SAILFISH
IT WAS THE FIFTH OF
AUGUST WHEN MY WIFE JOHNNIE AND I LEFT FOR PORT ISABEL. WE HAD BEEN
PLANNING A SALT WATER FISHING TRIP WITH OUR FRIENDS BOB AND PAT FROM
IRVING. WE WERE TO GO DOWN SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE THEM TO FIND A PLACE
TO STAY AND LAUNCH AND DOCK THEIR BOAT. WE TOOK TWO DAYS TO DRIVE
DOWN AND FOR TWO DAYS JOHNNIE TOLD ME HOW SHE WAS GOING TO CATCH A
SAILFISH. I WAS HAPPY ABOUT HER ENTHUSIASM ABOUT GOING FISHING
BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH SHE'S MARRIED TO A DYED- IN-THE-WOOL FISHERMAN
SHE WOULD RATHER SPEND HER TIME DOING FUN THINGS LIKE WASHING DISHES
OR MOPPING THE KITCHEN FLOOR THEN FISHING. I DIDN'T WANT HER TO BE
DISAPPOINTED, HOWEVER, SO I SPENT TWO DAYS TELLING HER WHY WE
WOULDN'T CATCH A SAILFISH. FIRST OF ALL WE WERE GOING KINGFISH
FISHING NOT SAILFISH FISHING. SECOND, I DIDN'T THINK THERE WERE
GOING TO BE ANY SAILFISH WHERE WE WERE GOING TO BE FISHING. THIRD, I
DIDN'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF BAIT YOU USED WHEN YOU FISHED FOR SAILFISH.
FINALLY I TOLD HER IN ALL OF MY YEARS OF FISHING IN CADDO LAKE I HAD
NEVER CAUGHT A SAILFISH AND I DIDN'T KNOW HOW. SHE FINALLY TOLD ME
TO TAKE A TIP FROM NATURE. YOUR EARS AREN'T MADE TO SHUT BUT YOUR
MOUTH IS.
AFTER ALL THAT LOGIC
ALL SHE SAID WAS THAT SHE HAD SEEN PEOPLE CATCH SAILFISH ON TV AND
ALL THEY DID WAS GO OUT AND BOAT RIDE FOR FIVE OR TEN MINUTES AND
AFTER A TWO MINUTE COMMERCIAL WIND ONE IN. I SAW IT WAS HOPELESS SO
I SAID OK YOU CATCH WHATEVER YOU WANT AND I'LL CATCH KINGFISH.
WHEN WE ARRIVED AT PORT
ISABEL WE FOUND THE SEA RANCH MOTEL MET ALL OF OUR NEEDS FOR A
PLACE TO LAUNCH AND DOCK THE "ODYSSEY", A 24 FOOT SEARAY THAT
BELONGED TO BOB. IT ALSO SEEMED A CONVENIENT PLACE TO STAY AS IT WAS
VERY ACCESSIBLE TO THE BEACH AS WELL AS HAVING A GOOD MARINA. BOB
AND PAT PULLED IN THE NEXT AFTERNOON. WE LAUNCHED THE BOAT AND MADE
PREPARATIONS FOR AN EARLY START THE NEXT MORNING. THESE PREPARATIONS
INCLUDED BOB AND I GOING INTO THE LOCAL TACKLE SHOP AND BUYING
SEVERAL OF THOSE FANCY AND VERY COLORFUL FISHING LURES THAT ARE MADE
FOR A FISHERMAN NOT A FISH. A FISH WOULDN'T BE CAUGHT DEAD LOOKING
AT ONE. BUT THAT'S A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.
THE NEXT MORNING WE
WERE UP BEFORE DAWN, ANXIOUS TO BE OUT ON THE WATER. JOHNNIE WAS THE
FIRST ONE UP. SHE GETS UP EARLY ANYWAY. SHE IS ALWAYS UP BY 10 OR 11
O'CLOCK EVERY MORNING. ACTUALLY I DON'T THINK SHE EVEN WENT TO SLEEP
THAT NIGHT. SHE STAYED AWAKE THINKING ABOUT THAT SAILFISH SHE WAS
GOING TO CATCH.
THAT FIRST MORNING OUT
WE DID CATCH ONE FISH BUT IT WASN'T A SAILFISH. IT WAS A SHARK. BUT
WE WERE JUST AS EXCITED AS IF IT WAS A SAILFISH. THE SECOND DAY WAS
BETTER. WE MANAGED TO BRING IN SEVERAL KINGFISH TO GO WITH THE TWO
SHARKS WE CAUGHT. THE THIRD TIME OUT JOHNNIE WAS TRILLED TO CATCH
SEVERAL KINGFISH TO GO WITH THE SHARK SHE CAUGHT. BUT I COULD SEE
HER DISAPPOINTMENT IN NOT CATCHING A SAILFISH. IN FACT WITH ME
TELLING HER EACH DAY WE WEREN'T GOING TO CATCH A SAILFISH SHE WAS
RAPIDLY LOSING INTEREST IN FISHING. THE FOURTH TIME WE WENT OUT
JOHNNIE SAID WE COULD GO WITHOUT HER. SHE WAS GOING TO THE BEACH AND
LAY IN THE SUN.
THAT MORNING WHEN WE
GOT OUT TO THE BLUE WATER WE SAW A SHRIMPBOAT ANCHORED. IT WAS
CULLING THE TRASH FISH FROM THEIR NIGHT'S CATCH. WE HAD DECIDED TO
USE RIBBONFISH FOR BAIT THAT MORNING INSTEAD OF TROLLING ARTIFICIALS.
WE PULLED CLOSE BEHIND THE SHRIMPER AND STOPPED THE BOAT. BOB AND I
PUT OUT A RIBBONFISH AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY WE BOTH HAD A FISH ON.
WE BOATED TWO NICE KINGFISH, REBAITED, AND BROUGHT THE ODYSSEY BACK
TO THE REAR OF THE SHRIMPER. AGAIN WE EACH HAD A FISH ON VERY
QUICKLY. AFTER TWO MORE SUCCESSFUL PASSES AND EIGHT FISH IN THE BOAT
WE WERE ON CLOUD NINE. WE COULD HARDLY WAIT TO GET BACK UP TO THE
SHRIMPER FOR ANOTHER PASS. AS BEFORE SHORTLY AFTER WE GOT OUR BAIT
IN THE WATER BOTH OF US HAD A FISH ON.
ONLY THIS TIME MINE
WOULDN'T BE WOUND IN. HE JUST KEPT GOING THE OTHER WAY. ALL OF A
SUDDEN THE WATER OUT TO THE RIGHT OF THE SHRIMP BOAT EXPLODED! UP
INTO THE AIR CAME THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SIGHT THIS FISHERMAN HAS EVER
SEEN, "A SAILFISH!" SOMEONE ASKED ME LATER HOW LONG I HAD TO FIGHT
HIM. I HAVE NO IDEA, FOR TIME STOOD STILL, THE SEA STOOD STILL, THE
WORLD STOOD STILL.. THERE WAS ONLY THE SAILFISH AND ME.
WHEN THE ACTION FINALLY
DIED DOWN AND TWO WEARY FISHERMEN HEADED FOR SHORE WE HAD TWELVE
KINGFISH, TWO SHARK, TWO BONITA, A BLACK FIN TUNA, AND OF ALL THINGS
A SAILFISH. WHEN WE GOT IN JOHNNIE WAS THERE TO MEET US. I LOOKED AT
THAT SAILFISH AND I LOOKED AT HER AND KNEW I WAS GOING TO BE IN THE
DOG HOUSE FOR CATCHING HER SAILFISH. SHE THINKS I SOLD HER A BILL OF
GOODS ABOUT NOT CATCHING A SAILFISH SO SHE WOULD STAY IN AND I COULD
CATCH HER SAILFISH.
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