Fishing is all about Great Memories

Getting home to Islamorada after spending 4 months in Montana is a wonderful thing.

Now for a very personal story. Two months ago out in Montana I received a phone call from Donna Haliburton-Thompson. 25 years ago I took her fishing a number of times for sailfish and we placed and won a couple of bill-fish tournaments here in the Florida Keys and also in Havana, Cuba and the Bahamas. She had then moved north, gotten married and raised a son. Her son is now 21 years old. She called me to arrange a fishing trip. She so much wanted her son and husband to see and catch a Sailfish. Something that she had talked about for years.

Well I told her I was not running my large sportfisherman anymore but we could go out on Foxy Lady if the seas were not too big. Two weeks ago I got a call from husband Steve telling me that Donna had gotten in a fatal car accident the day after arranging the fishng trip. Unbelievable and so sad. I told Steve that I would take him and his son Jo Jo out fishing as my guests.

So yesterday Jo Jo and Steve went Sailfishing with aboard Foxy Lady. It was windy from the North and cool. I did not think we would make it out to the sailfish grounds on account of the seas so we spent a couple hours fishing inshore reef patches. Plenty of action. Grouper and Snappers on light tackle. Jo Jo was having a blast. We talked about what to do next and decided mom would have wanted us to try for a sailfish.


Rough as it was we took it slowly out to the edge of the reef. Then we drifted downsea deploying four live pilchards. Three on the surface and 1 close to the boat with a 1 ounce lead sinker up on the trace. We told stories about fishing 25 years ago and Jo Jo told me how he is going to culinary school and loves to hunt and fish.

I made a couple phone calls. Sailfishing for the fleet was slow. 2 had been caught on the BnM out of budnmarys but that was it. Now its 2 pm and no bites. Another 1/2 hour and we will call it a day. One of the rods has a tangle. I start working on it. Next thing I hear is Jo Jo hollering Sailfish!!

He grabs the rod as Steve and I reel in the other lines. Jo Jo is getting spooled so I am turning the boat and giving chase. What a show. I had been telling the guys that sailfishing is hours of boredom followed by moments of chaos. JoJo told me it was so worth the wait. All Steve could say that Donna had sent us a Sailfish.

After a battle lasting 45 minutes and 20 jumps, sounding JoJo had his Sail alongside the boat. Steve wanted to do the release and we managed a picture.

After that  we shut the motor off and drifted in the Gulf Stream and spread Mom"s ashes.

It was and is a fishing trip that I will never forget.

Captain Skip Nielsen