Strike While The Iron Is Hot (4/7)

Latimeria · April 08, 2015, 07:45:22 AM

With Ray's recent Soupie off the beach and it being Tuesday night... it meant I was driving up to an adjacent soup kitchen to strike while the iron is hot. My back has been bugging me especially today, but I have not had many good surf sessions recently, so it was of little concern at the time.

Conditions looked great, but there was ungodly mats of kelp just ready to ruin where we set up. Light wind, Sunny, Little Surf and quite a bit chillier than usual are the conditions that greeted us.

Steve showed off his new-old school "Surf Box" that was rolling around in his work truck cab for the past 7 years. American Pickers have been contacted and they are on their way.

Bites were few and far between, but the magic hour was getting close. The rain clouds in the distance came rolling in along with the weeds. Luckily the tide switched and stopped the halt of these massive mats of kelp and gave me some fishing room.

Ray gets out of work and knows right where to go as he wants another Soupie. He started off with a Calico...

He then had a MASSIVE runner! Soupfin Shark all the way! He hooked up and the games started. It wasn't long before it gained the upper hand and busted Ray off where he lost everything and had to retie. It was definitely a nice hit and you could see every tail slap on his line as it tried to swim off to Hawaii!

He followed up with a nice 4-5 (?) pound Calico. Steve took some phone shots and I was just walking over to grab my camera and get some good shots when my clicker blows up! It ran 30-40 yards of line before I could even get to my rod, but it was definitely "SOUP ON!".

I have my drag super tight as not to give him a lot of room to find anything to break me off in or to stay the hell away from all the kelp just trying to ruin my night. A lot of "leg drag" was used for that fight. That's when the drag is so tight, the lines twings when it runs, so you follow the drag action to keep the line from breaking by walking to the water and backing up when you get them turned. After what seemed to be a long battle because of my back (was probably only 10 minutes), Ray and Steve get their hands on her.

She wasn't super long, but was a thick little beeatch!

The release was tough though. All of a sudden, the surge picked up and made it tough to walk in the water to revive her properly.

We finally got her to swim off, but Steve even went the extra yard and prepped for a swim if need be to make sure she was revived properly. Steve was in his trunks and ready to jump in... Now that is dedication!

Anyway, the adrenaline rush masked my back pain and I called it the night around 10:30 along with Steve. Ray was an animal and stuck it out for another chance, so I'm not sure if he scored or not.

Well, it has been a while since I got a nice surf shark. I missed out on the hot bites earlier in the year when the seven's were in tight to the beach, but there is nothing like a big Soupfin battle, so it was well worth the wait.

Good fishing with you guys and until next tide!

Strike while the iron is hot!

raychavez91 · April 08, 2015, 08:12:57 AM

Definitely looking forward to the next session...really bummed me out I couldn't land mine...but I'm doing something right atleast. Plus I.love me some nice surf calicos, makes me feel like an iron jig bite, when I bring em in
Congrats on a proper tope from the surf before your fishing delay coming up...Hopefully you'll get 1 more soon.
I stayed till 12, for several calico-ish bites, and 1 nice ripped that dropped the mack before I laid into him

Eric H · April 08, 2015, 08:26:06 AM

Nice

I knew you were due Tom and I'm glad you beached one. The first pic is awesome.

Wonder if it's the Sh!t weather that's making them active..

raychavez91 · April 08, 2015, 08:30:55 AM

Damn...i just decided, I gotta go again tonight and redeem myself

j.rasta · April 08, 2015, 09:03:53 AM

Nice work Tommy! Jus what the doctor ordered B)

jlwells · April 08, 2015, 09:15:24 AM

Great shark Tom! I'm hoping to get one this weekend, probably going to be my last trip to the surf this weekend.

Latimeria · April 08, 2015, 09:30:30 AM

Quote from: jlwells on April 08, 2015, 09:15:24 AM
Great shark Tom! I'm hoping to get one this weekend, probably going to be my last trip to the surf this weekend.

Hit it hard, then! Soup Kitchen is open, but hopefully the Seven's show up. BTW, I mailed the necklace yesterday so it should be there in a day or two.

WheresMyBeer · April 08, 2015, 09:57:12 AM

Nice - good going.

xjchad · April 08, 2015, 10:11:24 AM

Nice Tom! Glad you got one!

sasquatch · April 08, 2015, 10:15:49 AM

I'm not sure which one is worse, Ray, losing a fish, like you did, or not even getting a bite while everybody else does.

Dragging today.

Rammer · April 08, 2015, 10:41:03 AM

Nice job Tom !!!

raychavez91 · April 08, 2015, 10:56:28 AM

Yeah losing my fish was pretty hearbreaking...but I think I can get over it if I get 1 tonight...although not getting bit at all sucks alot worse

WheresMyBeer · April 08, 2015, 11:36:15 AM

May bump into you Ray

Fish Jerk · April 08, 2015, 12:46:19 PM

Congratz on the soup. I'm so jealous, I wish we had a soup kitchen up here in the LA/Samo area. So far I've had to be content with 20inch baby soup I got last year.

Any one up to Ventura 7 spot run this weekend?

raychavez91 · April 08, 2015, 12:55:47 PM

Tempting to make the drive, but me and my girls aniv. weekend ese

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Strike While The Iron Is Hot (4/7)