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Hugh Dorsett is our senior partner. He has the most experience and brings a sense of well being to the group. Hugh is tough as nails. On one trip he received a deep cut in his hand. His quick remedy: gasoline and duck tape. The only thing that bothered him was all the blood on the boat that needed to be cleaned up. I've seen him fishing in 10 foot waves and 30 degree temperatures and never wavering from his task of filling up the fish box.
Here is his story:
Goliath Grouper Adventures
Everything about hunting and fishing was our top priority growing up. There are so many wild experiences we recall when our friends get together. Big fish, wild hogs in Taylor County. Turkey and even snipe hunting adventures.
All the great stories that can be told are unparalleled to the catching of a giant species of fish.
All of these adventures were captured in reality and in my dreams on a recent fishing trip on the 34 foot Contender, Dark Island Fishing Team, Miss Mick. This fishing machine is a marine jewel that is not just meant for use as a bikini boat expedition., not that it doesn’t happen on occasion. There are not many places for any other things on this boat except for fishing and diving equipment needed for the pursuit of a trophy of prime catch.
My dream of catching a giant goliath grouper has always been one of my personal goals. My goal is not only to catch but release this giant fish unharmed, plus giving up some fine pictures. I also wanted to show how abundant this fish species is and how fast it has rebounded from the threat of extinction. The truth be known, the goliath grouper has become a nuisance in some areas.
My plan started coming together late Friday night one fall evening in 2008. All the fishing trip foreplay was at it’s peak. Everything was in place to make this pursuit of a goliath grouper catch a sure thing.
Our preparation was next to perfect. We had everything we needed to make this a perfect trip, except for a cigarette lighter to light up our cigars. Capt. Pete Severens who never fails at pulling a rabbit out of his hat found another use for a flair torch to get our cigars going and solve this problem.
The stage was set. We have four accomplished captains and two bikinis on board. The seas were flat, temperature is cool and baitfish are everywhere. We took exploratory dives to determine which area held the largest goliath grouper, which we found on a sunken barge in 70 feet of water.
Everyone was excited because we knew what to expect. I caught a three pound pink mouth grunt and hooked him on a rig that we make special for the goliath grouper. The bait was lively. No sooner than I had dropped the grunt down on the wrecked barge, “All hell broke loose.”
I was not in charge any more, everything went silent. No more encouragement from my fellow captain fish mates: Troy Thompson, Jim Hollis and Pete Severens. No more squalls of excitement from the bikinis. It was a lonely feeling.
All of a sudden I get a shake of my shoulder from Captain Pete and Captain Troy to wake me up from this wild dream I was having. Thank God we were not through with the adventure because the dream was soon to become very real.
I am going to leave it up to the photograph to finish this story because it really came true, as do so many countless fishing adventures on the Dark Island Fishing Team’s pursuit of unique fishing experiences.
Sweet dreams!
