The Big Fish 5-03

We went to the office for a soda and another session of $5 internet. Only this time we were being charged $10 for the half hour. This was not acceptable so we went on across the island to the windward beach. We found a couple more shells for his collection. After returning to the dinghy we went snorkeling along the west coast of Highborne Cay finding a small grouper for dinner.

We had just finished our grouper, garlic mashed potatoes and white shoe peg corn when the Fisher King said “Rod!” We had put out some of the grouper carcass to possibly catch some grouper or snapper on the reef/rocks not far behind our boat. By the time I got to the reel almost all the line was in the water. I tightened the spool now as I left it really loose when I set it with the circle hooks. As I started to reel the line in it was under the boat and pulling against the keel...

This is when the Fisher King called out “Got a fish!” He had a fish on his rod also. He was so hoping it was another grouper. He loves groupers. When he landed it, it turned out to be a snapper.

Back to the big rod... The Fisher King went to pull the flopper stoppers up and out of the way only to find the line was looped around the line. At this time we traded duties and I untangled the loop as he tried to reel and keep pressure on the fish. Big grouper? Once the line was untangled the reeling became a little easier. Over forty five minutes from the word “rod” passed before we had a large 6 foot nurse shark swimming around the boat. It took another 10 minutes to get the shark up to the hull for a couple of photos and to cut it free.

 

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