HOOKED UP

BY: JERRY DELANY

NON-FICTION

The night before on a Friday I had planned a relaxing fishing trip for the next morning. I was going by myself and just kick back and catch enough fish to make expenses and a few red snapper for the table. Usually I'm out early but this morning I just lazied around and got to the boat ramp around 7 am. My good friend Charlie was there off loading his boat and drinking some coffee. We stood and talked awhile about where each was going and we agreed to run together since we were by ourselves.I told him I wanted to top water fish for king's in the morning and bottom fish for a few red snapper in the afternoon. He agreed that sounded good to him--and said;" you lead the way,--you know where the hot spots are." I didn't mind sharing good fishing spots with Charlie 'cause he would do the same with me.

We go barreling through the Inlet and get to the sea buoy and start running side by side. We are running pretty close together and the heavy salt spray from our boat is hitting each other as we gibber-jabber on the VHF radio. We are teasing and saying things like---can't you run a true course--where did you get your pilot license from--Sears?--just having fun. We run like this at 30 mph. for about an hour and then I throttle back. Charlie responds; " WE'RE HERE HUH." I respond on the radio;" WE'RE CLOSE,--LINES OVERBOARD--LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS." Right away we both start catching good size kings--a fish that will average 12 to 20 pounds and easy to prepare.

THE KING MACKEREL

It seems as though when you get in a good bit of fish the weather turns bad or something causes a problem. This time it was the barracudas and the sharks--they had moved in and eating the kings. I had lost several to the barracuda and Charlie was about to lose one to a shark. He was horsing in a fish as fast as he could and the shark was cutting, following and chomping at it in a big way--try to get a free meal. Charlie slides the fish with one sweeping motion across the back transom-removes the hood and then tosses it into the fish box. On the radio I ask him; " WHAT WAS THAT?" he replies;" A 7 FOOT HAMMER HEAD SHARK WAS AFTER THE FISH,--I THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO COME IN THE BOAT WITH ME." He walks back to the steering wheel and puts the boat in forward gear. When he does,- the hammer head shark turns back around and bites the stainless steel prop thinking it was a fish flopping around.. On the radio I'm Yelling to Charlie; " YOU'VE GOT THAT SHARK WRAPPED UP IN YOUR PROP AND HE'S NOT LETTING GO,---HE'S GOING TO TEAR YOUR MOTOR TO PIECES". Blood and membrane was flying everywhere and it was doubtful if that shark would eat much more that day or any day. I drove over next to Charlie and we checked out all his equipment and the only damage we found were a few scratches to the motor. Charlie remarks; " If We Tell People About This They Won't Believe Us,--It Would Be Like Telling Them We Saw Little Green Men From Outer Space--They Just Won't Believe It Happened". Little did we know what was yet to HAPPEN THAT DAY.????????

We kept fishing close together and catching some king mackerel off and on. I mentioned to Charlie that I wanted to catch so red snapper and grouper for the family table and I was going to anchor up on a wreck a little further away. He replied by radio; " ok, I'll bring in all my lines and meet you over there". I got anchored up on the wreck and was catching a good assortment of nice big fish and Charlie rolls up and I motion for him to anchor up right next to me. He pull forward and lets out his anchor and 300 feet of rope. We are now fishing side by side about 25 feet apart. Every now and again we have to stand up to pump in a 20 pound shark or a double header of good fish. We yell back and forth as to what we are catching when Charles's boat starts moving forward. I stand up and yell to Charlie;" WHAT'S GOING ON,--WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" he replies on the radio; " I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING ,--THE ENGINE IS OFF AND THE BOAT IS MOVING BY ITSELF !" I bring in my lines .-throw them in the boat--crank my engine and start bringing in my anchor. I have no idea what's up with Charlie but I figure I better be ready to give him a hand in some way. He and his boat have now moved a good 40 feet forward south and he is standing at his wheel looking all around. I have my anchor up and my engine is running--heading to Charlie. We are talking on the radio in panic and as I get almost to Charlie his boat stops. He's on the radio; "IT STOPPED, IT STOPPED"!!?? But he said that to soon,--now it's going back north but at a faster speed. I yell to Charlie on the radio; " CRANK UP YOUR ENGINE AND POWER IT IN REVERSE--SEE WHAT HAPPENS." I roll right up next to Charlie's boat in case he needs to get off--anything COULD happen and we have no idea what's moving his boat. Charles yells; "I'M GOING TO CUT THE ANCHOR ROPE AND LET WHATEVER IT IS JUST HAVE IT,--I WANT OUT OF HERE." As he gets to the bow of the boat it starts to settle down. He looks back at me as much as to say, NOW WHAT? I power up to him and suggest he feel his anchor to see if it was free,--it is. I give him my lift anchor ball and we attach it to his anchor line and his back cleat. I yell out;" POWER OUT OT THERE,--I'M RIGHT BEHIND YOU." He takes off with his anchor and lift ball flopping on top of the ocean. He doesn't slow down until he's about half a mile away---all this time I'm running along side of him. He finally stops and starts bringing in his anchor--I roll along side of him to see if there is any blood or membrane on the anchor line--Nothing there...

Now Charlie is an old timer when it comes to being in the ocean and has experienced many unusual things but nothing like this. In fact ,==I have seen many things out there that I couldn't explain buutt this was a first for me. We sat there side by side and just talked. Charlie said; "IT WOULD BE HARD ENOUGH TELLING PEOPLE THAT A SHARK ATE THE PROP TO MY BOAT BUTTT TO TELL THEM THAT MY BOAT WAS MOVING ON IT OWN IS UNBELIEVABLE----THEY WOULD THINK I'D LOST MY MIND." " JERRY--PROMISE YOU WILL NEVER-NEVER SAY A WORD ABOUT THIS TO ANYONE-NEVER." Me? Keep my mouth shut?? I don't think so...I was SPREADING THE WORD TO THE WORLD on the radio as we were coming home.

We figure that a large Manta Ray with a wing span of somewhere between 22 feet and 26 feet had gotten entangled in his anchor rope and was just dragging him and the boat around. We know for sure that it wasn't LITTLE GREEN MEN IN A FLYING SAUCER.

THE MANTA RAY

THE BIG HOOK UP

Jerry Delany

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