This fishing trip was supposed to a "Catch and Release", but when we finally did catch one huge black drum, it didn't turn out that way -- not after it had been hooked to get on the boat.
It was past 7:30 pm and we were getting sick of waiting for the fish to take bait. Black drums apparently are bottom feeders, so we had used mussels as bait tied onto the fishing line and set at the bottom.
We were sitting in the Cheseapeake Bay - rocking to and fro in a boat -- waiting for the fish to bite. We had been there since 1 pm that Saturday. After not getting any kind of fish for couple of hours the captain asked if anyone had a banana. My first reaction was -- 'is he going to use it as bait?'. Brad had one in his lunch box, so he went and brought a yellow, ready to eat, banana. The captain took and tossed it into the sea. Apparently it wasn't bait. He told us that bananas are unlucky on a boat. I had heard people in the sea were superstitious, but this was my first experience.
I had washed my hand in the cold water before. In fact a couple of minutes after we had anchored. Well my hands were sort of dirty because I had just puked and there was some in my hands. Washed off I had taken some medicine and rubbed some kind of liquid that smelled like chinese vicks on the back of my earlobes -- the mate said it would help with the sea sickness. Sure enough after that first vomiting bout I felt just as great as everyone -- ready to fish.
And apparently the banana had done its part. The captain started reeling one of the poles in -- 'Yippie fish finally'. Superstition or not, we had a fish and John was fighting it. He slowly reeled it in fighting it. But just at the last moment the fish sensed the slack and with a strong flick it broke the reel and headed off into the open.
That was the first likely fish and it looked like a big one when it was close. Couple of minutes later another line started to act funny. By now we knew when a fish was nibbling. One of the guys took it and started fighting it. When it was near the boat we saw it wasn't quite as big as the one that got away, still young. But this shared the same fate and broke the line.
We were quite disappointed. By now it was about 5 pm and we were getting tired of the beer and the sea. Suddenly another movement in one of the lines and whoa I took control.
I got the fishing rod and started reeling in the slack, occasionaly leaning back. I reeled and leaned and reeled and leaned. It was now quite near and we were ready to bring it in.
It was a bull ray -- oops! wrong fish.
Not catching anythign is disappointing but catching the wrong fish can be quite a gruesome experience. The mate brought the ray in and got a pair of pliers. The fish had apprently swallowed the hook and it was deep inside it. He took the pliers and twisted its jaws. Blood. He grabbed a tip of the hook and pulled. It wouldn't come out but instead more blood. God! He finally just cut the line and released the fish. The ray plopped back in and swam deep.
Sorry fish.
We got some fish occasionally but it all turned out to be sharks and rays, so we were disappointed and just looking at the sea. The captain had nevere had such a slow day, he was getting anxious.
Just when we were ready to leave, a fish on one of the lines. John took the rod and started fighting it and reeling it in. When it was quite near we saw it was a BIG one. The mate and the captain took hooks and brought the fish on board. It was a big black drum. We were not disappointed anymore. God that was good. We took some pictures and the engine started roaring.
Five minutes later we were at the docks and measuring the fish. The fish came around 77 lbs and from the looks of it the captain was saying it was probably almost 50 years old. Big. But there was one problem -- we didn't know what to do with it. We figured the captain and the mate would keep it. But it was too big of a fish to keep. So it was in our hands.
We took the fish and put it in the back of the truck. It was wide as the truck.
We got home not knowing what to do and asked around if someone knew what to do with it. But nothing. Well couldn't quite keep the fish like that could we? So we drove to the grocery store to get some ice.
Lucky for us a fisherman was there. He looked at it and was quite surprised. The fish he had caught was smaller. He said he would take it off our hands but would pay any money for it. Glad to have it off our hands. We let him have it.
Finally our 77lb ordeal was over with and with hands smelling like fish we drove to McDonalds.
p.s. Only one fish was killed during the whole ordeal and I am glad that the fish did not go to waste. Rest in Peace Big Black Drum in fish heaven.
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