Worth the Wait
For more than ten years, Pat has been inviting us to go fishing. Every year we talk about it, and every year I somehow fail to make it onto the boat. Work. Family. Life. There was always something.
We’ve worked with Pat at Independent Fleece for as long as we’ve been a company, so this had become something of an annual tradition: Pat invites me fishing, I say I want to go, and then I come up with a perfectly good reason why I can’t.
This year started the same way. Pat shot me a text and said they were heading out the next morning. The weather was perfect. Let’s go. Like always, I checked my schedule and told him I couldn’t make it. But this time, Pat wasn’t taking no for an answer. He called and left me a lengthy message explaining exactly why I did not want to miss this trip. That little nudge was all I needed.
The next morning, I answered the 5 a.m. boat call, and we were off. We headed toward Catalina to fish the slide. Our first stop was to load up on baitfish—which, to me, already felt like a successful day of fishing. Some of those baitfish were bigger than the trout I’m used to catching in the Sierras. With the bait tank full, we continued toward Catalina.
Before long, we spotted a kelp paddy and threw out our lines for the first real test of the day. A few Dorado appeared, and suddenly everyone was wide awake. Within what felt like seconds, we had one on the line. After a quick fight, it was on the boat. That paddy kept delivering, because it wasn’t long before we landed another Dorado. Not a bad start.
From there, we headed to the slide and dropped the teasers into the water. The goal was marlin. We spotted a few and gave chase, but the big game fish wanted nothing to do with us. No matter what we tried, we couldn’t convince one to bite. Fortunately, there are worse ways to spend a day. We watched dolphins, took a few naps, cooked up some fresh fish, and enjoyed great conversation. Eventually, after a long day on the water, we pointed the boat back toward the harbor.
I figured my chance to catch dinner had passed. But the ocean had one more opportunity waiting for us. On the way home, we spotted more Dorado hanging around another kelp paddy. We stopped the boat and cast our lines one last time. This was it—my final chance. I got my line into the water and let the baitfish run. Then I felt it. A hit. I started reeling and soon found myself in my first real fight with a big saltwater fish. A few moments later, a Dorado was on the boat—and I had a giant grin on my face.
After more than ten years of invitations, I had finally made it out with Pat. And after waiting all day, I had caught my first big saltwater fish. It was worth the wait. Thanks to Pat and everyone at Independent for an unforgettable day on the water. Next time, you won’t have to leave such a long message.
