Combine a dangerous barracuda with a large spoon, and the end result could be 'well' humorous!
The weather was fantastic as I arrived at the Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada. I was there to feature this fabulous resort on my television series as well as to fill my fix for piscatorial passion. The Florida Keys have always been an amazing angling destination which is precisely why I headed south.
We had just returned from a great day on the water. The fish were finicky but we still managed to land two tarpon on fly. Tired from a long day, we visited the Curt Gowdy Lounge for a well-deserved cocktail. My guide and I were chatting when we noticed some panic occurring outside. A couple of people whizzed by the windows " then another and another " all running fairly quickly as if they were escaping from a fire. Heads were turning and people were staring out the windows when suddenly, a staff member came flying through the bar door and shouted, "Henry, we need you, come quick!"
 Combine a dangerous barracuda with a large spoon, and the end result could be…well…humorous!
The weather was fantastic as I arrived at the Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada. I was there to feature this fabulous resort on my television series as well as to fill my fix for piscatorial passion. The Florida Keys have always been an amazing angling destination which is precisely why I headed south.
We had just returned from a great day on the water. The fish were finicky but we still managed to land two tarpon on fly. Tired from a long day, we visited the Curt Gowdy Lounge for a well-deserved cocktail. My guide and I were chatting when we noticed some panic occurring outside. A couple of people whizzed by the windows – then another and another – all running fairly quickly as if they were escaping from a fire. Heads were turning and people were staring out the windows when suddenly, a staff member came flying through the bar door and shouted, “Henry, we need you, come quick!”
The crowd was circling two individuals on the beach. Was it a fight? Did someone drown? A shark attack? Maybe it was a big fish? Before I could guess, I was escorted into the middle of the melee. What I saw was amazing. Here in the middle of a dozen onlookers was a young chap with an elderly man. As the elderly man rose from his slouched position to address me, I did not know whether to smirk, laugh hysterically, or maybe turn away sympathetically. I immediately learned that these were two anglers, a father and son team, but what was amazing – the father had a large flashy spoon dangling from his upper lip. He was now the “catch of the day!”
Refusing professional medical attention, a few tourists tried to remove the lure to no avail. Even though this was only a single hook spoon, the large hook and barb went right through his flesh. The elderly man was literally white as a ghost. Forget the Florida sun, nothing was going to bring his color back unless the spoon was immediately removed. And of course, this somehow turned into my job. Unfortunately, the hook was too thick to cut with regular fishing pliers. I wasn’t even sure I could pinch the barb but most of all, could I complete this procedure safely and without laughing hysterically? A member of my camera crew asked, “Henry, do you want me to film this?”
I responded, “I would like you to, but no.” Even taking a photo was too much of an embarrassment to this already mortifying situation.
I instructed the elderly man to sit down while we waited for heavy-duty bolt-cutters. The crowd thinned as things were seemingly under control. While waiting for the tool to arrive, I had to ask, “How the heck did this happen?”
The son mentioned that he and his dad were fishing from the dock when they noticed a giant barracuda lurking in the shadows. The young angler sprinted to his tackle box and picked out a large silver spoon and rigged it for some quick casts off the dock. Believe it or not he said, on his second cast, the barracuda soared at the spoon and devoured it. He fought the fish through four amazing jumps and since they didn’t have a landing net, he decided to walk the fought-out ‘cuda up onto the beach. Maneuvering around the pilings took a bit of work, but the father and son duo finally made it to the shoreline. The son passed the rod to his dad so he could grab the four-foot predator from the shallows and release him to fight another day.
Now this is where they made the big mistake. While unhooking the slippery ‘cuda, they did not slack off on the line from the reel and therefore, the rod was bent in a tight arch. As the son removed the hook from the jaws of the ‘cuda, the spoon slipped out of his hand and rocketed upwards like a slingshot, nailing his father square in the kisser. The son hooked the big one! Funny but sad, this trip will definitely go down in history as the one that did not get away!
Well, here came the bolt-cutters. As the son forced the hook through his father’s upper lip and held it in place, I squeezed down with all my might. All the while, the father stared at me with glassy eyes. After snipping the barb off, I was able to slowly work the hook backwards through the entrance whole, and as I removed the spoon from his lip and placed it in his hand, I received a big man hug as the three of us stood on the beach among an applauding crowd. Luckily everything turned out just fine with this very emotional episode. Disappointed that I couldn’t catch it on film, I will say that every time I share this story I can’t help but crack up laughing!
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