Tidelines – November 14, 2013
The crew of the 2013 Fish Post Day on the Vonda Kay show off their limit of gag grouper. They were fishing approximately 20 miles offshore with Capt. Dave Gardner on the head boat “Vonda” kay” out of the Motts Channel Seafood docks in Wrightsville Beach.
I self-admittedly am a very fortunate person. Aside from the standard items on the “fortunate” list that I am obligated to lead with—wife, kids, family, health, etc.—I get to do a lot of cool fishing trips.
While I am always on the lookout for trying something new (like this summer when we threw popping cork rigs out for citation class red drum), there are many trips that have become tradition, and I look forward to them every year. This past Thursday was one of those trips: the annual Fish Post Day on the Vonda Kay.
Fisherman’s Post books an entire head boat for a full day grouper trip every fall, and Capt. Dave Gardner and the Vonda Kay have been our host all five years of this tradition. Each year with Dave has been a good time, providing just the right mix of fishing and socializing, but even the stoic (and often grumpy, but grumpy in a cute way) Capt. Dave Gardner had to smile at the end of our recent outing where the head boat limited out on gag grouper.
Yes, the fishing is the highlight of the trip, but the success and enjoyment of Fish Post Day on the Vonda Kay finds its source in so many ways.
Dave’s two mates, Eric and Tim, were attentive all day, whether it was quickly grabbing the gaff when noticing the telltale signs of muscle strains and a doubled over rod, or assisting with measuring black sea bass or identifying banded rudderfish. Eric kept me loaded with “secret” baits most of the day, funneling Boston mackerel my way out of his personal stash. And Tim and I reminisced about our Vonda trip together back in the summer where a young kid loudly professed on our way out the inlet, “It’s impossible for me to get sea sick.”
JK, the longstanding galley chef, kept the party well fed on hot breakfast sandwiches, fish wraps, cheeseburgers, and hangar steak sliders. Food is a very important part of Fish Post Day on the Vonda Kay, not just for the appealing yet affordable menu, but primarily because it helps soak up some of the day’s beverages.
Then there are the random highlights that play out over the course of the day. Mark, the healthiest guy on the boat, uses this day as an excuse to eat a dozen donuts. Leslie makes it a point each year to catch more grouper than anyone else, so as a reward this year we made her reel in the false albacore hooked while trolling back in at the end of the day. Wes struggles while finally fighting a “big one,” only to eventually bring up a modest sea bass.
Joshua, with a puppy dog face, complains about something (we no longer pay attention to what he complains about). Crothers catches the biggest gag of the day, but he didn’t buy into the Big Fish pool. Adam brings pickled okra on the boat (and I’ll only give you three guesses why he brought this condiment). Max drinks about 12 less beers this year and (surprise!) he actually catches multiple groupers.
Me? Apparently my main job is to talk someone new into hopping on the boat, only to have that person be the one that gets sick all day long (sorry Tommy).
The memories abound, but the grouper do remain the star of the show. There were 17 people on the boat that morning to hear Dave Gardner’s talk about bananas and GPS devices, and 17 tired and happy people got off the boat 10 hours later, each with a healthy gag in tow.
Yes, I am a lucky man. And now I’m a lucky man with vacuum-sealed grouper and assorted bottom fish in the freezer. Oh yeah, I also get paid to publicly make fun of my friends in a Tidelines column.
