Sunrise in the mangrove channels, painted sail bowed with the morning breeze. We are out for a day of line fishing with Omar and Ali in the protected waters off Manda island. First things first – preparing the bait. We have shrimp and ghost crabs collected last night by flashlight on the beach. I make a video tutorial of Jeremy ripping off legs and stomach and threading the hook through the leg joints.
And then one after the other we begin to land red, white and yellow snapper, grouper and tilapia. For a while these deeply vibrant and fancifully decorated creatures swim around in a yellow bucket until, suddenly, they fade before our eyes and die.
It is a grand morning, though, and I am comforted by how easily, at any age, my sons are delighted with a hook and line.
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