It’s been about one year and seven months since I became paralyzed from my chest down. I take chemotherapy every two months for my blood cancer, and to be truthful, I’m firing on most of my cylinders despite being confined to a wheelchair.
So, I planned to celebrate these major transitions in my life during my annual Thanksgiving pilgrimage to Casa Vieja Lodge in Guatemala. I can now completely dress and undress myself in bed, take a shower unassisted, and have proved on hunting and fishing trips all around the world, that I can still do it with the best of them from my wheelchair.
On this trip, I celebrated another major milestone: I instructed a surgeon friend, Dr. Reggie Francoise, how to catch his first billfish. Yes, I am teaching again, helping others learn how to fish! Reggie caught four sailfish aboard my new Makaira, a 36-foot Rybovich. Unfortunately, I blew eight shots at sails on 2- and 4-pound tackle. I was fishing terribly. My sense of timing was way off.
The second day, Capt. Ronnie Hamlin aboard the Captain Hook graciously took one of our cameramen aboard his boat to help us shoot an episode for my television show. Captain Hook and crew managed to film several sails being caught. The bite was excellent, and everyone in the fleet thrilled to 20 to 50 shots at sails a day.
Our right short lure — a hookless teaser — suddenly looked like a bomb exploding. My new captain, Jason Brice, yelled, “Blue marlin, there he is!” About 10 seconds later, Reggie was in full battle mode against the man in the blue suit. A Pacific blue marlin estimated at about 300 pounds wrenched at the end of his 30-pound-test line. The great fish ate up the ocean, making for some spectacular television.
But here comes the real miracle: As we were closing in on the 200-pound wind-on leader and short 300-pound mono trace, I put on my leather gloves and announced, “I will wire the fish.” I moved so fast into the port corner of the cockpit, Capt. Brice’s “No way!” response passed quickly. As the leader broke the surface, mates Jeffery and Louis held my wheelchair and my shoulders as I made a perfect wrap. Everyone had knives, and a machete was on the fighting chair; it was ugly and incredibly dangerous. One wrap, two wraps, and the marlin was laid out in full view.
Holy mackerel! I was wiring a blue marlin from my wheelchair — and to make it even better, Ronnie, now working on his 28,000th sailfish release, was 20 feet away on the Captain Hook watching the entire process. I grunted and gasped for air; my bandelero harness that helps me sit upright choked me. With less-than-perfect diaphragm muscles, I almost fainted and finally asked for help. Mate Jeffery helped me pull on the leader. Perhaps this wasn’t my best idea ever, after all. But I was committed now!
The leader wrapped around the back of my chair and tangled in my wheels. Several people shouted: “Cut him off! Cut him off!” I begged the mates not to, as my chair started to lift off the deck. Chaos reigned. Inch by inch the leader came, and then up it popped next to the boat — 300 pounds of tired marlin. My God. I did it. I actually wired a marlin! It was a miracle and captured on film.
Back at the dock, Ronnie gave me a true man hug, and from his right eye trailed a tear, running halfway down his cheek. Ronnie said he’d never seen anything like that in his entire career. This meant so much to me that I can’t even express my emotions.
The next day, I fished with Ronnie and Jim Turner. Jim went 10-for-10 on 4-, 8- and 12-poundtest rigs. I again screwed up eight bites in a row. I wanted so much to catch one on 4-pound with Ronnie as captain. Then, with eight minutes left in the day, a hot, lit-up sail engulfed the ballyhoo on 4-pound line back in the right-short position — and I caught him! Ronnie, Jim and I joked and laughed all the way home. Miracles do happen. On this day, God smiled down on us.
Till next tide,
Capt. Tred Barta
P.S. In hindsight, this was a ridiculously dangerous thing to do. I probably won’t do this again and would not recommend anyone else in my condition try it either.
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Article courtesy of Tred Barta – FOR THE RECORD
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