This is the real thing, ain't no doubt about it,
Who cares if they remember when you're gone.
This is the real thing, so you were put here for a reason
But what gives you the right to quit when you're tired?
Anyway boy, this ain't no game
This is the real thing.
W. Haynes
I happened upon a couple of real things this week. One of them is a fisherman, the other a fish. Esteban is a man who spends his life trying to help our kids through the California Public School system. He is a smart guy, always thinkin', but he likes to have a good time and mess around with "the boyz". Every year he comes down with three friends, the same three, and then he usually figures out how to sneak down alone in the fall. He likes to take fish home, doesn't take slow fishing kindly, not that he acts with any degree of unsportsmanlike behavior, he is always polite and generally lighthearted, but you can see on his face that he is tryin' to think his way around the less than light speed fishing. They come down for a week or so, and fish for 4 days, taking the last day off to relax before returning home, but not Esteban. When they check in he always says, "Well I might want to fish that last day, would that be ok?", and he always fishes that last day, alone. Over the years the roosterfish has left its' mark on Esteban. He asks about them now and then, talks about our passed friend Rooster Bill, and always has a big smile when he catches one. It's gotten under his skin, and he don't mind. Well, Esteban and his buds were here this last week. They had run across some billfish and done ok on dorado, getting a fair amount of small ones everyday, along with a couple of big ones, one rumored to be a 25 kilo fish that I am still waiting for the picture of, and could count on their ice chests being heavy enough to feel good about taking home, but Esteban wanted to fish that last day. Who could have guessed? He went out fishing alone, while his friends decided to 'lax.
When Esteban mozied into the office at the end of the day (he really does mozie) he smiled his broad smile that takes 10 years off his hard workin' face and said, "It was an epic day!". He proceeded to describe to me a day that started with a 30 pound rooster fish, and then continued to provide him with six more roosters with one topping 75 pounds. Lots of folks who come down here have finished the day off with a little rooster fishing, and are always happy with fish in the 30's or 40's, but I'm here to tell ya' that if you ever spend a day fishin' nothin' but roosters and are lucky enough to have a day with 4-5 or more roosters with any larger than 50, that you have just had a day of fishing that's hard to beat. These fish are tough, their strike can be vicious, their fight dogged and strong, and when they come to the boat the beauty of these fish, silver with black stripes, overtones of purple and pink, with that distinctive comb, are something that you will not forget. I looked at Estebans' face, glowing with accomplishment, but also appreciative for the experience that he had both earned and been granted, and I will remember that. A couple of real things. I like this job.
David
