I’ve decided that sunrises are infinitely better than sleep. And a sunrise out on the open ocean, with the smell of chum and the sound of lines being dropped into the water is about as good as it gets. That’s how I spent one morning in Kauai, Hawaii sailing the deep sea with Captain “J” and my film crew, on a hunt for the big one. We departed from Port Allen Harbor at around 5:00am to the sound of chickens crowing, and headed into Hanapepe Bay toward one of Captain J’s lucky spots.
I’ve always been a fisher girl, ever since I can remember. I revel in the solace of early morning stillness, the ritual of baiting a hook, the anticipation of the long wait, the thrill of a bite…and the superstitions.
Every fisherman has one.
Captain J’s has to do with fruit. Mine has to do with fashion. First, Captain J’s – no bananas on board. Anyone who knows me, knows how tickled I was to hear this. I am vehement in my distaste for bananas and will usually leave the room when someone’s eating one. Apparently the banana superstition is widespread among old school fisherman. Captain J said he once politely asked a family to remove all of their bananas from the boat. Superstitions die hard!
And mine? I present to you my lucky fishing shirt – a beat up red-and-white-checkered Wrangler I snagged from my Mom’s vintage collection. I can’t fish without it and on this particular day in Kauai, with not a banana in sight, and my fishing shirt in place, we struck it big. We had one bite the whole day, and after a good 10-minute battle, I managed to reel in a huge Mahi Mahi. It was beautiful with iridescent flecks of green and yellow. And it was delicious, providing enough filets to feed our crew and the kitchen staff at the local brewery back at the port. A day to remember.
