The Weather Guessers missed this baby by a mile. I arrived at the boat ramp with yesterday's practice in float fishing with four people in the river in the rain as a practice in futility, still fresh in my mind. At sun-up....IT WAS STILL DARK. Not good. As I put the boat in the water I said to another Guide, "this sure does make ya appreciate those nice sunny hot days, doesn't it?"
He replied, "yeah, maybe this will just burn off and get sunny later."
Well, later came and it never got any better. Over cast, rainy, and that predicted 5 knots of SW wind was more like 15 knots. This actually turns out to be a "tropical low pressure system". Not just a few over cast days in a row.
Paul & crew showed up and we took off. We were going SHARKIN'.
Drag peeling, rod bending, arm aching, fishing. All just within a 5 minute ride from the inlet's jetty rocks.
We pulled up to the first shrimp boat, I made a cast, and I.G. - instantaneous gratification!!!!!!
Drag burner, hooked up and running. Yeah gotta love it. I handed the rod to 11 year old Et
han.I know when I was 11 years old, I would have eaten this up. Because at 45, I still love it!
I should be getting some video from Paul of today's action. And of course I'll post it here.
I only got a few photo's because my camera batteries were going dead.
The seas were a bit nasty, the sky was dark, the wind was blowing, and the big bad Blacktip Sharks were CHEWING.
I think the first 4 or more hook-up were instant hook-ups.
Although we did experience, some wackiness. I'd make a cast behind the shrimp boats, get bit and the whole rig would be gone. (I think it was Flipper messing with me) And reel in a slack line. This could happen one cast after another. I usually keep a nice big float on my line so the 16/0 circle hook and bait doesn't sink and go into the shrimp nets. Plus, isn't everything better on a FLOAT??? I think so, it's a visual bite watching that float go under, as well as being able to follow the bait in the prop wash of the shrimp boat.
But that's sharkin'.....loosing lots of hooks, leaders, line, and floats. It's run and gun, fast and furious. Aching arms and big fish. Makes going trolling for Kingfish seem so damn tame. And although I usually don't keep any of these sharks. If I was too, it would have to be a small one.
Our smallest one today was probably in the 40 pound range up to 100+ pounds, as it can usually be. It was so easy to tell if it was a Big Un'. Because, as Paul' cousin put it, "Dave there's not much line left on the reel!"
This was really fun today. And sure beats a lot of fishing and not a lot of catching. Just wish there were some Tarpon thrown in to the mix behind the shrimp boats. Kind of like the good ole days.
We had one smaller shark today that jumped. But most stayed in the water.
Overall, on a 1/2 day trip we had at least 15 bites and about half that on fish to the boat.
It was a really good morning.
A 200 pound test leader, crimped to a 14/0 - 16/0 circle hook, attached to my 8 foot Biscayne custom rods and Accurate twin drag 870's, are perfect tackle, for the sport of BIG strong fish.
MORE INFO ON BT SHARKS: http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/descript/blacktip/blacktipshark.html
VIDEOS......COMING. SO STAY TUNED!
