Ok let me set the scene for everyone. I've been doing this for a long time but I've got to say that this trip will stand out in my mind forever.
Also bear in mind that there are a lot of people that e mail me and call me on the phone to let me know when I'm a little behind on my blogs and fishing reports. They also like to let me know when I miss spell a word or when my grammar is a little off.
Well my best friend Jeff out of Jacksonville is my biggest critic so I told him this report is on him.
Ok so his grammar and spelling is a little better than mine but I am a much better fisherman then him.
Also I want everyone to know that at the end of this big fish battle it was very important to me that this fish that made our day week and probably year had to swim away unhurt and I made sure of that.
In closing the pictures on this blog cannot be enlarged however I also posted them in photo gallery Titled Sam's Birthday well worth looking at.
Ok take it away Jeff.
Once In a Life Time Birthday
Today was a very special day for Captain Taco. It was Taco's daughter Samantha's 16th birthday and one of Samantha's birthday wishes was to go fishing with her Dad, her brother Luis, and to bring along a few of her friends on her Dad's boat. Jessica, Sasha, Kailie along with Brandy (Samantha's horse trainer) and her husband Angel joined the Hooked Up at 9:00 a.m. at the dock. Off we went.
Now I must tell you that Taco's kids, Luis and Samantha learned how to catch fish before they could ride a bike. Luis at 18 years old is already a talented fisherman and Samantha now 16 years old has caught more Sailfish than most of us will in a lifetime. There was one thing Samantha had never accomplished…wiring a Sailfish. For those of you that don't know this term, it is the end of a fight where the fish is tired and you have to "hand line" the fish to the boat with your hands because the leader is at a point that the angler can no longer gain line on the reel. Of course Samantha had witnessed this 100's of times and was trained on the do's and don'ts. Fish sometimes seem to play possum at the end of the fight and can fool you that they are tired but will light up when they get close to the boat. This is a very important fact to know when wiring a fish.
The fishing stage is set. Captain Taco takes the Hooked Up over to an anchored ship off Port Everglades. Samantha and her friends are having fun in the sun laughing and joking when in a few minutes of letting the baits out, Fish On! The girls are on the bow and bridge of the boat so Angel, who is in the cockpit, grabs the rod. After 10 minutes or so the fish (a Kingfish) is at the side of the boat. Somehow the hooks fall out and we all scratched our heads looking at Luis...Luis was the first mate on this special trip.
The ship happens to pull anchor as we make another pass by her and Captain Taco decides to go further off shore to find better looking water. We're heading out and the boat is scaring up Flying fish which is pretty common. I ask the Captain about the Flying fish when he tells me to look 300+ yards to the right where there was something else scaring the Flying fish out of the water. He makes a hard right and we head for that spot. Before you know it, Bam, fish on! By the time I could turn around, I hear "Sailfish" and Samantha's friend, Jessica jumps in the chair and the fight begins.
Here's where the unbelievable begins. Luis recently bought an underwater camera and had taken some underwater photos while fishing in the Bahamas for a few weeks. Samantha is in the cockpit, Dad is at the helm asking Luis if he wants to get some underwater photos, and at the same time yelling for Samantha to "wire the Sailfish". Samantha already had the gloves on and was ready. Samantha brings the sailfish to the boat like a pro. Luis grabs his camera as the Sailfish gets to within 20' of the boat. Luis gets the loud word from his Dad to get in the water. Samantha is holding the fish off the back of the boat when Luis dives in the water like Tarzan with his camera in hand. Captain Taco has to keep everyone safe maneuvering the boat to keep his son and daughter out of harm's way. Luis get's his shots and all of the sudden the Sailfish goes crazy on top of the water. Jumping in every direction, the Sailfish jumps and lands on top of Luis's back. Because Luis was deeper than the Sailfish and Samantha was holding the fish away from her brother, he was never touched. Samantha wires the fish to the side of the boat and Dad flies down to the cockpit to release the fish. The Sailfish, a little tired swims away; Luis (Tarzan) jumps back on the boat after photographing his first Sailfish underwater, Jessica smiles as she has just caught her first Sailfish, Samantha, after wiring her first Sailfish is still smiling today, and lots of "high fives" are going on around the boat.
Taco, being in the fishing business for most of his adult life has experienced just about everything you can imagine fishing but this experience was one in a life time. Father, Son, and Daughter on a beautiful birthday, fishing with friends, catching, wiring, and photographing a Sailfish underwater was one hell of a family affair and a day that all of us will never forget.
Happy Birthday Sam…what an incredible day!
