m surfing as fast as I did back in BC last summer.

Tips hat,

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