Gone Fishin'

One of the first Nicaraguan friends I made in La Boquita was Harold, who is a smart, funny, enthusiastic chap who speaks excellent English, and works part-time as a translator, part-time as a fishing guide, and part-time as a driver for hire. He and his pretty wife and gorgeous daughters came to our picnic, and we arranged a half-day fishing outing for today.

A tuk tuk driver named Elmo picked us up at 5:30, and delivered us to the Casares fish market, where we were led to a panga, operated today by Luis. Harold brought tackle and mandatory life jackets and all the gewgaws we needed to catch the big ones. And we were off. The day was mainly cloudy and breezy. Perfect, really, as I dreaded getting out in the middle of the ocean under a blazing sun. Best of all, the sea was calm. A panga is a long thin boat which takes the least wave up and -bam!- down.

Gabe took first blood with a very pretty mackerel.

And second, with a black bonito tuna.

Then it was my turn, landing a jack - a big one!

And then as we headed back to Casares, trolling all the way, I realised the water was getting more shallow, and reeled in for the day. Gabe kept trolling, and suddenly, his line went singing out. It took awhile to land, but eventually, we had another jack to add to the catch. Here it is, with Luis holding the gaff, and Harold looking on.

Now my freezer is full of jack fillets, and our tummies are full of delectable mackerel sauteed in butter and garlic. We had a ball, the weather was ideal, and catching fish was the cherry on top!