Persistence Pays!

Black Point, Exumas to Cape Eleuthera

February 26

Ever since we left Florida, Keith has been on the hunt for mahi-mahi (aka dolphin fish), trolling whenever we are in deep water. We’ve diverted farther off shore a few times in order to fish. In all this time, all he had to show for his efforts was a picture of a barracuda (released) and tooth marks on his lure.

Pump and reel

Crossing the Exuma Sound on our way to Eleuthera, he dragged a line behind the boat for six hours. Until we were fifteen minutes from our destination, the fish population had responded with total apathy. Then suddenly, that long-awaited sound that makes every fisherman’s heart beat faster: the scream of line spooling out. And spooling out! Keith tightened the drag more and more until he was afraid the line would snap. Even so, 300 of the 400 yards on his reel quickly paid out. The fight was on!

Almost landed

As he jumped and fought, the fish showed his iridescent gold, blue, and green mahi-mahi colors. It was a full-on contest. After thirty minutes of playing him, pumping and reeling, Keith landed the biggest mahi he has ever caught. (The fish was a bull, shown by the prominent square forehead; cows have rounded heads.) It isn’t easy to get a fish this size on board a sailboat, but Keith did it with just a little help from me. We didn’t measure or weigh him, but judging from a picture of him stretched out on the cockpit floor, we estimate that he was four and a half feet long and weighed close to fifty pounds.

Catching this lunker will definitely be one of Keith’s trip highlights. Eating fine mahi dinners will be one of mine.