BLUE MARLIN! STARBOARD SIDE!

My wife, Nancy, is an amazing person, and I have her to thank for buying me my first subscription to Anglers Journal. I was hooked with the first issue.

I cannot come up with words to appropriately convey the depth of my enjoyment of fishing, the challenge of fishing and the opportunity to experience the wonder of nature that fishing provides. Your magazine and the writers who share their lives with us, the readers, speak to this and the shared adventure we are on.

My son Michael wrote a paper while he was in fifth grade, reflecting on his first canyon trip. Michael is now 26, and I still enjoy reading his take. Here’s part of his paper:

Then there was a shout from the tuna tower. “Blue marlin! Starboard side, coming up fast!” Suddenly, one of the rods bent like a bow. Someone yelled, “Fish on! Reel in the lines!” Before I knew it, I was sitting in the fighting chair, and the rod was in my hands.

The marlin pulled like a truck. I pulled and cranked with all the strength I had. I was in my own world, just me and that fish. I must have fought the marlin for about 45 minutes. I can still remember seeing it jump clear out of the water like a rocket. Finally, the battle was over. I had done it; I had caught the marlin.

Barry Massone Skillman, New Jersey