It was a couple hours before sunrise in San Diego. Today we were going to headed about 20-30 miles off the coast of Baja. The water was choppy, the tide was on its way in and there was a chill in the air; I quietly laughed to myself.
Most of the fishing I had ever done was in the cold ocean waters of Puget Sound or in lakes and rivers of the Great Pacific Northwest. So today was a new adventure for me and I was extremely excited as this would be my first time fishing offshore in the great wide open near the Southern tip of California.
I felt at the mercy of Mother Ocean as my ass came crashing down on the warped piece of wood covering a storage compartment at the front of the boat. Nonetheless my mind was fearless, “bring it on” I thought to myself as though I were encouraging Mother Nature to test me for I was full in the Spirit of Adventure, as we picked up speed just outside the jetty. I was in that moment completely fascinated with the Ocean and all that Mother Earth had to offer me.
To have had dolphins swim next out our vessel was like a sign from above. All my life I had been fascinated with them. They are so fearless and playful yet brave and loving. How close their behavior is to a human, my curiosity got the better of me as I must have gotten the better of them as well…in my mind, one of God’s greatest creations.
I asked the Captain as we prepared the trolling lines why he loved fishing so much. When he said, “because it is peaceful and quiet”, I gave him a little smile because the sound of the motor was still humming, he continued…” Fishing isn’t just about catching fish. You don’t always catch a fish that is why they call it fishing not catching, but for me it is about challenging Nature or just being out here with no one to bother me, no one to judge because sometimes I just need to think.”
And though I never said it, I felt just the same and I knew then that while the Captain and I have our differences, we were out there for the same reasons and without having to say it, we understood each other; utter contentment and adventures unfold.
I took a moment to pray silently, Lord God, My God above, the one Above all, let this day bring us your peace, let our catch be plentiful and watch over us on this stormy, windy day… My heart content and humbled by the greatness of the Ocean, and the endless horizon and instilled in me was the feeling of knowing it would be a day I would never forget…
We cast our lines out.My heart started pounding with excitement a few moments after, by the sound of the baitrunner taking off. Wait for it…wait for it…, at the right moment, I flipped off my baitrunner and gave a good yank!This one, this one was BIG! I could feel it.It had me all over the boat, front back, left, right, reeling up and down, wait….run…wait…reel. This was a challenge but who was going to win?
To be continued…
