I grew up fishing on the lakes in Minnesota with my parents and two brothers.   It was a great way to grow up and spend time with family while doing something we all enjoyed.  I can still remember how much fun it was to reel in a fish, and how proud I was when I caught one.  

I got to re-live some of that last weekend.  I met my parents down in Florida to go deep sea fishing.  We were in Ft. Myers Beach and fished in the Gulf about 5 miles offshore.  Boy, was it fun! I was the first one to catch a fish.  Soon after, my mom and I both caught a few small snappers.  We call them “bait stealers.”  Then my dad had something big on the line.  We didn’t know what it was, but it was putting up a fight!  It took my dad about 15 minutes to reel the fish in.  It ended up being a Barracuda and it was big.  And, they have huge teeth.  I think watching my dad reel him in was the best part of the weekend.  You see, my dad loves being out on the water and on his boat.  This was the first time I was able to be on the boat with him and it was magical.  I felt  like a kid the entire time, and now I know why he loves it so much.

We all also caught a few King Mackerel’s.  5 minutes of a fight with one of those was enough for me.  See the picture of me reeling it in, and proudly holding the fish.

Reeling It In!

The Big Catch!