We Are Now Living Off the Sea!

While trolling from Man O' War Cay to Guana Cay, we passed right by the cut to the Atlantic.  Maggie was expecting that we would catch a fish on this run because this was where everyone else was catching them.  Sure enough we caught a 2 foot long Mutton Snapper on the hand line.

I reeled it in without out any trouble and brought it aboard.  I realized that if it were a larger fish, I would need a proper gaff to bring it aboard.  The girls (Maggie, Elsie and Kathy) and I were quite happy with the prospect of a fresh fish dinner that night; all that I had to do was kill and clean the snapper.

My cruiser's fishing guide said to whack the fish between the eyes with a club to stun it and then drive an ice pick into its brain to kill it.  Clubbing it took me back to some unpleasant childhood memories, so I tried another option.  We have been told on numerous occasions that pouring alcohol into a fish's gills will immobilize it, and rum is inexpensive down here ($7 a bottle), so the snapper had a little drink.  Elsie poured while I held the fish, who soundly zonked out.  By the time we dropped anchor, the snapper was no more, so it was back to the guide to learn how the clean the fish.

It was the first time that I ever filleted a fish,  and it was surprisingly easy, and, again, no barfing!  That snapper fed 7 people that night and 4 of us for lunch the next day.  It was delicious.

Now we never move the boat without casting the line out.

I made a gaff to bring in the big ones - it's medieval but effective.