What did you do last weekend? We finally had great weather on both days, which created a flawless setting for the eighth annual Fluke for Luke Tournament. I was so excited for this year’s event. I was going fishing with three fabulous women –– Kathy Eckert, Midge Jacobs, and Anna McLaughlin –– on Captain Ed Smith’s Tenacious.
I had a house full of 20-somethings, the M.V. Surfcasters annual Picnic, and a family dinner at the Pawnee House on Saturday, so I skipped the first day of the tournament.
Captain Ed and I texted throughout the week, debating the all-important question: Where should we fish? Should we make the journey to Nantucket, or stick closer to the Vineyard? We went back and forth, finally deciding on Saturday morning to skip Nantucket.
On Sunday, the Flukettes rose at 4 am and were out on the water by 5. It was a little foggy at the start, then the sun rose, the sky cleared, and the day was perfect in just about every way possible. We got to our spot just as the sky was turning blue. Captain Ed had made us his special fluke jigs, and he’d cut up bags of squid. We were ready!
Kathy and Anna were new to the Fluke for Luke Tournament, and new to fluke fishing. As soon as we dropped our lines, we had nibbles. “I’m on,” was repeated frequently. The fish were definitely hungry for breakfast, and we were more than happy to reel them in. The first ones were short –– then Anna’s rod bent, and we knew it wasn’t a baby sea bass.
Anna reeled in the first keeper, an 18-inch fluke, and we all cheered. The Flukettes were on our way.
Captain Ed kept the boat steady at about one and a half knots, and we talked and jigged. Midge and I caught a lot of short flukes and little sea bass. I caught the first of many bait-stealing dogfish sharks. Suddenly, Kathy was on and working hard. Captain Ed studied the water, waiting for the fish to come into view. We all knew it was a nice fish when he gave a shout and raced for the net.
Kathy and Captain Ed got the fluke into the boat, and it was a nice-size doormat. The fish was feisty, so we got it into the cooler and closed the lid firmly. Pictures and weight would wait until the fish was dead, and there was zero chance of it flipping-flopping out of the boat and back into the water.
We were definitely drifting over a good spot. We all reeled in keeper fluke, though none as big as Kathy’s. After about 30 minutes, we weighed Kathy’s fish –– just over 7½ pounds on my scale.
I knew it was a contender, having taken a screenshot of the Saturday results before leaving the dock. Patrick Martone weighed in the heaviest fluke on Saturday at 7.18 pounds. I can’t tell you how happy I was for Kathy! She loves fishing, and always has a great attitude, whether we’re catching fish or not.
“I didn’t have any expectations of doing anything other than having a great day fishing,” said Kathy. “A big part of what I enjoyed was seeing Lisa and Eddie so happy.”
The Flukettes fished until 1:30, catching plenty of fluke, sea bass, sharks, sea robins, and even a few scup. I can’t tell you how many times one of us said, “This is such a great day.”
We loaded all our fish into my cooler and headed to the P.A. Club for weigh-in, the barbecue, and the awards ceremony. As Kathy carried her big fluke and decent sea bass to weigh-in, Chris Reimann spotted her and walked over to the scale. He gave a sigh of relief when Kathy’s fluke weighed in at 7.54 pounds, taking second to his 9.05-pounder.
Chris would hold onto first place, while Kathy would slip to fourth place. I was happy for Chris, but I was thrilled for Kathy. Her first Fluke for Luke Tournament and she finished fourth! How cool is that?!
We celebrated with fish tacos and lemon-strawberry prosecco sangria. “It was fun to catch all the different fish and fun to learn a new skill. It was a fun day, and delicious,” said Kathy.
Chris also had plenty to celebrate. He’d fished all eight tournaments in honor of his friend Luke Gurney, but this was the first year he’d won. “I knew it was a winner when I saw it go into the net,” said Chris, who’s been fishing since he was 4 years old.
Chris fished both days with his wife Kristen, daughter Klara, and friend Serel Garvin. “We’ve been fishing the tournament since it started. We fish for Luke as a family,” said Chris, adding, “Luke and I met through fishing. We had our first kids at the same time. We were in the same birthing class at the hospital. Luke was so gregarious, friendly, and outgoing.”
Chris will be back out on the boat next weekend. He’s waiting for the bonito to come in, but happy to have a line in the water. “This time of year, I will go fluke fishing pretty much every weekend. It’s great eating and relaxing. You turn the motor off and drift,” said Chris.
I hope to see you on the beach, and I hope we’re enjoying time with friends and family while we catch dinner.
