Sport Fishing in the Bahamas

We are currently staying in a marina that is mostly full of sport fishing boats. The boats return from fishing at about five o'clock each day. Upon their arrival, I rush over in time to see them finish tying up. One of the fishermen runs off to grab a wheel barrow while the others begin to clean the boat and open up the coolers. They hose down the entire boat and put away hats, jackets, and other things like that. I watch as they take their catch out of the built in coolers. Once the entire catch is in the wheel barrow, the captain wheels it off to the cleaning table.

Watching what happens around the cleaning table is more exciting. It is a simple wooden table, made of two by fours, next to the harbor entrance. A pipe runs from under the table, into the water. The moment the first drop of blood, strip of skin, or other fish piece hits the water, a large assortment of fish, rays, and sharks show up. The captain starts by breaking off the head, which is given to a lady who then cuts up the meat. Then she gives those scraps to other people on the dock who might want to use them for fishing in the harbor. The captain normally cleans about seventy pounds of meat a day. On an average day, one boat will catch two to three thirty- pound wahoo, ten yellow eye snapper, two twenty-pound mahi-mahi, a barracuda and occasionally a tuna. Sometimes the fishermen give me little samples of sushi.

I met a man from Texas who was casting a wahoo scrap into the harbor near the cleaning table. We chatted as he landed a remora, and a few chubs, and laughed when he lost his line to one of the six-foot long sharks. Another fisherman took a line and ran it through the gills and out the mouth of a tuna head. He tossed it in and slowly pulled it in, keeping it a few feet in front of the shark that was tracking it. I was amazed to see how close the shark got. It was half out of the water trying to reach the fish head.

Asking questions has led me to learn a few interesting facts. For example, they told me that they run their lures just under the length of two football fields behind these boats. That's a huge distance compared to how I do it: fifteen feet behind Sila. I also learned about many ways to prepare fish. From watching, listening, and occasionally asking questions, I have learned where to cut meat for: sushi, fish mince, BBQ, and cooking general recipes. I have also learned that the cuts vary depending on what kind of fish. Every day, I look forward to seeing the fishing boats come in. – Porter