Time to Roll Up My Sleeves (8/19)

[Latimeria]

This past month has been brutal with all of the nice fish I've been farming.  Some were for no good reason and I couldn't have done anything differently, and some have just proven a match for my tackle...
Just on Sunday I lost a nice leopard shark and a screamer bat ray for no other reason than the hook pulled, even after a nice fight. 

Last night Steve and I headed out to see if we could find some grinners to take our mackerel offerings.  We got a late start due to people on the beach, but conditions were fishable.  It was borderline with all of the weeds around.

I Had a killer hit that Steve saw, and when I grabbed my rod, there was literally nothing there.  I have no idea what happened, but the line was a clean cut.  Rig #1 gone...

Not too long after Steve gets ripped!  This was looking like a big Seven. It bit like one and fought like one.  I reeled in and prepared to drag him up to the sand when I heard Steve yell... "He's Off!  Damn IT!"  The hook crimp failed maybe 20 yards from the sand. Not a good sign to have your crimp slip, but at least he got his sinker back.

I then catch the evil Eel.  I really do hate these things....


I get bit again, but knew it was a bass.  I actually kept this guy for some tacos tonight as he was a healthy 17.5" and a perfect eating size.


I get a really good bite again, but it winds up finding something to clip me off.  This was $20 down the tube at this point with two rigs down.  Steve had a few bites and was getting his baits torn up, but didn't get anything to stick.

I miss a few bass before catching a smaller model one.


I get hit again and knew instantaneously it was another eel. Some wasted kid watched me pull it in and freaked out like he just saw the Loch Ness Monster.  He was losing his mind over that stupid eel.  lol


Steve finally packed it in and I stayed since I had a few more baits and wanted revenge.  I had something on, but tried to muscle it up to realize Mr. Lobster is one leg down now.


I had one half a mackerel left with the tail and gave it the last cast.  I was cleaning my cutting board and packing it in when I heard a clicker quietly screaming before I realized "Oh sh!t, I'm ON!"... and how I was on!

I could feel a bunch of fast tail swipes on the line followed by slower and more erratic ones.  It never broke the surface, but I literally tightened the star drag as far down as it could go and even started thumbing the spool.  This thing did not slow down for even a second.  I thought maybe sea lion because it pulled so hard, but there was no barking.  I immediately thought maybe great white since it felt a lot different than anything I hooked off the beach before.  My third thought was a big ass Black Sea Bass!  I watched 240 yards of mono disappear off the reel and now the braid was screaming out.  My thumbs couldn't hold it and I just tried straight rodding it to see if I could get it to stop.  I had probably 340 yards of line out when I heard a super loud "POP"!! 

Just like that, gone.  I reeled up all of my braid and about 100 yards of line, but he has about 140 yards of line sticking out his face now, whatever it was. 


I was fairly certain in my own head it must have been a Great White, but I relived that damn scenario in my dreams 100x last night and realized it was most likely a Black.  My reasoning for this is it never broke water.  Almost every shark I have ever caught at least has come to the surface to try and shake the hook, from Leopards, Seven's, Soupie's, Makos, Threshers... but not this one.  Not to say it wasn't the Tax Man, but my gut is telling me it was more likely a big old bass.

Oh well, c'est la vie... but this is not over.  I'm changing my mind set and going over all of my gear again.  I have some payback to dish out.

Thanks for reading and Tight Lines!

[jlwells]

Great report. If anyone can get some pay back it's you two. I've been on a hiatus due to family commitments, etc., buy I'm looking forward to trying a new spot this weekend.

[sasquatch]

 Hey Tom, it was great to get back to the surf with you. Thanks for the beers, they are on me next time.

I was really disappointed in my crimp failure. I am sure they were the correct size and crimped correctly, unless it was an older rig that I hadn't redone. The only thing I can think to change is to remove the coating on the wire. Not much more time to mess with it.

Thanks also for waiting until I was well on the freeway before texting me about your big bite.

That kid was wasted, talking to himself in the street, when I left. "Tom caught a Moray Eel, I saw a real Moray Eel, I never saw one before except on TV."

[raychavez91]

Sucks that you got owned by whatever it was, but doesn't that feeling just leave you in awe, that with what you had, and the experience, it just wasn't enough? Especially from shore? That's in itself is pretty damm awesome in my opinion. Sucks how many missed opportunities there were, but regardless, Congrats on the nice bass, hope they came out great, and looking forward to reading part II soon

[faster u fool]

Yikes.

[Chris]

those big ones just keep you going back for more! I'm expecting one of you guys to beach one of these hammerheads that's been stalking the shores soon.

[Tim524]

The mystery of "the one that got away"    You guys always seem to hook the big stuff, nice job