Day 3, Striped Marlin, Dorado and First Aid
I was up extra early and was catching bait by 5:30. I used the green bait light again and quickly had two dozen baits in the well. Then it was an 18 mile, 45 minute run out to where Victor had told me the Dorado were hanging out.
I trolled two hoochies on my conventional tackle for scouting purposes and wasn't in the water for five minutes when I had a double hook up. I reeled the first fish in and then hung the second off the back of the boat and cast my ten weight. First cast, hookup! All three fish were in the ten pound range.
No more fish so I decided to troll a single rod since doubling up was a pain. Ten minutes later the reel was screaming and the line was melting away. Holy horseflies! I turned the boat and gunned it after the fish, not knowing what in the world I had hooked. Suddenly, way off in the distance I saw a huge sailfish jump and I could see the pink and green hoochies shaking from it's mouth.
Thirty five minutes of backbreaking work later I grabbed the bill of what turned out to be a striped marlin of well over 100 pounds. What's the deal? Every day I've hooked something way too big!
I decided not to troll any more. Too much work! Instead I cut my baits into pieces and started a chum line and cast my fly rod after every three or four pieces. I picked up two more Dorado on the fly but both were caught blind, I never saw them until they hit.
By this time Victor was out with two clients. They were gringo spear fishermen, the same from yesterday. Suddenly he called me on the radio and asked me to come over to his boat for an emergency. I motored over and he asked me if I had any first aid equipment. One of the divers had speared a dorado and decided he could subdue it by stabbing it with his knife underwater. Instead he stuck the fish which dashed away and in doing so dragged his knife across his forearm.
I handed over my first aid kit and they butterfly bandaged the wound, put compresses on it and then headed in.
I stayed out another hour but the fish were gone. Still a good day. Three dorado on a fly, two on conventional gear and one huge striped marlin.
I met Victor later for a beer. He said that he had to look all over for a doctor on Father's Day and finally found one. The gringo needed five stitches for the arm.
Here's a picture of the marlin. I'm sorry that it's so poor but it's difficult driving a boat, handling a big fish and taking pictures all by one's self.
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