George Sobotka/Briner

by George Sobotka/Briner
(Solanco, PA)

My father started teaching me how to fish when I was three years old, and over the last 50 years we have spent many hours on the water together. On a recent trip to Hatteras N.C., I thought it would be nice to arrange a charter offshore to relive the old days and share some of what my dad taught me with my daughters.
We left Teach's Lair marina on the Runaway with Capt. Jay Danielson and Capt. Kenny Coci with a crew made up of my Dad (86 yrs old), my two daughters (16 and 13), my wife (forever young and a seasoned offshore angler), and me. With relatively smooth seas, we arrived at the gulf stream's beautiful blue water in less than two hours. Shortly after getting the spread out it was blackfin tuna time! Dad and my younger daughter boxed up two solid fish quickly. Next, with my older daughter in the fighting chair, One of the Tiagra 50 wides started to scream. WAHOO!!!. After a good fight a 37 pounder came to the gaff, all lit up in full color. We completed our rotation with my wife nailing a nice blackfin and a 33 pound hoo for me. It was a steady pick all day and we ended up with 8 wahoos, 5 blackfin tunas and two solid king mackerals. What a stellar day, highlighted by my dad's first wahoo, both daughter's first offshore fish (2 tuna and a wahoo for the 13 year old and 3 real nice hoos for the 17 year old) and a 40 pound citation hoo for my wife.
Back at the beach house I sliced up some killer wahoo sashimi for an appetizer and grilled some tuna and wahoo fillets with fresh garlic lime and a little old bay seasoning. I cooked the fish over medium heat so that I could get a nice sear on the surface and keep the inside medium rare and juicy. What a day! WHAT A FISH!