Fish Story

As long as I can remember, it has been my profound desire to catch a fish that if mounted, would take up the entire wall and serve as the ultimate trump card to rival any fishing tale. I imagine the kind of Zane Grey fish that takes a hour to wrangle and leaves the victor begging for mercy. That's right, I don't want to catch a fish, I want to angle one. Believe me, I have tried on my fair share of occasions, but the net result has never been much more than a sea bass or grouper. Since coming to Diego Garcia the results have been a little more noteworthy, but even the hearty tug of a Wahoo loses its luster once you've hauled in a few.

So what is a Naval Officer to do? Enter Dave Adams: saltwater fishing expert and credit to our wardroom. This guy has tackle with enough test to suspend a compact car and reels that actually have the same transmissions found in a Big Rig. On top of that, he is my friend, and as we left the lagoon I knew with absolute certainty that this was not a fishing trip, but a hunting expedition...


So here I am, shortly after "fish on" was called. Whatever is on the other end of the line is still diving and the reel is hemorrhaging line, but so far so good - all I am worried about is how we are going to keep 80 lbs. of tuna sashimi cold at the cookout. In retrospect, a pair of gloves and a larger harness might have been a good idea.

After 30 minutes of scrambling and a sore arm, the 7 foot coral shark gave the Filipino crew yet another battle. Now before anyone cries PETA, the surrounding waters are a strictly enforced nature preserve, so we let the monster go. Better luck next time?

Members of the "expedition" proudly pose with...another Wahoo. From left: Liz, Ben, Ryan, Andrew, and Dave (The Great).