ANGE’S TURN TO FISH THE PACIFIC OR HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN CHUM

Along about midweek, at the Fijian resort, came time for our family deep sea fishing expedition. Deysi had booked it as part of our package. Ange and I were pumped. The other two had already been deep sea fishing with me in the Indian Ocean. Ron, off Mauritius (the famous “where’s my yacht” saga) and Deysi, off The Seychelles (with the seasick Spaniard). So they both already knew, that deep sea fishing was not high on their list of things to do. For Ron it was a little higher than “car touring” with her dad, and for mom it ranked a little higher than another round of “sea lice”.

But Ange now, that was a different story. She was stoked! The other two had been and finally her turn had arrived. She was bouncing. Our trip is to take place on an afternoon, when the weather was not particularly great. It was ok close in to shore but out on the horizon, it was cloudy and you could see waves starting to form. We consulted the captain of our fishing boat and he said, that although it was not “good”, the next day, which would have been our last chance, was even worse. He said I’m happy to take you and see if we can find some fish. Ange says “hell yaaa”. So we load up and off we go.

As I said, close in, to shore, it was a little choppy, but not terrible. As we got further out the “swells” started and rollers about 8 – 10 foot high passed under us. At first they were gentle and the ride was much like a slow roller coaster. Then the captain decides that it is time to fish and starts to drift around will he hooks up his gear. During our drift the boat would rise to the top of a 10 foot roller and then free fall to the bottom of the wave trough. A few of these could make anyone feel like losing their brekkie.

The captain gets hooked up, and starts a slow troll. Dragging his gear, but now with very low power the movement caused by the waves is more dramatic. Ron is, of course, an experienced fisherman by now and is bopping around waiting to show us how to get a fish. Mom is not saying much but I know she was thinking that she had far better uses for our $300 that day. Ange was now turning a “whiter shade of pale”. With each passing roller, her head is getting closer to the deck.

She now has an urgent need to throw up and with mom’s help leans over the side and unloads, breakfast, lunch and snacks along with assorted juices and sodas. Ron is now bouncing around and yelling at Ange “throw up into the bucket, don’t waste it, it’s good bait for the fish, come on Ange use the bucket”. That was Ron’s idea of how to make “CHUM”. Mom is trying to tell Ron to stifle herself, however she is unrelenting and merciless. Finally Ange collapses into her mother’s lap, completely exhausted after having tried to turn herself inside out.

Well, it appears, I have just lost my third potential fishing partner in three tries. Mom is mad at me for getting Ange into this, she’s mad at Ron for teasing Ange, Ange in turn is too sick to comment. Ron is happy because she knows this fishing trip is over and its probably the last one she ever has to do. Me, I’m getting used to it. Geezus. Back we go, no fish, Ron was the only one that had fun and I’m in shit again. Oh I forgot to mention the captain who was also happy, he had just bagged $300 without having to clean a fish and it had only taken him one circle around the bay. “Yahoo” he cries “bring out the yaqona”.