Here I was in the ocean. Clear, bright blue water surrounded an almost 20 year old boat. The boat was white with pale yellow around the exterior, and the interior was also white. The boat was medium sized, not at all like a yacht. This boat was indeed old, just a few years less than 20. Ironically enough, the boat ran very well (doesn’t seem right, does it?). But, a few months later the boat would not be able to start, the motor couldn’t function. My mom’s friend, Dave, had to get a new boat in September this year. Dave was a very experienced fisherman, and he was the owner of the boat.
It was a surprisingly sunny day in May, like the previous year before in October, but this time there was one other person with us. His name was Christian, and this was the first time I had gone fishing. Before that, I didn’t even know about fishing, and it was after one of our baseball games when Dave brought us to the Boat Club. The Boat Club borders between Westport and Norwalk, and we both hadn’t caught fish for 2 hours. As it turns out, Christian got a nice big bluefish, and I caught a sandshark, but we had to throw him back in the water. So now… I got out of my daze, and Dave asked me,
“Do you want to stay here, or go somewhere else?” I reply, “10 more minutes.”
I was frustrated that I couldn’t catch a fish that we could eat, but I wasn’t giving in yet. We were coming close, but nothing was catching on the rod Dave had given me last Christmas. We only had one bait left as well, because fish had been eating our bait and not catching. It was very difficult to catch a fish on one bait. Dave speaks to me, “Come on, we have just one bait now.”
He was trying to motivate me as if I was getting a real fish today. He told me about how his other friends were catching these big time fish, and I was getting nothing, mainly because I didn’t get to be out in the ocean much. So we headed to the next spot, and I was nervous to drive the boat, because I was shy and it was just my second time. Dave calls out, “We’re going to Frost Point,”
He shows me where to go. Then Dave says, “Let’s stop here and see if we can catch anything.” Wait. Catch anything? I wanted to get the grand prize, which realistically he told me was a striped bass, and they didn’t taste very fishy. I thought to myself, is Dave giving up on my chances? I desperately wanted the fish now, against all odds with one bait, and I wanted to get to practice and feel of reeling in a fish. I also wanted to try eating a fish for my first time. The time was about 3:00, and I started getting impatient. I tried to watch a Youtube video and check baseball scores on my phone, despite the bright sun. I fell asleep, and it looked like Dave also did.
I wake up… It was now 3:20. I focus in on my surroundings, and then I hear, “Click, click, click!” I excitedly shout, “Dave, what’s happening?” And then he replies,
“Grab onto the rod!” He also calls out directions such as, “Put the rod at your chest, and reel hard!” I try to reel in the fish, but it is too strong for me to handle. I shout back, “I can’t!”
He helps me reel in the fish, and we’re getting closer. I have to put all of my might into trying to reel it in, until… it flies onto the boat. We both shout, “Yes!” Then we high-five each other.
The fish still flops around, 2 feet and 20 pounds – we measured it. I see it flop around, and I am uncertain of what to do. Dave fiddles with the fish, and we drive the boat back to the dock, where we cut up the fish at the cutting station, and throw away the inedible parts of the fish. We put the meat in a bag, and bring it home with us. I was still thinking about the first real fish that I caught, how I struggled to reel it in all on one bait, but then the satisfying feeling that made my day. That striped bass tasted great later also, just like we thought it would.
