Saltwater Fishing & Big Game

Its massive hull breaks through the surface of the water, when I catch my breath.
Furiously, it shakes its fearsome sword to get rid of the hook. The spray glitters rainbow colors in the blazing sun on the West African coast.
It rises full length out of the water, rides its tail fin and dives back down.
I see my father’s steely and focused gaze, who is strapped to the battle chair on deck.
I can hear the astonished calls of the crew, the skipper’s screaming commands. Nerve-racking hours later,
the 600-pound marlin hangs exhausted alongside the boat.
Freed from the bait and captured on camera. “Catch and release is law”. Here we are now, four decades later….