Today I got a call at 3:45 in the morning. I rubbed my eyes and looked at my phone. The call was from my friend Matt, and I knew he would be calling only for one reason. He wanted to go fish! Matt owns a nice 28 ft Hawaiian Hawk fishing boat and fishes only when the weather  and conditions are optimal. I knew it was my chance to finally deckhand, and the word "no" was not in my vocabulary. I answered the call and agreed to his terms. I began gathering my things, slowly regaining consciousness from the deep slumber I was awaken from. Beer, water, chips, poles- did I forget anything else? I quietly crept out into the morning darkness trying to not wake up anyone in my house. I drove to meet Matt at Waianae Harbor, where we would launch his boat. It is basically on the other side of the island, but with zero traffic I cruised along. I met up with Matt in the parking lot near the boat launch. He was pumped up and probably already on his 3rd cup of coffee. I immediately started helping him prep the boat while talking story about what he's been up to. After all the gear, beer, and snacks were packed, we were ready to go.

We spent the day chasing bird piles and trolling around buoys approximately 25 miles out. Deep sea fishing is an exciting game of patience. One has to wait for the action to happen, but when it does it's all hands on deck! As one outrigger snapped, it became a clear indicator that we had a Hanapa'a and there was a big fish on the line. It became an arm wrestle with the fish, battling him to get closer to the boat. After about 30 minutes of Matt I and taking turns reeling in the fish and steering the boat, we finally began gaining ground on him. When the fish got close, I got a view of him and his substantial size. It was a Sailfish and he was estimated at around 170 pounds. Matt came in like a viking warrior and slammed his gaff into the fish to secure its head. My heart pounded. I secured the pole to the boat and ran over to grab the rope gaff to secure the fish's tail. "Hurry, hurry before the f****** sharks come," Matt screamed as he held the unstable gaff. The gaff I grabbed had a grappling hook at the end of the rope. I ran over and didn't hesitate to chuck the hook to secure the fish. "Alright, at the count of 3 we both pull up!" Matt struggled to say. Once I heard the number 3, with a synchronized motion, we both pulled up with all our might. The fish flopped onto the deck. We let out cheers and profanities at the accomplishment. After that, we called it a day as Oahu was a faint landmark in the distance. Our ride back to the harbor was nothing but laughter and excitement. We ended up selling the fish and our other bounty to the Honolulu Fish Market. We made some good money and had some wild laughs. It was not a bad day on the water.