Fun, family, friends, and fluke

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I’m a surfcaster. I love the feel of the sand beneath my feet, the sun on my face, and the waves gently washing over my ankles as I cast. I don’t spend much time on boats, though I do enjoy going out with friends from time to time.

Last weekend was the 7th annual Fluke for Luke Fishing Tournament, a memorial tournament for beloved fisherman Luke Gurney who passed away June 20, 2016 in a boating accident. I had never entered before, but my favorite 18-year-old niece was visiting for a week with two of her friends and I thought they might enjoy a day on the water. I asked the young ladies if they wanted to enter, and they enthusiastically said yes and went online to purchase their saltwater fishing licenses — without me asking them to.

I loved their energy. We stopped into Dick’s Bait and Tackle one afternoon on the way to Oak Bluffs to get ice cream and ride the carousel. At 18, ice cream was a daily activity for those three beauties that auntie only tried once, and that once coincided with a fishing activity. 

Saturday dawned windy and rainy. Our charter with Captain Tom Norbury was postponed to Sunday. While we spent the Saturday going to the movies, the game room, and grilling pizzas, Julian Pepper and the team of Three Buoys and a Gull, Martha Montession and Team Payback, and quite a few others were on the water and weighing in fish.

At the close of Saturday’s weigh in, Julian Pepper was in first place with a 8.28-pound fluke, Martha Montession was in first place for her 3.54-pound black sea bass and also in second place with a 7.80-pound fluke. Three Buoys and a Gull had the lead in the team competition with 27.73 pounds over Payback’s 26.67 pounds.

We woke Sunday morning to fog thick as pea soup. Captain Tom, who served three tours of duty in the Persian Gulf, told us to sit back and relax as we would motor out to Wasque slowly in case we encountered any smaller boats or kayaks that didn’t show up on his radar and couldn’t be spotted in the dense fog. 

Once we reached the waters off Wasque, our first mate, Lucas Landers, passed my niece Victoria a rod and instructed her on how to jig. Before he’d passed Ava a rod, Victoria was on. She reeled in the first fluke of the day, and we all cheered. Though too small to weigh in, the game was on. Within minutes, Ava reeled in a sea robin. Mia followed with another sea robin, and then I put my line in the water and reeled up a short fluke. 

We were in fish and having fun. Then my niece asked if the water would be so wavy the whole time. I looked out at the very gentle, rolling waves, and told Victoria that the water was fairly calm and probably wouldn’t change. “I don’t feel good, Auntie,” were her next words. 

Uh oh! 

The preventative Dramamine she’d taken before we left the house didn’t work. One sick girl led to another sick girl. We returned to the dock, and fortunately the girls felt great as they stepped off the boat. So good they were going to order pizza. I opted to spend another hour on the boat while they showered and got lunch. 

Captain Tom cruised around Vineyard Sound, doing his best to find us some big sea bass or fluke. Lucas and I caught and released a lot of fish, soaked up the gorgeous sunshine that had burned off the fog, but we never found weighable fish. 

After a quick shower and non-pizza lunch, I headed over to the P.A. Club to visit with friends and watch the awards ceremony. I ran into Jim Cromwell and asked how he’d done. He grinned and told me he’d had a great day on the water with Team Payback.   

Last year Jim won the adult fluke division with an 11.17-pound fish. This year Jim wasn’t on the leaderboard individually, but he was all smiles after two days of fishing with his teammates, Donny Benefit, Peter Johnson, and Martha Montession. “I love this team,” said Jim. “I have a lot of wonderful memories.”

I’ve known Jim and his wife Joyce for years, from church and the M.V. Surfcasters Association. Jim and Joyce radiated joy. As we chatted near the leaderboard, Martha Montession walked over to check the board. The scoreboard told a rewarding story – Martha had claimed first in the adult sea bass division, third in fluke, and Team Payback had won for the second year in a row. 

Jim nodded toward Martha and said, “She’s good. She never gives up.”

I introduced myself and knew instantly Martha and I could happily spend a day on the beach or on the water together. Her smile and energy were contagious, even after two long days of fishing. She had hugs for every friend who walked past, and kind words for all. Martha loves the beach, is the official Mayor of Norton Point, but does all her fishing from boyfriend Donny’s boat.

“Donny finds the fish,” said Martha. “There’s nobody I trust more on the boat than Donny.”

I asked Martha how the water was on Saturday during the storm. “I’ve never been sick on a boat, but it was a little rough. It tickled your stomach,” said Martha, who’s been fishing with Team Payback for six years. 

Always curious about what lures and bait other fishermen are using, I asked Martha if she had a special jig or teaser. With a big smile she said, “Pink with not too much bling.”

That sealed it, Martha was my kind of fisherman.

I hope to see you on the beach, whether you’re fishing with a pink lure or not.