Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
A lot of folks probably remember back in the mid-to-late 90’s when tuna chunking was so hot that fishermen were often able to attract blue and yellowfin tuna into feeding frenzies behind their boats. When the action was “right” it was as easy as sticking a butterfish on a hook, dropping it overboard, and WHAM you had one on! As much fun as it was to catch those fish, the most amazing thing to me was the opportunity to witness free-swimming tuna gliding through the water as they eagerly snapped up chunks of baitfish just a few feet from the boat. It was an incredible sight that I would often point out to my charter clients and comment, “take a good look at all those fish and always remember what you’re witnessing here, this is something you might never see again.”
But at the time the tuna were so abundant, it was almost absurd to think that Delmarva anglers wouldn’t always be able to enjoy such a strong and productive tuna fishery. Of course all things are subject to change, and even though our offshore tuna fishing can still be pretty darn good at times – it doesn’t hold a candle to the way things used to be just a decade ago. Thinking back to how good we all had it, (particularly the season when we easily caught our daily limits of tuna just 16-miles out near the Twin Wrecks), I for one am glad I paused long enough to take it all in and contemplate and appreciate the wonderful opportunity I had as a fisherman to participate in such an incredible fishery.
Thoughts of those “glory days” of fishing came to mind last Monday as I sat in attendance of the Memorial Day ceremony at the Worcester County Veterans Memorial in Ocean Pines. As the various narrators spoke of wars, battles, honor, freedom, and sacrifices, I couldn’t help but connect the dots and come to the conclusion that the only reason we fishermen have the opportunity to enjoy and witness such sights such as a school of tuna feeding behind our boat, is because of all the heroic men and women who have served our country and made it a place where the rest of us can live safe, be happy, and have opportunity for recreational pursuits such as sport fishing. Think about all the countries around the world that are bordered by waters that, even if they were teeming with fish, the average citizen would still have no chance to go out and fish strictly for “fun” because they live under such poverty or oppression that the concept of doing anything for “recreation” is something they cannot even comprehend. Our country abounds in natural beauty and resources that are both the envy of the world and accessible to our citizens. For hundreds of years, members of our armed forces have suffered and sacrificed to ensure that this country and the way of life that it affords us all remains free from the perils others would impose upon us if they could.
The freedom to hunt and fish is something we sportsmen have probably taken too much for granted because it’s a privilege we’ve never been without. Imagine if our military slipped up and allowed the “bad guys” the opportunity to wreak havoc right here on our own soil. With all of our fellow countrymen struggling daily just to survive there wouldn’t be much recreational hunting or fishing going on, and you can bet that if we ever fell under the rule of some dictator we’d no longer have the right to bear arms or cruise around wherever we wanted in our fishing boats and four-wheelers. There’s a lot of bad people in this world that would deny us those rights if given the chance. Thank God our military has taken the fight to them and kept the conflict “over there” so that we can live the lives we do in the United States. Our country might be going through some tough times right now - but things could surely be a whole lot worse!
A few weeks ago I had another sobering moment when I had an illness that put me in the hospital for almost a week. Believe me, when you go from feeling fine to flat on your back, with more wires and hoses sticking out of you than Frankenstein on a stormy night, you sure do appreciate the thought of someday having not a care in the world other than whether or not the fish are going to bite. We all know sportsmen who will never again have the opportunity to set foot on a boat, sit in a duck blind, or climb into a tree stand, and regardless of how young or healthy we might be, none of us knows if or when we might be overcome by accident or illness ourselves. Things happen, things change and suddenly the good life we had always known and took for granted can take a dramatic turn for the worse and might never be the same again.
I can still visualize beautiful summer days when 200 boats would be anchored up on the Jackspot and everyone was catching tuna. Back then we couldn’t imagine the action ever coming to an end, but things changed and here we are! As we plow headlong into yet another fishing season that will certainly provide Delmarva anglers with a multitude of experiences, I hope that anglers will pause now and again to ponder and appreciate each moment for what it is. Just as God grants us the good health we need to enjoy the magnificent world He created, for generations our service men and women have fought and died to ensure that we’ll always live in a country that allows its citizens the opportunity to enjoy life and recreation as we do. Hopefully we’ll always appreciate what we have when we have it, and never take any of our blessings for granted.
Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and Captain of the charter boat “Fish Finder”, docked at the Ocean City Fishing Center.