Behind the Blog: Stupid Fisherman Tricks

The kids love to throw food scraps overboard when we’re at anchor in spots where the water is particularly clear because small sharks, barracudas or remora fish will sometimes come out from under the boat to “snack”. This was the case the other day at Black Point, where a remora fish swam at the chance to have some carrot peels.

Normally, this is a harmless fish-finding activity that goes no further than the viewing stage. However on this particular day, Pat and Drew - mostly Pat - got a crazy itch to play with Drew’s new fishing pole. They decided for reasons that will probably never been known - even to them - to put some squid (yes, Pat and Drew keep a box of frozen squid in our freezer – YUCK!) on the hook and see if the remora fish would take a bite.

By the time Jake had located the remora fish entry in our fish guide to check its food value, Pat & Drew had one on the line. As any sane person might guess, the food value for a remora fish is, to quote the guide book, NIL!

What the guide book didn’t mention - perhaps because most people aren’t stupid enough to try to hook them - is that remora fish, also known as sharksuckers, have a very effective defense technique which they employ when someone tries to pull them out from under a boat. They do exactly what they were designed to do... suck.

The remora used the suction cup on its head to secure itself to the bottom of Jubilee. Once there, it hung on for dear life. Pat nearly bent Drew’s pole in half trying to dislodge it! When he finally got it loose after a good 10 minutes of tugging (mixed with some laughing, a number of “what in the world were you thinking”s, and some foolish consideration of getting out the snorkel gear), the poor thing had sucked so hard its head was covered with our bottom paint.

Other than a rusty-colored head, the fish seemed no worse for wear when Pat finally got it released. It did leave quite a mark on the side of the boat - not sure if it’s paint or some blood, but Pat will know soon enough... it seems only fair that the “idea guy” be the one to clean up the mess! Besides, he’s feeling very remorasful about the whole incident!