 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Site Map |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Article Provided By The Corpus Christi Caller Times. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Annual Chemo Kids Fish Off generates happy fish stories |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ROCKPORT - Squinting into the glare of a Redfish Bay sunrise, Mireya DeLeon and Isaac Flores faced a day that had almost never arrived. The initial buildup for this trip had long since faded from their young memories, making its coming somewhat anticlimactic, because of a postponement brought on by Hurricane Claudette. But the anticipation was nearly over for this pair of five-year-olds, along with twentysomething of their fellow patients from Driscoll Children's Hospital, who are familiar with disappointment beyond their years. We left the first wakes out of Palm Harbor Marina on this glorious morning for fishing. Mireya and Isaac waved tauntingly at friends who stood on the dock waiting to be paired with guides who volunteered their time, expertise and boats for the 12th Annual Chemo Kids Fish Off. When the kids settled down for the ride, smiles and curious looks flashed intermittently from under their floppy hats to reveal a blend of pleasant emotions that spilled onto the deck of Slim Bethune's Majek skiff. Their eagerness became mine as we sped southward toward a new adventure for them and a renewed experience for me. We shared a hope that promise would be fulfilled, though we were miles apart on expectations. Back at the marina I had overheard older children speak of past exploits on previous fish-offs and deliver overblown stories of trophies caught and trophies won. The faces of awed and envious listeners stirred by fantastic tales of past events reflected a rush of images I could only imagine. Unlike when old folks get together, there was no mention of aches and pains they had in common. The forgetting had begun. Our first stop was Buns Hole, a shallow seagrass flat between the Terminal Islands and the Klondikes. Terminal, with its rocks, islands and pilings, is the name given to the faded remnants of a wooden railroad causeway that once connected Aransas Pass with the Quarantine shoreline of Harbor Island. In 1926, a track-mounted truck on this causeway began pulling railroad cars on which automobiles were loaded. This "train" connected with a ferryboat that relayed the cars across the Corpus Christi Ship channel onto Mustang Island at Port Aransas. The experienced Bethune, a gentle and relaxed longtime member of the guides association on his eighth Chemo Kids event, wisely skipped the history lesson and simply said, "This has been a good redfish spot for me lately." Then he cast a live mullet as far as he could and placed the rod in a holder. He repeated this chore a second, third and fourth time, assigning rods to each child when he was done. Isaac and Mireya followed the arched path of the baits with their eyes then abandoned their gaze as it sank. As usual, the fascination with bait soon overshadowed everything. But not for long. Lurching rod tips provided an early diversion, resulting in grimacing retrieves of fish. This broke the ice and ultimately yielding smiles and chatter. The hats came off, sunscreen went on and attentions became focused on fishing and putting troubles even farther behind. During the course, Bethune consulted often with our on-board nurse, Gloria Muniz, about the kids' comfort. Winds were calm and the heat was stifling. But spirits were up. Before long it was time for a boat ride to cool off, adjust attitudes and alter scenery. Good move. At each stop, the kids caught fish. Even so, at some point, Mireya's interest simmered as Isaac's enthusiasm boiled. He became the ship's photographer, scampering around the boat and shooting pictures at will. His favorite subjects were an unwilling Mireya, fish in the ice chest and birds only he could see. But action at our last stop took the camera out of his hands and replaced it with a live rod. Up until then, the kids had only caught trout and small redfish, not the hard-pulling thrills of dockside fables. But as our deadline neared, the drama peaked with two big redfish. Even though Mireya had had enough by then and only watched, back at the dock she and Isaac each got a trophy as tall as they stood, which was pretty high at that point. Now they have tales to tell. Unfortunately, there likely will be a new class of wide-eyed freshman to dazzle at next years event. Outdoors writer David Sikes' column appears Thursdays and Sundays. Contact him at 886-3616 or sikesd@caller.com |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| David Sikes/Caller-Times I'll catch it but I will not touch it. Mireya DeLeon reacts to a suggestion that she kiss the redfish she caught during the 12th Annual Chemo Kids Fish Off. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| David Sikes/Caller-Times Driscoll Childrens Hospital nurse Gloria Muniz helps Mireya DeLeon, 5, reel in a fish aboard Slim Bethune's boat. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| David Sikes/Caller-Times Ricky Puente, 5 (left to right) Guillermo Trejo, 6, and Isaac Flores, 5, display one of the sharks caught during the 12th Annual Chemo Kids Fish Off at Palm Harbor. The fish caught were painted and pressed on fabric for keepsake flags. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2004 C&T Bay Charters. All rights reserved. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
