One of the adventures we had over in Utila was to hire a local fisherman, Alan (the son of Captain Hal) and have him take us out at 6am one morning. We ventured out in a 25 foot dory, open and not five feet wide, diesel motor and a small tarp roof over the “captain”, two benches, two rod and reels and one ice chest. Off we went, through open seas riding 6 – 8 foot swells to the Pumpkin Hill end of the island and joined up with half a dozen other local fishermen in their dories. Literally the “benitos” (a small member of the tuna family, running about 1 ½ to 2 lbs each) were flying out of the water and roiling up like liquid popcorn!
The locals tend to “hand line” which is simply a heavy test line, a large hook and a plastic “inky fish” (Islander for squid or our Canadian “hoochie”) attached and then proceed to haul the line back in by hand, no matter the size of what they have caught! I saw them using ropes attached to the wooden rudders which allowed them to sweep through and circle back into the schools of fish. These are tough men!
The “benitos” are also used as bait for larger fish – simply tie one onto a float ball, attach your line and let it go behind the dory. My husband was like a kid in a candy shop, and after the first hour we’d lost track of just how many he’d brought in. The finale of his fishing fever morning was being able to land an 8 to 10 lb tuna, like the ones you would be served in local restaurants and that made the whole adventure more than worthwhile.
After about 4 hours of trolling and watching the rain clouds gather, Alan decided it was time for us to make for shore. En route back to the townsite we spotted a water spout just east of Pumpkin Hill and tried to get photos of it; and though he tried to beat the storm we got caught about 10 minutes out from the dock. Wow, what a wild rain that was! I gave up immediately and put my glasses away and had to keep a hand cupped over my eyes to protect them from the stinging slap of rain drops pounding down on us like hail. By the time we made it to shore, we were sopping wet, grinning like banshees and thoroughly pleased with the mornings adventures! My husband has frequently called me his little “Storm Queen” given my passion for the sea and a rollicking good storm and yet again I revelled in the passion of Mother Earth.
The “benitos” are sold locally for bait at about 10 LP a pound so our captain made a tidy little profit between our fare and the spoils of the “hunt”, hopefully enough to cover the exorbitant cost of the fuel. Alan also skinned and filleted the larger tuna for us to share with friends at Alton’s Dive Shop, so quite a number of folks benefited from our “tourista” indulgence.
The locals tend to “hand line” which is simply a heavy test line, a large hook and a plastic “inky fish” (Islander for squid or our Canadian “hoochie”) attached and then proceed to haul the line back in by hand, no matter the size of what they have caught! I saw them using ropes attached to the wooden rudders which allowed them to sweep through and circle back into the schools of fish. These are tough men!
The “benitos” are also used as bait for larger fish – simply tie one onto a float ball, attach your line and let it go behind the dory. My husband was like a kid in a candy shop, and after the first hour we’d lost track of just how many he’d brought in. The finale of his fishing fever morning was being able to land an 8 to 10 lb tuna, like the ones you would be served in local restaurants and that made the whole adventure more than worthwhile.
After about 4 hours of trolling and watching the rain clouds gather, Alan decided it was time for us to make for shore. En route back to the townsite we spotted a water spout just east of Pumpkin Hill and tried to get photos of it; and though he tried to beat the storm we got caught about 10 minutes out from the dock. Wow, what a wild rain that was! I gave up immediately and put my glasses away and had to keep a hand cupped over my eyes to protect them from the stinging slap of rain drops pounding down on us like hail. By the time we made it to shore, we were sopping wet, grinning like banshees and thoroughly pleased with the mornings adventures! My husband has frequently called me his little “Storm Queen” given my passion for the sea and a rollicking good storm and yet again I revelled in the passion of Mother Earth.
The “benitos” are sold locally for bait at about 10 LP a pound so our captain made a tidy little profit between our fare and the spoils of the “hunt”, hopefully enough to cover the exorbitant cost of the fuel. Alan also skinned and filleted the larger tuna for us to share with friends at Alton’s Dive Shop, so quite a number of folks benefited from our “tourista” indulgence.
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