A 74-pound mega Wahoo fish, and two others weighing 60 and 33 pounds (gutted weight) made for “a very good day of fishing,” said Island Harbour fisherman, Patrick Webster.

The smaller Wahoo was the first fish to fire and was caught on the larger rod and reel rig. However, this particular setup is not Patrick’s magical lucky rod and reel.

Who’s taller, Patrick or Wahoos?

The lucky setup is the slighter 9.0 Penn reel and lighter rod that he claims catches the most fish. This rig is rather tattered, stressed and, in normal circumstances, would be finished and ready for the dump. The butt end of the rod keeps breaking, and the uppermost eye is cracked, notwithstanding a grinding noise in the reel gear. Nonetheless, the good luck setup is constantly repaired and pasted back together in fear that he might lose his fishing fortuity.

The largest Wahoo (74 pounder) fired on the magic rig, and the zing-zing-zing of the line might have been heard in St. Martin from the far North! The reel sound was no doubt heard by some in Anguilla. Patrick was unable to turn the fish in the first ten minutes, as the brute was taking line, and no wraps were made. The fish continued to fight, and for the next thirty minutes, Patrick struggled inch by inch to wrap-up the big bully. At one point in the fishing negotiations, he thought that the fish had been bad-hooked possibly in the body or tail. The creature was proving the better of the two during a particularly long run-out by the fish.

The third Wahoo (60 pounder) also fired on the providential setup and proved as determined and uncooperative as the previous bully. After each catch, sashimi-grade fish preservation techniques require immediate and meticulous attention, so the craft must be powered off and allowed to drift. The fish innards are returned to Davy Jones locker (feeding the sharks), and the fish are immersed in and stuffed in the belly with ice. In this particular instance, upon motoring away and starting another troll, the lucky rod and reel were hit in process.

Zing, zing and a very long run-out of line occurred. This particular fish was darting left to right and fighting like mad. Patrick said, “This is not a normal fish – this fish is different – I don’t know what this fish is?” Finally, he could see that this fighter was a very large and strong female Dolphinfish putting up a most determined fight. Patrick was able to wrap up this beautiful fish, and got her near the stern. One swipe of the gaff missed, and she took a dive under the keel. Pulling the fish upward, she jumped completely out of the water and broke loose, escaping the fisherman (lucky rod and unlucky gaff). While attending to the Wahoo and while drifting, there must have been a pod of Dolphinfish that gathered around the drifting boat and discarded innards.

Nevertheless, fisherman Patrick remarked that with all things considered he had a good day. He began in the early morning in total darkness and headed north. He reached the far deep by daybreak. The seas were seductively calm, and he was surprised and pleased by the size of his catch and the thrill of the fight, including the lost Dolphinfish.

It was a good day for fishing, indeed. Frankie Lake and his fishing partners likewise caught an extremely large Wahoo that reportedly tipped the scales at 70 pounds that same afternoon. All told, there must have been over a thousand servings of Wahoo brought ashore between Frankie and Patrick Thursday gone.

Notably, guests and fine diners patronizing the famous CuisinArt Resort & Spa were the beneficiaries of this fine catch. Lastly, celebrated Chef Laval Richardson and Klassik Café likewise have premium, sashimi-grade Wahoo to the ultimate delight of their diners.

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