We had set a line because it had been long enough since we had caught a fish that I had forgotten. Isobel asks every time we are underway if we can fish and I come up with some excuse… So, we sailed from Bora Bora and carefully picked a lure based on the latest lore on what works best… a blue one because it was a nice day and it was daytime. And, I thought it was one that dove deeper so we could catch a Tuna. And then we let out the line and went over the drill with Isobel if we should catch something. The sound that the reel would make and that she should call out “Fish On!!” if she heard the reel go off.

We had all but given up hope as the day of light air sailing with the code zero had turned into a motor into the wind as the wind direction was not as forecast (of Course). My mood was foul as I do not like to motor, being known to make fun of boats motoring rather than sailing… Like a trawler we set the auto-pilot and I set my chin.

Within about a mile of the West Tahaa Pass the reel went off and Isobel called “Fish On”… I was shocked into action. I should have had a belt to put the rod in, but because of my reluctance to fish, mine was buried in the sail locker. I tried to lodge the pole against my waist, then against the grab rail on the aft coach roof…

This was my first Tuna of this type and it was a fighter. Mahi Mahi don’t really do much… you just reel them in. This fish dove and ran and tried to run with the line and swim toward the boat to spit out the lure and then dive again… I started to be worried that we had caught too big a fish to land. I pledged to cut it loose if it were too big and Isobel demanded that we land it…

When it came to the surface finally it was like a silver flash… as though we had hooked a stainless steel dish… Then we saw it and, not having a gaff, I was able to use gloved hands to get it on board. We covered it quickly with a towel… removing the lure we realized that it had, during the fight, got the second hook of the lure caught in its gill… and had bled to death. No bashing or other brutal acts needed. Except the filleting….