In October of 2007, I had the pleasure of participating in a deep sea fishing charter. We chartered a 46-foot boat called "Lady J".
The Fishin' Store offers a variety of charters including 4, 8 and 10-hour excursions. We chose the 10-hour, which for me was a little too long. If you've never been deep sea fishing, I highly recommend taking a 4 to 8 hour trip. And, definitely take Dramamine or chew some crystalized ginger to help with nausea and sea-sickness.
Our charter left at 6:00 a.m. After familiarizing ourself with the boat, gear, and location of life jackets and safety gear, we headed out to the ocean. We cruised north on the Indian River Lagoon toward Ponce Inlet. This area is a "No Wake Zone" because of manatee protection. The slow cruising speed makes for a smooth ride and the opportunity to see the beautiful homes located along the river.
Our house is located near the marina. Each morning, when the charter boats start up their dual diesel engines, the sound wakes us up. It's much better than an alarm clock!
The house next door is vacant and has a private dock. The owners allow us to fish off the dock in exchange for keeping an eye on the place. Great trade-off, eh? For over a year, my husband and I had watched the Lady J and other fleet boats as they returned from their fishing adventures. We rarely see women on these charters and I oftentimes wondered why this was so.
When my husband's boss offered to take us on a deep sea fishing charter, I jumped at the chance. I wanted to know what it was like to go way out in the middle of the ocean where you cannot see land. I was curious if I had the body strength to reel in a monster-size fish, or if I could even catch one.
My daughter, who is working toward becoming a marine biologist was open to the experience. After all, Lady J is a beautiful boat and if we didn't enjoy the fishing, we could still enjoy the sunshine and the view. We thought it would be a great family bonding experience, and it was.
The first thing we did was stop to catch our bait. We used poles that had six hooks and our bait consisted of tiny pieces of squid. As soon as we threw our poles in, we had six fish on the line. It was pretty cool and fun to catch that many fish at once.
Thing is, the fish we were catching as "bait fish" were equal to or bigger than the fish I am used to catching off the dock. I think it was at this moment I began to realize I had been a bit naive.
After we caught our bait fish, we went out about 25 miles where the water depth was approximately 225 feet. We were catching Amberjack, Cobia, Barracuda and way too many sharks. I struggled with an Amberjack weighing 30-35 pounds for a good 30 minutes. Let me tell you, deep sea fishing is a serious physical workout. Wowsie!
Even with the help of the crew member, I was struggling and praying that I didn't go overboard. They put this belt around you and you're supposed to insert the pole into a plastic circle attached to the belt. For the life of me, I could NOT keep the pole in that hole. The fish was putting up quite the struggle, not to mention it was an Amberjack -- a bottom fish. It's not easy pulling up a 35-pound fish against the force of water for 200-plus feet.
Now, here's something I did not know and you should know before you go out on a deep sea fishing charter. When you catch fish this size, they use a fishing gaff -- a gigantic hook with a long handle. They insert the gaft in the belly of the fish and pull it up to the boat. I understand the reasoning, but it's not something I like.
After catching the Amberjack, I was pretty much done with fishing and offered to video tape the guys reeling in their catch. One of the guys brought in a Cobia and the fish was putting up quite a fight, making it difficult to gaff him. When the fish was pulled into the boat, it fell off the gaff and started flipping around all over the place.
Blood was going everywhere and the deck was beginning to look like a CSI crime scene. I quickly departed to the galley. A few moments later my husband told us to not come outside because they had to beat the fish with a baseball bat. The situation truly was dangerous, as this fish weighed a good 30 pounds. He could have knocked someone overboard or cut someone badly with his fins or tail. They had no choice but to kill it.
TIP: If you're like me, you may not be aware this type of thing occurs during deep sea fishing. One thing I have since discovered is if you don't care for hunting, you probably won't care for deep sea fishing.
After catching our limit, we continued out an additional 25 miles. Now, the boys were fishing for Blue Marlin and other bill fish. My daughter and I were in the galley trying to sleep and hoping they didn't catch any big fish. I didn't know if I could deal with anything larger than what they had already caught. And, I certainly didn't want to witness a 250-pound fish flopping around on the deck.
At one point the weather turned nasty, with lightening strikes and deafening claps of thunder. In an attempt to lighten the mood, my husband's boss starts singing the theme song from Gilligan's Island. Can I just interject here that Gilligan's Island is really not an appropriate choice when you're sitting in a boat in the middle of the ocean with waves slapping on the windows as the boat bobs from side to side.
Fortunately, the storm was short-lived and the Captain kept us safe at all times. His confidence helped to squelch my fears. Soon after, the Lady J was taking us back to the marina and dry land.
Once our feet hit the dock, my daughter and I headed home. As I walked, I felt as if I were still on the boat. I could still hear the drone of the engines in my ears. Even though I had been sitting most of the day, I just wanted to get home and sit in my favorite chair.
The guys stayed at the marina and helped unload the fish and take it to the preparation station. The Fishin' Store fillets the meat and packages them up. In total our group caught 9 Amberjack, 1 Barracuda and the infamous fighting Cobia.
All of this turned into this...
I'm glad to have had the experience, but I'm pretty certain I will never desire to have it again. However, I was grateful my daughter and I had a place to escape and that we had an experienced crew who kept us safe during the storm. The guys loved the entire experience and are planning another excursion in the near future.
Lady J Sportfishing
The Fishin' Store
248 N. Riverside Drive, New Smyrna Beach
386.566.1537
www.LadyJSportFishing.net
