How a Florida 15-year-old made lifelong memories during first-ever Gulf fishing trip
In my teenage years, I dreamed of fishing trips offshore in search of the Gulf of Mexico’s coolest fish.
I was like a sponge, constantly taking in all the information I could on or off the boat. It was a learning time where my passion for the outdoors grew immensely with a supportive family around me who also wanted to be on the water.
As I’ve aged, the memories of those trips have remained. I can see a picture and remember most details about who I was with, what we caught, the weather that day and more. Memories I’m glad I’ve made and, of course, I also look toward the next trip to make even more. That passion never fades.
This past week, my sister Erika came back to Bradenton for a few days from her panhandle home with three of her sons. Charlie, 15, has been fishing ponds and catching bass but has never experienced being offshore.
The first thing he asked when he saw me was, “Will you take me offshore on a boat?”
Winter weather was upon us and I looked for an opportunity. The best weather day was Monday, but due to some work obligations that was not feasible. Tuesday looked iffy weather-wise and I heavily debated if it would be worth it. Fog and wind? Not a fun combination.
But we organized it because I knew Charlie had never had the opportunity to do something like this. If I were 15 once again, all I would want is to have my memory filled with those first times I ventured offshore for species I didn’t know existed.
Luckily the weather ended up better than anticipated. I drove Charlie over the Skyway where we met up with Geoff Szymanski to head off and target nearshore species and see how much variety we could catch. The Bay waters seemed calm when heading over the bridge, and once we finally reached the Gulf by boat, it was a 2-foot chop but manageable at a slow speed.
The first spot was a run down for Charlie. I rigged him up with a 1-ounce Hogball and we showed him how we use half a shrimp threaded onto the hook. Let it sink to the bottom and just keep enough tension to feel a bite. When you get a fish, keep pressure with the rod bent and reel steady. It didn’t take long and he caught on, catching a few grunts before a 20-inch gag grouper put him up to more of a challenge.
Charlie learned to be self-sufficient quickly as Szymanski and I taught him as much as we could. Hooking bait, unhooking fish, opening the bail when a fish was brought into the boat, what to feel for when a fish bites… all the things that you learn over time with experience. I could see him taking it all in.
Soon he was hooked into a nice hogfish, bringing it to the surface where it was netted. One by one with most new species I snapped a quick picture, knowing these would be forever remembered by Charlie as his first fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico. I fondly look back at my similar photos, although much rarer from the time of disposable cameras when only a few trophy fish would be remembered.
He crossed off a variety of species. Hogfish, porgies, triggerfish, grunts. Mangrove, yellowtail, lane and mutton snapper. Gag and red grouper. The list was surely more than that as we had no shortage of action, using more than 20 dozen shrimp during the day bouncing around hard bottom spots and ledges. By the end, we caught 10 keeper-sized hogfish to go with the other mixed species and many throwbacks.
Charlie was all smiles throughout the day. He fished the entire time and took the opportunity to listen and learn. I was glad to be a part of his newly made lifetime memories, something every kid should have the opportunity to make.
The next night, we all shared in eating the catch. His younger brothers even commented on how good the fish was, which surprised their mother, Erika.
Perhaps the siblings will be the next to make similar memories.
