Saturday Night Big Pig

[LONGCAST JOE]

Hit a new AO Saturday evening I've been scoping out awhile, was just waiting for the surf and tide to be right to make it fish able. Arrived a bit after sunset and a bit before high tide. Threw a half a Mack out into an obvious trough with eddy causing structure to the immediate left. I thought to myself, if I hookup I better steer to the right quickly. After about 20 minutes my rod tip slowly dips and drag starts zinging, tripod holds like a champ, I grab up my rod, tighten down the drag a bit and do a 100 yard dash to the right while 200 yards of my 65 lb braid gets peeled off straight out. What an andreneline rush! Blistering initial run, literally, because I go to palm my spool a bit but can't because it's too hot to touch! Finally I get it to pause and gain some line back before it starts the classic bat parallel to shore sideways run. Fortunately it comes to the right where I'm already 100 yards or so ahead of it which gives me the angle to crank it into the skinny where we go back and forth a few times before I can get the solo hand holds and drag her up onto the sand...Didn't have my tape in my pocket so instead of going back to get it while she was sitting out of water I opted to just take a few pics against my rod butt and mark the distance, get her back in the water quick, and measure the distance marked against my rod later. It measured a conservative 54".What a BEAST. She really put my gear and rig to the test.

[LONGCAST JOE]

[LONGCAST JOE]

[LONGCAST JOE]

That's a 14000 series size shimano spinner and a 12' penn battalion for reference point

[xjchad]

That is a healthy beast!

[Eric H]

Beautiful looking bat

[Pinoyfisher]

Back breaker!!!

[WheresMyBeer]

tis the season for slime! Way to set the bar! 

[vdisney]

Chu da man Joe, that one is a beast.  WTG!!!

[Latimeria]

Awesome, Joe!  Great news to see some action returning to the beaches.  I tried trout fishing yesterday for the same outcome I had while surf fishing a few days ago. Nada.

Excellent bat and on the spinner too!

[Tim524]

Nice Surf Bat, congrats on a solo landing too 

[sasquatch]

Guess I should have gotten out to give the surf a chance this weekend. Nice fish for sure.

[SevengillTheVC]

Way to go! You're hardcore for soloing that beast!

[1morecast]

That's a biggie with a coffee grinder too.