h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A friend casually asked me if I would like to go fishing yesterday. After an immediate positive response, we were off.

He has a 24 foot fiberglass fishing boat with a 200hp outboard motor, and a bimini top. These boats are lightweight, and with that kind of horsepower, they can really fly. After loading up the gear and topping up with gas, we went roaring out to the reef.

All of the waters within the confines of the reef are part of the National Marine Sanctuary, and it is no longer legal to fish there. The reef itself rings Key West about five miles from the island, and it's a pretty good hike overwater to reach it.

Once past the reef, the bottom drops away rapidly, and before you know it, you're standing in a very small boat over 500 feet of water. This causes much meditation about what to do if overboard, and what would be big enough to eat one if one was overboard. Then you pick up a rod and your worries evaporate.

Since the water inside the reef near Key West is shallow, it is that lovely clear blue-green that shows up in every picture you ever see of the Caribbean. Once outside the reef, the depth makes it deeper and deeper blue until it literally matches the color of classic Goo.

Once we baited the rods, we stuck them in the rod holders and proceeded to troll for about an hour, searching for floating weed mats and the schools of dolphin fish that always feed under them. Unfortunately, the cloudless skies and clear, if swelling waves didn't help us out much. No matter. As I've said before, there's no such thing as a bad day on the water.

We moved back in closer to the reef and decided to bottom fish for a while in the shallower (40 feet) water. First cast landed a parrot fish, not something one would normally catch on squid, since they eat algae from the coral. The fish was absolutely beautiful, jewelled and iridescent, with neon blue stripes on the top and bottom, and a long lyre-like tail. We all oohed and ahhed, and tossed him undamaged back into the waves.

A few minutes later, we were treated to our first yellowtail snapper of the day. Bang, bang, bang, and we all had dinner in the cooler. We were pulling out nice pan-sized yellowtails about 16 in overall.

After a quiet spell of fishing (not catching), my reel started singing in the rod holder. I grabbed it just in time to set the hook into something that felt like I did not want to meet it face to face. From the resistance, we all guessed it was probably a grouper, and a big one, too. He danced around with me for a minute or two, then took the line and tied it around something on the bottom. Groupers like to do that to fishermen. After ten minutes of making sure it wasn't coming out of the water, I broke the line, and tied on a new leader.

My friend was cracking wise about me "catching the bottom" and having a great laugh at my expense. The same thing happened to him about five minutes later. Fishing Karma...

We soaked hooks for about an hour, until I noticed a really mean looking front passing over the island, and we decided it was time to high-tail it home. And when I say "High-tail it", I mean he opened the motor all the way out. It was all we could do to hang on as the boat literally leapt over the wave tops all the way home. We caught some rain on the way in, and at that speed, it was like buckshot.

My impromptu fishing expedition netted dinner, a radiant sunburn (even with sunblock 30,) and the thrill of a roller coaster on the way home. Fishing is a great workout too, since every muscle in your body is constantly trying to find a balance point and keep your sea legs under you. You just don't find out about that until the next day...

This expedition gets ten out of ten stars for a great day in Key West.

Can't think of another appropriate word....

One day I intend to visit you, KWDave.

Until then, I'll dream about those gorgeous and beautiful waters and brilliant sunsets.....



AGB