Home Again
            By Chris Marenghi

October 1996. A lone surfman walked out onto Rhode Island's East Beach, slid a 7/0 hook through an eel's lower jaw and cast out. His reward? The mother of all backlashes. By the time he untangled the snarl of 50 lb. Micron, the eel had entwined with the mono leader and strangled itself. The angler re-baited and cast once again, this eel managed to join itself to the feather teaser.

   Cutting off and rerigging for the third time, the caster reflected on his last visit to the surf, it had been along time, maybe too long he thought. Do you lose the touch, the feel? The next few casts were delivered without incident and the old feelings ,the rhythm began to return. The thought that maybe, just maybe you can go home again was running through his head when he felt the familiar bump, like an old friend at the end of his line. Pressing the free spool lever he stepped forward to let the fish run and after a few seconds threw the reel into gear and came back hard. It was a good fish taking several strong runs before coming to lay in the wash at his feet. He gently removed the eel from the basses mouth, cradled her in his arms, the years of wrestling these great fish allowed him to estimate her weight at around 40 pounds. Placing a kiss on her large head, he slid her back to her watery world. Three more similar fish would come to the angler that night, all released to fight again.

   As dawn made it's presence in the east, the weary caster made his way back to his truck for some much needed rest. Maybe you can go home again, maybe you can...

Chris Marenghi