On the Wednesday, before the Festival Del Mar Fishing Tournament, Patrick Webster was having a very good, but curious fishing day. Early in the morning a giant Wahoo got away at the last second as Patrick struggled and fumbled with a poorly set gaff. As the fish head reached the gunnels, the lively large animal violently jerked, separated the fish jaw and dislodged the hook. The giant fish tumbled over the boat side and back into the ocean.
Patrick scolded himself ruefully throughout the day. Nevertheless, he began catching giant Wahoos and, remarkably, all the fish were large and about the same size — between fifty-five and sixty-five pounds. Overall, six whoppers were boated and iced. On one occasion, two struck at exactly the same time and both fish were expertly landed and “put-on-ice”.
On the way home, and in very deep water, Patrick espied two wayward white fish trap buoys entangled in rope, and a massive amount of seaweed. Motoring slowly to the drifting mass, he saw a bed of Dolphin fish trailing the flotsam/debris. Using hand-lines, about twenty were caught before the “hot” fish cooled down and stopped biting. Overall, slightly less than five hundred pounds of fish were “put-on-ice” and all Patrick would talk about was the Wahoo that got away.
Then Saturday came and the Festival Del Mar Fishing Tournament. Remarkably, his luck was unbroken and Patrick took home all the big honors as he was awarded the great trophy of the Tournament. With all of his good fortune, he continues to talk about the giant Wahoo that got away.
– Contributed
