Thresher!

[Skipper the cigar aFISHinodo]

For those of you who appreciate light tackle, she was 225 pounds (bled out) and caught on 30 pound test.

OK, here's the story. It was HOT!!! So I wanted a nice relaxing non-strenuous day of fishing. I told the guys we're going for Fluke. We left a little late, 7:30 and was out fishing by 8:15. We spotted a large pod of bait we used for stripers so we figured we catch a few and put them in the live-well just in case. After an hour and filling the well, we shot over another 2 miles and started fluking. I told the guys to put out a rod for bass just in case. Nothing special, just drift a live bunker (the bait fish we caught) after around a mile of drifting the bass rod goes off. I'm thinking striper, then all of a sudden a 150 pound thresher shark comes flying out of the water doing a triple somersault. Game on! Well, this rod being rigged for stripers had monofilament leader and the shark made short work of it so after 15 minutes we lost him. But after that and a poor showing of fluke we changed tactics. We rigged to light tackle off-shore rods with proper wire line and some smaller shark hooks (10/0 instead of the normal 12/0). I geared the tackle down to the bait. My rod was spooled with 30 pound test on a 30 international. My friend had a lighter rod but 50 pound test on a 50. After an hour we had a hook-up and landed a nice 100 pound dusky shark. Another hour later we had a short runoff that had to be a thresher but he managed to steel the bait. Around mid-day we saw a HUGE pod of dolphin crashing our pod of bait. For around a half hour over 150 dolphin decimated an acre of bunker leaving nothing when they were gone. What a spectacle!
By 1:30-2:00 Most of the cigars were gone as was lunch so I told the guys we'd call it quits at 3. At 2:58 I checked my watch and was about to say "let's go" when my rod with the 30 pound test started to sing.
My buddy Chris who was really gun-ho on this whole shark idea grabbed the rod. He wasn't sure about how to set the hook but he watched me do it on the dusky. He waited per my instructions, threw the reel in gear, cranked and yanked back 5 hard times. We had him. Or he had us!
This gear was no match for this fish. After 20 minutes we were unable to get the fish any closer to us than around 200 yards and was shocked at how far from us it was when she rocketed to the surface several times during the drawn out battle. Finally the fish made a spirited run directly at the boat. At first we thought she was lost then as my buddy reeled in the line came tight.
I was running the boat from the tower and I looked into the water. I couldn't believe what I saw. The thing looked monstrous and prehistoric! I estimated the fish to be 300 pounds. On 30 pound test! I thought sure we needed a miracle and were fresh out.
I instructed the 3rd guy to get the gaff and gloves ready. We strapped Chris into a full harness and began the long fight. An hour into the fish and we never saw the fish again. Every time she saw the boat she would peel off 100 yards of line then Chris would spend 10 to 15 minutes getting it back. The last 20 minutes the fish was making what offshore fishermen know as death circles. When the fish is out of strength they swim in circles. This fish swam in circles over 100 yards wide causing me to have to spin the boat constantly to keep the fight concentrated off the transom and the line out of the running gear.
Finally exactly at 4:30 we saw the leader. My buddy Allan asked for help so I abandoned the helm, instructed Allan to grab the wire and he muscled the fish to within range. I stuck her in the soft part just below the gills and we all jumped back. But she didn't respond. I was afraid the gaff didn't penetrate, so I reached over and pulled so hard I lifted her head out of the water. The gaff was in and I announced "CAUGHT FISH!".
We high-fived, tied on a tail rope and watched her bleed out. Then pulled it into the tuna door and headed for home.
What a day!
We got tremendous congratulations back at the doc. Everyone estimated the fish to be 300 pounds. I thought 225. And boom, she weighed exactly 225.
After the pictures I ran the boat back home and we spent the next 2 hours cutting steaks. Half the neighborhood got fresh shark steaks.

The set-up was a custom Chaos rod rated for 30 to 50 pound test. The reel was a Penn International 1 speed 30. Spooled with a mile or 30 pound test. We were in 55 feet of water around 1 mile off of Atlantic Beach in Long Beach.

Look at Chris's arms in the pictures, his bicepts were all pumped after 90 minutes of fighting that fish.

http://www.bayparkfishing.com/daily.cfm

http://www.bayparkfishing.com/photos.cfm

[wtfdic]

Nice fish!

[Jimmie the Mum]

What a great day..

[-PO-]

Right on Skipper!!!!!

[Tonto]

Now that's Awesome!!!

[scott81425]

that's amazing! i don't understand any of the fisherman speak in the story, but it was still cool to read. i have decided on a new item to add to my bucket list- go on a fishing trip with skipper.

[Skipper the cigar aFISHinodo]

that's amazing! i don't understand any of the fisherman speak in the story, but it was still cool to read. i have decided on a new item to add to my bucket list- go on a fishing trip with skipper.

I saved and smoked one of the BBFs you sent me as a celebration! No lie! That's it in the 3rd picture.

[Hunlock]

Awesome Skip!!!!!!


Like I said, I just need a day notice! j/k

[Teck1337]

Holy crap! That thing looks like it could eat a small child!!

[MaytagMan]

That is awesome!!!