Fishing for All

You should’ve seen your face when Cooper was reeling in that grouper,” said my longtime friend Tony DiGiulian. “You were so happy. That smile was priceless.”

My son Cooper, who is 9, was diagnosed with Trisomy 21, or Down syndrome, while my wife was pregnant. The diagnosis kicked off weeks of sleepless nights filled with worry and an unhealthy dose of Googling. My thoughts were overcome with concerns. Would Cooper be able to do everything his older brother, Max, does? Would he be healthy? Would he require round-the-clock care? And while it wasn’t my biggest concern, I wondered if Cooper would ever go fishing with me.

Through our research, we found the Down Syndrome Association of Central Florida, which provided support, assuaged our fears and introduced us to other families in our area. I went to a DADS (Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome) meeting, and this group of guys changed my life. Through DADS, I’ve formed close friendships and found a sounding board to discuss all of the issues a parent with a special-needs child must tackle. Topics that aren’t easy to speak about. With this group of guys, there is no judging or retribution, but at just about every get-together, someone asks me to put together a fishing trip. That trip finally happened this past summer.

Thanks to social media, my friends, many of whom work in the fishing world, have watched my boys grow up. They always comment when I post fishing pics, especially DiGiulian, a serial do-gooder who volunteers his time and resources to a long list of causes. When I told him I wanted to put a fishing trip together for my DADS group, DiGiulian sprang into action and spearheaded the organization of our outing.

DiGiulian works for Pelagic Gear, where he serves as tournament director and Florida marketing coordinator and directs the company’s community outreach. He has fished around the globe and lived in South Florida for more than 35 years. He is about as dialed-in to the local fishing scene as a person can be. He made a few calls, and before I could even say “thank you,” he had secured a party boat for our kids, the Fish City Pride, owned by Capt. Skip Dana, another fisherman with a big heart. Pelagic pitched in for fuel and provided lunches, shirts and hats for the kids.

Fish City Pride has fished out of Hillsboro Inlet in Pompano Beach, Florida, for longer than I’ve walked the Earth. It was the ideal vessel for our trip. The boat runs a few miles off the beach and targets bottom fish, but this being Florida, you never know what species might swim by.

When the morning of our July trip finally arrived, Cooper and his friend Samantha boarded the boat holding hands. Their emotions teetered back and forth from excitement to fear. It was a little lumpy getting through the inlet, though most of the kids on board liked it, leaning over the boat’s rail in their new Pelagic duds, hoping to spy a dolphin. Each kid asked me about sharks.

Capt. Dwight Kiester, who’s been working on this rig since 1986, positioned the boat over a trench, and it wasn’t long before the lane snapper started coming over the rail. Laughter echoed down the side deck. Cooper, however, liked playing in the cabin. And then I hooked something decent on the light spinning rod I was using. Each kid on the trip was gifted a Danco spinning rod-and-reel combo thanks to DiGiulian’s contacts.

I yelled for Cooper, and he came running out on deck. I helped him hold the rod as he cranked the reel handle. We dove under other lines to avoid tangles, moving toward the stern as the fish pulled drag. Cooper’s cheeks reddened, his lips pursed with determination. When the red grouper appeared from the depths, everyone congratulated him. “Cooper caught a grouper!” He couldn’t wait to have his photo taken with his fish, knowing I’d frame it and put it on our family wall.

Of course, that was the highlight of the trip for me, and each father on the boat had a similar experience. We took 33 people with Down syndrome fishing, from toddlers to 20-somethings, over two half-day trips, and each one reeled in at least one fish. My older son Max caught five or six on his own, and I beamed with pride watching him help the younger kids throughout the day.

Back at the dock, I thanked DiGiulian for about the hundredth time. “You don’t have to thank me,” he said. “I think I get more joy out of this than they do.” Fishing is best when you get to share it.

One of my biggest fears of having a son with Down Syndrome was that the world would treat him unkindly. If anything, the majority of the time, I’ve seen the opposite. I’m constantly reminded that good people still exist, especially in the fishing world.

This article originally appeared in the January 2024 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.

Source: https://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/sportfishing/fishing-for-all