Love At First Sail: For Reel
By Camden Konesco
On Sunday I met real fishermen. They have a 55 foot sport fishing boat called Hope. I was asking them lots of fishing questions for a few hours. Then, the best thing ever happened. They asked me if my dad and I wanted to go fishing with them the next day. I ran like crazy back to our boat and asked my mom and dad. I was afraid they were going to say no. First I asked my dad. He said yes. Then I asked my mom. And my mom said the magic word, “Yes”. I ran back to their boat and told them, “I’m in!” They were so excited. They said to be at their boat at 7:30 in the morning.
I couldn’t sleep that night. I was WAY, WAY, WAY too excited. I was so excited that Dad and I showed up 15 minutes early to their boat. As we left the harbor, Mr. Tom hit the gas and we went flying. We had to have been going at least 25 knots. I couldn’t even keep my hat on we were going so fast. I loved it.
We trolled along the ridgeline where the water goes from shallow to deep. This is where lots of good eating fish live. We had been trolling for an hour and there was no sign of fish. I was laying in a bean bag chair up on the bridge of the boat watching the water and relaxing. Then Mr. Mike yelled, “FISH ON!!!” I went flying down the back stairs and Mrs. Margaret told me to get in the fighting chair. I can’t believe they asked me to be the first person in the fighting chair. I’ve dreamt about this moment for a long time. It was a girl mahi mahi. It took me ten minutes to reel her in and she was a fighter. Once I got her up to the side of the boat, Mr. Mike gaffed her and brought her on board.
She went right into the kill box, which is a huge cooler filled with ice. Man, I wish we had one of those on our boat. Then I went inside the boat to go to the bathroom. And again, I heard Mr. Mike yell, “FISH ON!!” I couldn’t run outside and get to the pole fast enough. My dad was already in the chair. It was another mahi, but this time a bull (male).
My dad got him to the boat and Mr. Mike again gaffed him and into the kill box he went flop, flop, flopping. We kept on trolling along the ridgeline. Then I was up top looking around for fish again. And again, Mr. Mike yelled, “Fish On!” “Another Fish On!” “Another Fish On!” “ANOTHER FISH ON!” I flew down the stairs like a fireman down a fireman’s pole. Mr. Mike said that were in a school of mahi mahi and he needed all hands on deck. All five of us were excited and got into the action. The poles were bending, the fish were jumping, the lines were crossing, and my heart was pumping. I knew we had four fish on, but I could only see three. Where was this guy? I looked closer at that line and still couldn’t see him. When I started reeling him in, the fish wasn’t jumping like mahi do. Wait? Could it be? Could I have a wahoo on? As he got closer to the boat, I saw him. My dream come true. Wahoo on! My goal for this year was to catch a wahoo and I did it!
We headed back toward the marina and we hit another school of Mahi. We caught five more mahi and I couldn’t believe what was happening. It was crazy. The kill box was full so we floored it back to the marina. We had 11 fish!
We got the fish on ice and wheeled them to the filleting station. Mr. Tom and Mrs. Margaret gave me LOTS of the filleted fish to take back to our boat. They are the nicest people ever. I ate so much that night.
I will never forget this day as long as I live. Thank you Mr. Tom, Mrs. Margaret, and Mr. Mike for making my dreams come true. I hope to visit you soon in Stuart, Florida. I’m so glad to have you as new friends.
Two years ago, Marc and Jennifer Konesco sold their home and cars and Marc sold his interest in a major education IT firm and the couple bought a 49’ Jeanneau sailboat. They have been cruising the islands with their three children, Joellen, 19, Camden. 8, and Maria, 4. Jenn home schools the children for four hours a day. Stuart Sailfish Club member, Tom Dyer, met Cam on the dock at Cape Eleuthera Resort & Marina and learned about his passion for fishing. Cam had already landed a 55-pound dolphin while trolling as they crossed the Gulf Stream from Florida to Bimini and he had two fishing goals for this year: finding and catching dolphin in schools and catching his first wahoo. When invited to fish aboard “Hope” the next day, “ You would have thought it was Christmas!”, said Tom Dyer. This is the story that Cam wrote about his day with Tom and Margaret Dyer and mate Mike Powel on “Hope”. To read more about the Konesco’s sailing and fishing adventures, visit www.loveatfirstsail.com.
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