Shark Bite
15 August 2006 | Christmas Island
Julie
We went exploring on the north side of the island in the dinghy and brought along some snorkel gear and at the last minute grabbed a fishing rod to see what might be out there. Turns out there is a great bite along the coast there, lots of tunas and wahoos.
We passed a point and got a hookup. Chris fought it while I tried to steer us out to sea to keep us in deep enough water. Oddly the fish kept taking more line, although we could tell it wasn't anything too huge. After about 10 minutes of fighting, he pulled up a yellowfin tuna with a huge bite out of the side. Clearly we were fighting a shark for this one. Fortunately he didn't take any of the meat, just severed the spinal cord which bled it nicely for us.
We smoked it on the beach in one of the many free gas grills they make available to the public. There's a nice picnic area with fresh water and covered tables. Another one of the perks that made the island so neat.