How I Got That Shot

Author:: Jay Fleming
Publish date:: Jan 15, 2016

Jay Fleming

I was kayaking around the Brigantine Cays in the Exumas when I came upon a tightly packed school of 75 to 100 bonefish that had been corralled by 3- to 5-foot lemon sharks. I grabbed my rod and quickly hooked and released a 5-pound bonefish. The stressed-out fish didn’t swim far before a shark charged it, and both began swimming toward me. I threw my rod in the water, grabbed my underwater camera off a back strap and submerged it. I snapped off 12 shots as the shark devoured half of the bonefish in 15 seconds, spooked and ran. Reviewing my images, I saw that the shark had a fine meal, and I had a unique photo.

Saltwater

I clearly remember that moment when my fishing DNA changed forever.

Saltwater

The sun was almost down when Jack called out. “I’m on,” he said, and I watched him lean back as the fish turned and made its first run.

Saltwater

My mind was unconsciously running through the 20 other places I would no doubt have been better off standing.

Snook sharpie Mike Thiels makes a 2 a.m. toss for bait from the Lantana Ocean Avenue Bridge in Florida

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Who answers the phone at 3:30 a.m., chats amiably, swaps helpful information, wishes the caller good luck but doesn’t go back to sleep humming a lullaby of curses?

Saltwater

A well-traveled photographer is drawn to Piñas Bay, Panama, for its black marlin and other hefty cohorts.

Saltwater

The dolphin were running small off southeastern Florida last summer. You learned that if you were in the Gulf Stream fishing sargassum weed lines for Mr. Big, but you also could have found out from a police blotter that the catch was not as hot as the weather.