You got it......SHARKS.
I told Steve, "I've been behind those shrimp boats out there 4 times and have yet to even see a Sharks let alone catch one."
So as we left the dock, I turned down river versus out the river eastward. We had the last of the falling tide ahead of us, so I figured we burn off some old Cigar Minnows on the bottom and get us a few big Reds.
Upon arrival on the spot, the tide was great, the morning wasn't all that hot with a due east breeze coming off the ocean, all seemed to be perfect. Glitch in the game plan.....bait stealers galore! Eating our baits on the bottom in 36 feet of water faster than I could keep two rods out and lines in the water.
No Redbass bites. Yeah....how hard could it be to catch a decently big Redbass on a falling tide in good current along the Lil Jetties?
OBVIOUSLY PRETTY HARD, in bazzarro world.
So I said hell with this and picked up and headed east out the jetties. Big Swells against the east wind were at the end of the north rocks, but outside the current it was really nice. We saw shrimp boats WAYYYY out there a few miles offshore. So I dropped two plugs and two dead cigar minnows over the side and trolled the "rip-line" out to the shrimpers looking for a Kingfish or Cuda bite, which was also a "fish-wish".
We arrived at the shrimp boats all gathered in one area, so I pulled all the trolling lines and headed over to them with a rod all rigged up. I use a 4" Pear shaped float with 4 feet of 200# test and a 13/0 to 16/0 Mustad circle hook on the end of the rig. Everything is crimped. I also file the bend of the hooks and create a notch in the steel, because most of the time I'm not going to get that hook back. ( I like having hands and fingers) So giving the sharks a bit of help with hook degrading-rusting, as soon as possible.
We pulled up behind the first shrimper and what did we see??? A pack of 50 sharks from 3 foot to 6 foot or better all chasing the boat on top of the nets. I freaked....."LOOK AT ALL THOSE SHARKS!!!"
The boys were ready, too. The sharks were boiling the water, even. Fins and tails were everywhere.
I made a cast into the pack and in seconds it was game on!
I believe we hooked up at least 8-10 and put at least half to the side of the boat, thanks to some never die angling of the boys, and the meat stik'ness of my big Ugly Stik rods. Young anglers don't need to go "light tackle" here. Because several times at the side of the boat when a sharks in the 4-5 foot catagory and anywhere from 40-70 pounds would lunge, that rod was smacked on the side of the gunnel, plenty!
But the Uglies can take it.
You have no idea how big or bad the sharks that's gonna eat the bait will be, till you hook it. But one thing we are TARGETING is the Blacktips/Spinner sharks that are the largest of the pack and are the HIGH FLYERS!
Yes, now that's exciting. Hook shark up, sharks smokes line sizzling through the water, sharks flies across the water sideways in the air, "cork screwing" and lands and does it all over again. If you still have this animal on after all that, you're lucky! I call 'em, BROWN MARLIN.
We weren't all that lucky today. After the arial displays our fish was lost, by either a bit off hook right through 200# mono, or the whole rig was just plain g-o-n-e. Yeah, I lost loads of tackle, today. But that's the game.
Then, re-rig and get back in and do it again. Most boated sharks were Atlantic Sharpnose, and a few smaller Blacktips.
I was busy doing all the de-hooking and or cutting the leader, while holding the sharks for a photo. So I didn't get many shark pics today. And the pics I did take were with my camera on my phone. Yes, today while I was fishing my replacement for my broke digital camera was delivered....but a signiture was needed. So I still have no real camera.
So these are the shots I took. Steve was supposed to send me all he took. But I have not recieved them yet.
Next up: A solo'ist Chris M. on 7/8 another returning past customer. Last time he fished with me it was in January and was freezing. Now he's trying the flip-side.
Heading offshore for Kingfish is the plan, then come back in and hit the shrimp boats for some more "run & gun" sharkin'.
