PART 2 HIS GUIDING LIGHT

BY: JERRY DELANY

I yell STRIKE--PORT LINE and another on the flat line starts zinging out. Dan grabs one and I the other while keeping the boat running straight. Two more lines start going off while we are bringing in the first two. I am driving the boat with my knee,-my toes and elbow while winding the fish in. Dan is doing all he can do and as fast as he can while working with four fish at the same time. He is throwing the fish on the deck and knocking them in the head with a weighted pipe to keep them from biting or cutting us with there razor sharp teeth.  I remove the hooks and re-bait the lines--kick the fish in the fish hole and yell to Dan; "LINES BACK OVERBOARD." He replies; "AYE AYE CAPEN'" and mumbles something else to himself. Things are getting wild so we start knocking down the long outriggers because we can't manage that many fishing lines. Three lines start going out and I've got one on the outrigger that I'm trying to bring in. I hook a bungee cord to the steering and start bringing in fish. The other two line start ripping out with fish on them and Dan looks back and says;" THERE'S A BIG SHARK AFTER THIS FISH,--OOPS--TO LATE,-HE TOOK HIM." I yell;" GRAB THE OTHER LINES SON AND BRING THEM IN HARD (FAST.)" This type of maddening action goes on for hours and our arms, legs and hands are trembling from pure exhaustion. Our backs feel as though we have been hit with a big board and there is fish blood all over us and the boat. We secure the fish and half way clean the boat and put the lines back overboard. The fish box is completely full--there are fish in the front cabin--fish lying on the floor and some wrapped in canvas. Each fish will bring an average of $10 to $18 to the boat. The ones the sharks half ate we will use for our own fish fry.

I had lost the school of fish and started searching again for them. I am now out further and heading northeast while Dan is commenting; "DAD; WE'VE GOT ENOUGH FISH--START TROLLING TOWARD SHORE." I reply;"NOW JUST YET,--I BELIEVE I CAN FIND THEM AGAIN." We catch one ever so often but not fast and heavy like before. Dan comes back up and mentions that the sky to the west is getting overcast--- takes two steps and turns back and says;

" DAD,--WE REALLY NEED TO START HEADING IN, WE ARE THE ONLY BOAT OUT HERE." I reply; "JUST A FEW MORE MINUTES--I BELIEVE I CAN FIND THEM AGAIN." 

Dan usually watched the back of the boat to tell me if the lines were getting crossed or another boat was coming to us. He walked mid way up the boat to me and said; "THAT STORM TO THE WEST IS BREWING UP BIG DAD--TAKE A LOOK." We picked up a couple more fish and Dan grabbed me by the shoulder and said; " DAD,--THAT STORM IS LOOKING BAD,--WE NEED TO HEAD WEST." I looked toward the shore and realized we were in for a ride. I turned to the NOAA weather channel---took a reading off my Loran--set a course for the Inlet and we began securing everything in the boat. " HANG ON SON--WE HAVE A RIDE AHEAD OF US!!"

PICTURE OF ROUGH OCEAN

Jerry Delany

Stories Copyright 2001