| PINS Big Shark Surf Report
Padre Island National Seashore,
TX
May 11th, 2007
Report by Oz |
Various beach reports were abound the past week mainly
consisting of weed and poor driving. With the weather window not getting
much better, I had to go down for the weekend and try my hardest to get some
good baits out. My plan was originally to head down and somewhere down the
beach getting out of the weed and somewhere along the lines meeting up with
Gabe and setting up a big bait camp with the 2 or 3 of us. I head left and
was on the beach by sunrise Friday and right after Gabe left the message
that he unfortunately couldn't make it down due to the final touches being
done to his super rack.
Anyway, rocked on down (at a slow pace). Driving was indeed
horrible, weed on the entire beach and the only road was up near the dunes.
Around the 4wd sign there was a truck that flagged me down.
NOW WHAT... I am on a MISSION. Anyway, apparently the out of towners had
partied a bit too much and drained their battery and were stranded needing
a jump. Well, since it was the hot chick out of the 3 of them who flagged
me down I figured a little karma and mojo wouldn't hurt. While being eaten
alive by mosquitos I give them a jump and they offered me about anything
they had as thanks and told them not to worry about it... a thank you is
good enough. You see, I am on a MISSION.
Anyway, the Austinites pack up heading to the nearest breakfast
destination and I continue to endure the not so beautiful driving. I did
come across a lot of debris including this nice chunk of would which I have
no idea why its in the report here other than a good picture.
Even just after low tide the driving remains very slow. It had
taken 2 hours just to get to the 20. I take a chance and hit the tide line
in the high banks but took a chance because all the previous decaying weed
buried at the bank acts as a sink hole... beach quicksand, and is disastrous.
Lucky everything is timed just right and make the right moves to get through
it. Now coming up to the 25 the weed thins out a bit and there is a night/day
difference with the driving. At the 30 the beach driving is actually good.
I begin looking for signs of bait and bird activity but none is present,
so I keep on trucking south.
I make it down in the 50's and stop around the Nic. The water
doesn't look as clear and pretty as it did north about 10 miles... still
not bad, not perfect. Still, there are literally hundreds of small pizza
size turtles up and down the beach, mostly Hawksbill. I guess just grazing
on the weed and algae. There have been reports and apparently video all week
of large sharks picking off the turtles right in close.
I drove all the way to the rocks and looked around the jetties.
About halfway down I did see either Kings or Tarpon nailing large Mullet
next to the rocks. I could have stayed and gathered some bait but had little
use for Mullet. I get back in the truck and head north. A couple miles up
I see birds and large schools of Skipjack coming in close enough to bang
out a few with my home-made super spoons.
I knock out some Skipjack and head north a bit further and can't
decide if I want to fish around here or go back north the better looking
water. Weed was present in all areas so I knew I would lose that battle.
I finally decided to stick down south since at the present time since there
was much more and obvious bait activity. I set up camp and run some Cownose
and Skipjack out.
I leave 2 rods out while I rig up some monster overnight baits.
During the rigging festivities I get a couple of solid runs and as I hop
up and get to the rods I would see the sharks (Blacktips) break the surface
and throw the hooks. Well this would go on for a while and I was getting
aggravated. I run a couple larger baits out only for the large baits to get
picked up by pesky Blacktips. The first I landed was a 4' with a big appetite
and little bite.
I continue running the baits and in between being in the kayak
cleaning weed off the lines or casting for skipjack I'd get a run here and
there. I was using a combo of 20/0 Mustad and 20/0 Curmit Australian special
circle hooks. I think the hook up ratio was at or just under 50%. Things
slowed for a bit and then in the afternoon I bang out a 5'11" Blacktip that
hardly fought, but was green on the beach.
It is about to turn on. It is approaching mid-late afternoon
and birds are working more organized about 300yds out. I did not want the
Blacktips to eat apart the monster baits so I decided I would I re-rig with
fresh new whole Skipjack and deploy about 250yds out and run the big baits
at sunset. At this point I had two rods out, both Skipjack soaking and with
the frenzied activity a far, they were guaranteed to get picked up.
Sure enough, not long after and the first gets picked up...
typical 5'+ Blacktip, I could tell instantly. I get her onto the beach getting
a measure (5'5") and set the picture mode for timer and grab a snap.
This is where things begin to go bonkers. At this very minute
when I am waiting for the timer to go off for the picture, the other rod
starts smoking. I wait a couple more secs for the camera to go off and then
quickly grab the fish and walk her out to just past the first bar and push
her off. I look back the rod is still going off but then slackens up. I run
over, jump up and grab the rod and reel in the slack...a lot of slack. I
figure at first I got cut off but then catch up to the fish. When the fish
feels me, it turns around and heads straight offshore.
Line continues to disappear from the reel. Interesting. I look
over and see the previous shark swim back on the beach and is stranded. Having
just got strapped into the belt and harness I jump down bringing the rod
with me and walk over to the Blacktip while fighting Mystery Monster. I was
able to hang on the rod strapped in and walk the shark out with the other
hand and push her back off into the gut... all while line continued to disappear
from the Super-6/0.
The Blacktip manages to swim off into the right direction and
now I am back on the game with my total and undivided attention on the beast.
I instantly hop back up on the truck to gain elevation over the weed. The
fight was on and there was clearly a massive beast at the other end. By now
the the shark was out about 600+yds and after about half an hour I get him
turned and coming in. I get him back to 2nd sandbar and when he saw that,
it decided the sandbar was not his friend and turned around swimming like
a tanker due straight offshore. The fish then travels slightly to the north
and I hop down and begin to follow it and somehow attempt to clean off the
collected weed.
By now it is about 6:30pm with the sun just above the dunes
I am over an hour into the game... Solo and strapped in and a locked down
drag on 100# braid, with most of it dumped far into the sea. THIS IS WHAT
I LIVE FOR.
Right now I am controlling its burst to about 20-30' and getting
it back. It is practically a stalemate. Things begin to run through your
head and you pray that your terminal tackle holds up. I was not targeting
a grander with this setup, it was simply a 15+' Blacktip/Bull leader with
a single stainless 20/0 Curmit Special Circle Hook embedded perfectly streamlined
into a large whole Skipjack, with a thin coated cable trace easily able to
be bitten through if it finds itself in an awkward position.
The fish is very stubborn, it is not going where I want it to
go. By now almost 2 hours into the fight... and plenty of fight left in it.
I begin to eliminate species... If it were a Hammer, it probably would be
dead right now. It is kinda early in the season for Tiger and while wishful
thinking, its not very likely. I am still convinced from even at the start
that it was a Mega Bull. Yes, Big Bull, it must be a Bull.. grander Bull,
please!
The battle wages on. It is after 7pm and the sun closing down
on the horizon. I just want to land this fish before dark, especially being
solo. I am now between my camp and another young mans camp about a half mile
north of me. The fish is now into the 2nd gut and get him over the 2nd bar.
I still have yet to see a fin but I am closing in on him. A few minutes later
I get him into the emerald green waters and with a breaking 3-4' wave on
the first bar I get my first very brief glimpse from a far of the beach.
It was indeed massive and took up the entire wave. Looked like a massive
8+ Bull. 8' Bull??? It has to be bigger than that. The milli-second glimpse
provided me with its mega mass, dorsal outline and rear portion of the tail.
The shark still does not like sandbars so out another 100yds it goes at free
will.
This is killing me... get in already! The gentlemen up north
from me had his binoculars on me for a while wondering what I was doing and
finally drove down to see what was going on. He offers water and help in
any way. I get him to run back to my truck to grab the video camera and he
begins shooting video non-stop from this point on. It is now 2 hours into
the fight and the fish continues offshore.
I stop the fish about 200yds out but it does not want to move,
sitting into the current replenishing its energy. Myself, in need of replenishing
energy now can't. I am stuck reflecting upon a couple other large catches
I have had from 6/0 sized reels and compare them... Probably the first was
the mammoth 200# Tarpon (Fight = approx 30min) Good fight but tired quickly.
This fish would eat that Tarpon. Another is the massive 400+lb Goliath Grouper
from the beach (Fight = approx 30-45 min). This fish did kick my ass but
got him in relatively quick considering. I am hoping this fish is a 9+ Bull,
but hopes and wishes are irrelevant on the sand. What happens, happens and
happens in an unpredictable fashion.
The fish is tiring and I am gaining probably 1-2' every few seconds. Coming
in slowly, its near the first bar. The sunlight is fading and I have to get
this fish in soon.
A few minutes later and we get another glimpse of the beast on
top of the bar.. large fish, large fish swimming away from the bar... doh!!!
This continues onward for the next few minutes and get him on the bar and
he goes back offshore one final time. I soon get him back over the bar for
good in this fight. Still can't tell what it is other than a large shark.
Then finally as it swims on the surface thrashing and stuck in about 2' of
water I realize it is larger than I had thought, and it is NOT a Bull. The
dorsal and tail I thought I saw in the wave around an hour ago was not a
dorsal and a tail, but merely two large dorsals! It was a Texas Lemon! Very
Large Texas Lemon.
At this time a small convoy of 2-3 trucks heading to Mansfield stop and help
just as we are able to beach the beast. After 2 hours and 32 minutes on a
Newell converted 6/0, the fight is over and the biggest toad of a shark I've
seen is now landed. Shear mass. I have one of the guys run me to my truck
to get the camera, tag, tape, and bolt cutters. A minute or two I get back
and take a random pic to make sure the camera is indeed working...
Despite the long fight, the shark is still green and we had
to be careful because it was still in 1' water and could move unpredictably.
I get the bolt cutters and cut the hook that is around the very corner of
the mouth, the jaw was way too large for the gap of the hook so it impaled
in about an 1" portion of the corner mouth tissue. I get the tag in and finally
measure the beast.. 121", that's 10' 1" and a 65" girth of shear mass. An
absolutely healthy and absurdly fat eating machine of nature. This is probably
one of if not the largest Lemon Shark tagged and released from Texas. Without
a doubt, breaking the current Texas State Record of 122", 470lbs. Despite
being an inch shorter, is clearly made up with its enormous bulk and would
not be surprised if it maxed out at 500lbs.
The guys take a couple more pictures and I couldn't be happier.
Shark is either full of pups and/or full of the insanely abundant
hawksbill turtles currently invading the beach.
I gather enough energy and with the help of the passerby fellow
fishermen, we carefully try to get the fish back into the gut.
The fish is still full of energy and is tries to get back on her own.
We get her turned around and swims off back into the spring
time abyss of the Padre Island National Seashore.
For me battling a massive beast of nature on sporting under-rated
tackle for just over 2 1/2 hours, and to have the fish swim off still full
of energy is an incredible feeling, physically sore myself but still incredible.
All the odds and elements were against the complete fight with the weed and
debris being the main concern next to the medium terminal tackle setup. But
yet, it worked out and good as could possibly be. And had I have known at
the time it would have been a State Record Shark I still would have had to
release this particular fish. With the amount of respect I have for it and
the lack of Texas Lemons the past 20 years, she deserved to be released to
go and pick off as many turtles as she desired.
I am now beat. I get back to the truck, pack up everything,
and stay the night with the fellow anglers who helped land the shark with
me. I am unable to stay up and party due to being very tired from the entire
days events and lack of sleep from the previous night.
The next morning I wake up and head to the same destination
but with the calm seas, there was more incoming weed wreaking havoc. I try
to get some Skipjack and get a couple before getting a nice little fatty
Trout on the 'super-spoon'.
I get back up the beach aways and run a full arsenal of baits
out, including the large 12/0 baits I had wanted to put out the previous
night. With 2 large baits and some Skipjack out I wait.
I get two more runs but the sharks never breached the surface,
nor got the hooks. I run a couple more baits out but the window have opportunity
has pretty much been taken advantage of and passed. The wind has picked up
and the weed is coming in.. thick. It is now a doomsday mission to save the
lines. I kayak out following the line and cut at the leader and then come
back to shore reeling in the line through most of the weed. The green mossy
crap is in and stuck to the lines with a vengeance. I finally get packed
up and decide to head off the beach. As I head off I continue to see many
turtles in close.
Driving is fair to good and and get up to the 30's and the water
is actually looking really good. Upper 30's looked extremely fishy but had
weed present. I continue north to about the 28 and the turn around and decide
to run baits at the 30. I ran 4 baits, the 2 large and 2 medium sized. Little
bird and bait action has me worried though. Not much anything present, including
weed so I guess that is alright. Anyway, left baits out all night and had
one run, one shark.. a Blacktip.
I got cut off on one of the other lines late at night and the
other baits are untouched. I wake up and find despite no current, no surf,
that my lines have been slimed by that green crap once again. I call it a
end to the shark trip. BUT wanted to kayak fish so drove BACK to the Nick
and Mansfield pickup up very little. Saw tons of Bonita, lost 1 King and
Shark, and tons of weed everywhere. Around 4pm I call it quits to a very
interesting weekend and head off the beach. The 30's looked very, very good
on the way out but but this was the scene just north on the upper end of
the beach so looks like beach fishing might take a back seat for a couple
weeks.
With all said and done this weekend, I was very happy and pleased and goes
to show that just one fish can make a trip worth it. Those endless battles
where you don't know who will win, those are the EPIC battles that make
everything worth it. That is truly what I live for and seek with every adventure
I take out on the water. And when you finally do land that fish, the feeling
is extra-ordinary and surreal. To this date I have now caught 5 Lemon Sharks
from the beach... 1 Florida, 3 Little Cayman - Cayman Islands, and now my
largest and first from the Texas Beaches. This record contending fish deserved
to be free. This is one fish the longliners and commercial fishermen have
yet to pick off and I had to release it despite any situation.
Hope to get back out on the sand soon....
- Oz POST your comments
about this Report in the EC FORUMS!!
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