5th Annual Fishing Trip

       Every year, around my birthday, Doda Annette and I go fishing on Sea Legs III, or once on the reward fleet, for our annual fishing trip. We have done it every year since 2012, (except for 2013, when I fished on the Mucho K for my birthday without Doda Annette) making this our 5th annual boat fishing trip. We went on Sunday, February 26th and it was mostly a beautiful day. It was sunny with no clouds, other than some farther out offshore. Because it rains so much here in Miami, I try to take sunny days like this for granted. Normally, we go fishing on Sea Legs in the morning, and the fish bite more in morning and their night trip, but not as much in the afternoon. The boat was not crowded, and there was a ton of space to relax. We didn't go in the morning because the boat was rented out. Still, it was a good trip.

       On the way out, we got to see lots of mangroves, home to many other inshore fish. Today, we were fishing in a different way with a different method: deep-sea fishing. We also passed by the port of everglades by the inlet, so we got to see a bunch of huge cruise ships, too. The ride out to the fishing spot wasn't bad. The waves weren't huge, and it was a rather calm day compared to what it usually is. At the second spot, i felt nibbles once I dropped it down. I had a good feeling that we would catch a fish. After a while, I was waiting for the fish to bite and I wasn't feeling the nibbles anymore. But then, I felt a big tug and I instantly reeled in. I knew that something had bit my squid. When reeled it up, I saw that I had caught a Grunt for the first fish of the day!

       We kept on moving to different spots, but nobody caught much. The waves had picked up, and the boat was rocking a bit more. Because we were drift fishing, fishing without an anchor, moving where the wind and waves take us, the waves moved the boat faster. Our lines went under the boat because the boat was moving right over them. It didn't ruin the trip, it just made it harder to fish. Then, Doda Annette felt a tug. She reeled in, but it was very strong and she gave it to me to reel in some more. After what felt like years of reeling in the fish, we gave it to the first mate to try. He thought it was not a fish, but we should pull up anyway. Once he brought it up, we saw that it was, in fact a fish. It was one of the biggest porgies I had ever seen! In the pictures, you might see its insides coming out of it. It is normal, and it can also come out of its mouth. It happens when a fish accustomed to higher water pressure deep in the sea is reeled in fast. Doda Annette and I were extremely excited to have caught 2 fish!

       I had a fish on the line once more, and I thought that it was a fish, but it got off the hook. We went back and got back to the dock at around 6:10. This was an awesome fishing trip, and I will be making more soon. Stay tuned, and tight lines!