Dad's Memories

- 03 September 98 - 03 September 98

Fish Tales - Bull Dolphin

It was one of the rare days out on the ocean -- almost flat calm -- comfortable temperature - cloudless sky - doesn't get any better than that. We had some Ballyhoo skipping along nicely on the outriggers, been trolling for hours, just idling along and enjoying the peacefull time. On a day like this we did not care if no fish interrupted our thoughts -- and it seemed that none would as we approached a drift boat with a good crowd on board.

Passing by, about 100 yards off, Grace said maybe we could just stop here, eat lunch, and see what action they're having.

Good idea, we're not doing much ourselves -- and before I could cut the motor, one of the outriggers had a strike. I set the hook - on something big - and was handing the rod to Grace when the second outrigger let go. Didn't take long to know that we had two large Dolphin hooked -- both of them jumping - flashing their gorgeous colors - putting on a real show.

And there we were, intending to watch action on the drift boat!

I went up front to bring mine in and let Grace have room to fight her obviously larger fish. Horsed mine in close enough to gaff it and dropped that one into the large, built-in fish-well on the front deck. Grace was having a time bringing hers in! That one was not about to co-operate at all - but at length we had it near and I gaffed it, a monster Bull Dolphin that weighed in at 26 pounds -- mine weighed a relatively paltry 16 pounds, still considerably larger than average.

Came a bullhorn from the Drift boat --- "Ahoy there, we have people on board who want to transfer to your boat" --- It took us both a while to calm down from that exciting catch. Had to admire those two beauties again, and again. Also had to hold 'em up to let the people on the drift boat see and admire them too. Then they started the engines and went off to find "another good spot".

Opened the cooler, had our lunch, and resumed our delightfully lazy day on the ocean, not interrupted by any more fish.