We cautiously approached Larry's panga
from a distance. He and his wife Laura are a great retired couple who love to
fish. Today, they were fishing
just south of Cerralvo
Island. As we got closer, it was
clear that Laura was on a huge tuna.
She was
sitting on the little triangular deck at the bow...essentially "on the
floor." Her butt on the
deck... feet forward and braced up against the inside of the gunwale which, at
the bow, was only about 8 inches high.
Like the position the anchor-person assumes at the tail-end of a
tug-of-war-rope! Rod triple-bent
in her straining hands with the tip almost touching the water. It was evident that the heavy 22-foot fiberglass panga was slowing being towed by the massive
fish.
But, all
was not well.
She was
pulling for all she was worth in the bow.
Grimacing with effort. Lips
pursed. Arms locked with knuckles
just barely above the rim of the gunwales. She seemed to be "glaring" at hubby, Larry. And not because of sun or sweat in her
eyes.
Larry's at
the opposite end... in the stern.
Fumbling with his own rod and limp line in the water and not even paying attention to the
epic event at the bow.
Disinterested.
Distracted. Like he didn't
even care that his wife might be on the biggest fish of both their lives.
Ho-hum...
What's
wrong with this picture?
As we
pulled up closer, I shouted out, "Nice fish, Laura! Are you OK? Do you need help?" (I was wondering why Larry wasn't giving much support).
"Larry,
do you need a hand? Want me to jump aboard?"
He looked
at me and just shrugged. "Ask
HER if she needs help..." he said dismissively gesturing with his head
towards his wife at the other end of the panga. He didn't even look back at her.
Whoa...
I looked at
Laura. She looked up and hissed
through gritted teeth.
" I told him if he comes anywhere
near MY fish, I'd kick his butt! He's trying to coach me. He wants me to hand off the rod to him! He won't shut up! Make him leave me alone! This is MY fish! If I'm going to lose
it, I don't need HIS help! And I'd appreciate it if you'd move your own panga
away too so my fish doesn't get tangled!"
YEOW!!!
I looked at
Larry. He looked at me. Rolled his eyes and looked at the
blazing Baja heavens.
I
laughed. How could I not? We
literally "tippy-toed" our panga backwards out of the way. Even the two panga captains (stifling
grins) knew when to just shut-up and get out've the way!
Laura the
SHE-ANGLER had spoken and unless
we wanted a can 'o' whupass unleashed on us, it was best to get as far away
from ground-zero as possible.
I loved it!
I am WOMAN hear me GROWL! See me
FISH! I don't need no help!
I'm seeing
it and loving it more and more. In the old days, Baja fishing was a
testosterone laden bacchanalian "fishing fiesta" of sun, beer, and fishing. An all-guy-man-love- beach party.
("I love my fish brothers!")
Not so much
anymore. Not only are we seeing
more wives, girlfriends, sisters and mom's coming down, but these ladies don't
just wait for you to tie their knots and bait their hooks.
They'll
elbow you down the rail. They'll
be the first to grab that rod if the clicker suddenly goes off and pull it
out've the holder. Too slow. YOU lose! They don't need to be
rescued. They have no
intention of handing off the rod to you so don't ask and they'll only listen to
your coaching (nagging) to a degree.
So get outta their way!
And they
usually look pretty cute doing it too!
Personally,
I love having them on my boats.
They're quick learners. They listen. They have patience. Unlike so many of us guys that try to
brutalize and bulldozer our fish into submission, the ladies finesse their
fish. Poco-a-poco! They smile alot and aren't so grumpy if they lose a fish
("I was gonna release it anyway because it was noble and cute!") or
if the fish aren't biting...
"Oh
look at the dolphins! This is the BEST day ever!"
Just don't
get in the way when they're down in the trenches! They're good. They're getting better. You know it's true and we're all having
more fun because of it. Mama
means business!
Oh, Laura
got her fish. Larry could not have
been prouder!
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