A Fishing Tale - A Fisherman's Delight

By, Michael Daubenberger

Out of commission.  That’s what happens when you spear yourself in the hand.  No need to worry with Sara on board to step in as the head spearfisherwoman.  Our first trip out since the accident, we were in search of lunch.  Within 10 minutes Sara had spotted it, a Strawberry Grouper.  I watched from the surface while Sara dove down and made a perfect shot.  Not bad for her first grouper. 

Four days later we went out again.  Sara with the pole spear and myself with the Hawaiian sling.  Time to get back on the horse.  After a number of tries, I had my first success, a Marget from the Grunt family of fish.  Sara followed it up with a Nassau Grouper just to show me up.  Dinner was served. 

For our last fish in the Exumas, Sara and I decided to get some small pan fryers.  Porgies of course.  Again we got one fish each.  

From the Exumas we moved on to Cat Island.  A fifty-mile crossing and a great chance to hook into a pelagic fish.  We were hoping for a Mahi Mahi and that’s what we got.  A nice one too!  Sara fought the fish, Otto got the helm and I grabbed the gaffe hook.  It was our first Mahi Mahi since Matt and Cindy were onboard in May.  A long time coming!  

Blood bath from the mahi mahi

Our trip up Cat Island took us to the Devils Backbone located on the north end of the Island.  The Devils Backbone is an intricate passage littered with coral heads.  What better place to stop, snorkel, and spearfish?  We made the stop indeed and it was worth it.  The snorkeling was world class and the fish were prolific.  During the stop I speared a small bar jack and a white grunt. 

Onward to the Abacos!!  We didn’t know what to expect.  We anticipated seeing less fish and less big fish due to the population on the islands and proximity to Florida.  We couldn’t have been more wrong!!  Our first snorkeling session was at the northwest end of Great Guana Cay.  It was a protected land and sea park so no fishing.  The reef was amazing and so was the abundance of fish.  Huge schools of iridescent tiny fish filled the seas and groupers could be seen poking their heads out from under the coral heads.  Three days later we made our first entry into the water with spears in hand.  The location, No Name Cay, the reefs, just as vibrant.  Sara and I snorkeled for two hours, chased out of the water only by the time of day.  Our loot, two Spanish Hogfish, and a Schoolmaster Snapper.    

Ty arrived and we headed to the west end of Manjack Cay.  We arrived under the threat of tropical storm (Debbie).  She keep us off of the outer reefs but not out of the water.  Upon arrival we jumped in the dinghy to find some dinner.  Not much fish, and not much reef but we were able to find a Strawberry Grouper.  Grouper Fingers!! 

The next day we headed out and gave Ty the reins to the three-pronged spear to kill a lionfish.  The lionfish was small, real small.  Not an easy target, so Ty swam down for a practice shot 2 inches from the fish’s head.  The fish did not flinch.  His next shot was a dead bulls-eye.  The fish was trapped between the three prongs of the spear.   Not a single one of them puncturing its delicate flesh.  We could have sold it to and aquarium unharmed.  Nice shot Ty!!  We continued to snorkel and I found a school of porgies.  Pan fryers for lunch.  I speared three nice ones on three shots.  

With my ego soaring as I trained my eyes on a Nassau Grouper.  Again, a direct shot and another fish in the boat.  We drifted off shore and Sara caught my attention pointing to a monster fish.  My first though was a shark!  No it was a fish, a Cero.  The Cero is a fish that is constantly on the move, fast, agile, and not often speared.  This one I was able to get within range expecting my 6-foot spear to swim away with the fish.  The fish I did spear, but swim away, he did not.  He made it about twenty feet before I was able to grab the spear and haul him back to the boat.  Our day of fishing was done. 

Our next stop was Moraine Cay.  A wonderland for snorkelers and spearfisherman alike.  The coral heads rose from 15 feet up to the surface with channels, caves, and tunnels throughout.  To say the least, we spent days exploring and still just scratched the surface.  The fish were everywhere but they were also a little shifty.  Our first trip out we came home empty handed.  The next trip out was more rewarding.  I spotted a grouper and headed down.  As I approached, the fish spooked so I poked my head in a cave nearby and spotted a nice Schoolmaster.  

The shot, right behind the gills and the fish took off with the spear.  The fight was on.  He drug the spear deep under a rock ledge were I could just reach the end of the spear.    The fish was stuck, real stuck.  I tugged and rotated and tugged and finally as I was just nearing the end of my breath, I got him out.  Sara and I jumped in the dinghy and ditched the giant Barracuda that had is eye on our prize. 

Our next fish, a hogfish speared for our neighbors on the Kopy Kat.  Their favorite type of fish.   

Again in the afternoon we headed out and Sara took her turn with the Hawaiian sling.  On her first attempt ever she swam down twenty feet to approach a good-sized porgy.  She got there and waited, waited for the fish to turn allowing for the perfect shot and the perfect shot it was.  On Sara’s first attempt with a Hawaiian sling she had speared a fish.  Not many people can say that about their wife.  But I can. 

It was time for us to get our favorite type of fish.  The Nassau Grouper.  Sara and I went out to find it.  Sara spotted the fish and I went down to get it.  A nice Nassau Grouper!!

Our next stop was a reef behind Allens Pensicola Cay.  We watched the thunderclouds in the distance and decided we were not in danger so we jumped in the dinghy and headed out to the reef.  Again we got a Nassau Grouper. 

In Foxtown after dropping off Tyler we met a couple in the bar with a suggestion for our next stop.  Carter Cay, the land of Black Grouper and Mutton Snapper.  We arrived, anchored and hopped in the dinghy for a drift dive down the cut.  We drifted down and got a Yellowfin Grouper.  That evening I followed it up with a hogfish. 

In the morning we went out on slack tide.  I dove down after a big Mutton Snapper and gave it a shot.  Right behind the gills.  The fish swam off and I followed as he snuck into a hole.  I reached for the spear, it shook, and the fish swam out the other end.  A 6 foot nurse shark joined in on the excitement and bit the tip of the spear then drifted up towards the Sara and the dinghy.  Sara jumped in and I followed.  Unfortunately I still needed to go back down and get the spear.  We were told later that by a couple of Bahamian fisherman not to spearfish in the cut because the sharks swim in packs in there.  Luckily we didn’t see any shark packs.  Later in the day we went out with our friend Bruce from Johnny Wasabi and got two Nassau Grouper. 

Our final stop in the Abacos was Double Breasted Cay.  One last chance to fill up the freezer and fill it up we did.  In total, we netted four Hogfish, two Mutton Snapper, one lionfish, one Strawberry Grouper, one Schoolmaster and one huge Margat.               

          

A Fishing Tale - Fishing with Company

By, Michael Daubenberger

Much time has passed and many fish have been eaten since we checked in last.  Our story continues at Cat Island with the arrival of Kevin and Emy.  The first of our catch was a hauled in by Kevin as we made our way on a snorkeling excursion to Little San Salvador Island.  It was a good-sized Almaco Jack of excellent food value.  Unfortunately as I grabbed the fish to unhook it, the fish slithered into sea before it could be photographed.  Our next fish struck as we headed down the inside of Cat Island.  It was a fighter, didn’t have as much enough fight to outlast Emy.  When we finally got it to the boat we were disappointed to find it was a three-foot barracuda.  Two fish landed and nothing for the table. 

Mosquito ridden anchorage at HawksNest

Time to try our luck on the high seas!!  We headed out of the Hawksnest on the south end of Cat Island at 6 am sharp awoken by the buzz and stinging bites of the mosquitoes.  Our minds were on the Tuna we would encounter at the Tartar bank.  Schools were everywhere, but in five hours of trolling under the motor we were able to hook into only one and it quickly broke our 40-pound test line. 

Mike with speared grouper off south Cat Island

Lunch was had at Devils Point along with a snorkel session.  The anchor was down in 30 feet of crystal clear water with coral heads dotting the bottom.  We jumped in and discovered the boat was anchored directly over a nice Nassau Grouper.  During the past week I had been explaining to Kevin the nuances of spear fishing with the Hawaiian sling.  Particularly how the fish swim away after you spear them and you need to chase them and the spear down before they can swim away and/or a shark gobbles them up and takes the spear with him.  Never have I shot a good-sized fish where it just drops down dead. 

Grouper speared in head

Well that’s what happened with this one.  I dropped down to the bottom, gave it a shot and rushed in to the catch the fish.  It didn’t flinch; just fell to the ground dead.  A lucky shoot indeed.  On our trip back as we left the reef and entered the deep blue ocean, we hooked into a monster.  Kevin grabbed the pole just in time to keep it from stripping clean.  Sara manned the helm and backed down on her.  I grabbed the camera and ran play by play.  The fight lasted a good fifteen minutes before the beast stripped free.  There was much speculation on the fish type and size, but we were sure it would have been a record catch.

Diving in Cat Island

The next day we had not intended to fish, but the wind was blowing just right to send us down to the fishing grounds on a beam reach, so we set off in the morning with a couple of hours to blow.  No sooner had we reached the Tartar Bank than the first fish struck.  A Blackfin Tuna.  Kevin grabbed the pole, braced himself against the roll of the boat and reeled her in.  Sushi for dinner tonight.  Ten minutes later the second fish hit.  This time a small Barracuda.

Sara and I said our goodbyes to Kevin and Emy in Cat Island as they barely made it to their flight in time.

Sushi dinner

We sailed back to the Exumas the following day to pick up the Sundborg girls.  Two of Sara’s sisters and her cousin.  As we left the banks of Cat Island with the sun rising behind us, we hooked into a nice Blackfin, and again as we approached the cut of Staniel Cay we were rewarded with yet another Blackfin.    

Mike with tuna hook-up from Cat Island crossing

Fishing with the girls.  We should have known what to expect, seasoned veterans.  Stacy fishes commercially in Alaska need we say more.  Well yes, she caught all the fish for our wedding reception.  Susy may be afraid to touch a fish but she knows how to handle a pole from her many trips to Alaska fishing on her grandparents yacht, the Queen Bee. 

Queen B anchored in SE Alaska

The girls with another cero

Mackenzie is a fishing conundrum.  Her pallet is much like Nelly’s, if it comes from the sea, it’s not meant for the plate, but she loves catching them and feeding the carcasses to the sharks.  What better way to dispose of the body?  With the girls we made two short passages on the ocean-side, but each of the girls received a fishing story out of the trips.  We’ve seen it before and I’m sure we’ll see it again, the “Sundborg Luck”. 

Stacy with speared lionfish

The first fish was a lionfish speared by Stacy on her first attempt.  Not bad for a rookie spearfisherwoman.  The second fish was wrangled in by Susy, a Cero.  The fight didn’t last long.  At least not long after we determined it wasn’t sea grass.  I netted the fish and we brought her aboard. 

Susy & Stacy with Susy's cero catch

Reef shark

The carcass was dissected and feed to a reef shark and a school of big horse eye jacks.  Hours of excitement.  Stacy hooked into the next Cero and had it up onto the boat and cleaned in a matter of minutes. 

Stacy with filleted cero

On our last leg of the trip as we raced into Georgetown we spotted a flock of turns and a school of tuna.  Actually, Little Tunny.  Our first pass was for naught.  Not even a bite so we turned the ship around.  On the second pass we heard the reel zing. 

Mackenzie with tuna catch

Mackenzie grabbed the pole and started fighting.  From the onset we could tell it would be a real battle.  The fish was landed and she was a real beauty.  A nice Little Tunny.  Once again sashimi for dinner!!! 

Tuna sashimi

Our tale continues with the arrival of our guests Tommy and Nicole.  Our first fish arrived as we neared the cut to Farmers Cay.  Tommy grabbed the pole and reeled her in.  A Cero Mackerel, similar to a Spanish Mackerel and good eating.  The lines were tossed out in hopes of another.  The next fish struck hard in the shallow waters as we entered the cut and it was likely to be one thing, a Barracuda.  It was and it was a big one, 4 feet at least!  Tommy wrestled it up to the boat and I went to grab the pliers.  I reached for the leader, the fish shook its gnarled head, and away it went taking the lure with it.

Tommy with cero

We entered Pipe Creek with the hopes of hooking into some bonefish, spearing a few Grouper, and collecting some conch.  The evening we arrived, Tommy and I went out on the bonefish flats with poor light and lots of wind.  Fortunately, the flats were only 100 feet from the stern of the boat.  Within minutes we spotted a huge school of fish finning.  As we approached, they moved like a wave through the water.  It was something to see!!!  We worked our way to windward and got a couple good casts out in front of the mass of fish, but we had no luck hooking in. 

Tommy & Mike trying their luck at bonefishing

The following day, the four of us went out on a fishing extravaganza.  We were going to hook into bonefish, spear grouper and collect those conch that I had talked about.  We had the poles, the spears, our lunch, and our drinks.  We were ready!!  Heading out the cut we spotted a few sharks, a big stingray, and a school of bonefish.  At the cut, we jumped in for a drift dive looking for our next big catch. 

Big it was, a fish it was not!!  I was clearing my goggles and holding my spear in my left hand.  The spear slipped through the handle and the barb lodged itself a ½ inch into webbing between my thumb and pointer finger.  I had hooked into something, myself!!  The big fishing trip was cancelled.  Some medical attention was needed.