| Red tide, torrential training rains, and atomic lightning
blasts kept us off the fish for the first two days of the trip. Other than
a few jumped tarpon between bolts and bugs, conditions have been poor for
the surf. Sat night we traveled a few miles from our usual spot to escape
the storms. Arriving before dark, Jeff and I had the beach to ourselves.
We quickly castnetted some ''whitebait'' (pilchards and spanish sardines
to us Texans) and tried to catch something to stick on a hook. Other than
a nice spanish and some pesky leather-jackets, I couldn't catch a decent
fresh bait. So we went to the cooler full of frozen goodies instead.
We were soon greeted by cubs83(Shane) and wadefisher616(David)
who drove over to fish with us. I ran the first bait just before dark. While
other baits were being rigged, my old Newell conversion 6/0 took off. The
20/0 circle hook dug in and the fish took off. The next thing I know is the
reel foot exploded into dust from the reel seat. Suddenly the reel was in
my hand near the first guide! After some hustling and Magyvering by the the
crew we managed to SOMEWHAT secure the reel. After a relatively short fight
but chaotic fight I dragged this up with the help of the boys...The big moon
began to rise over the gulf, and this was to be only the beginning of a night
to remember...
The fish that destroyed my 6/0, and my first Goliath Grouper
Soon one of Shane's rods took off and he quickly landed this
nice Goliath. Many fisherman have never caught a fish this big, however tonight
it would soon prove to be - a PEE WEE! Our ''shark'' spot was infested by
these fish...and they would JUST GET MO' BIGGA!!!
The sharks just weren't there. It seems that they had been bullied
off of this particular stretch of beach. Other than an UNMENTIONAL species
that Jeff caught, the rest of the night was full of toads. Apparently there
was no structure off of this particular beach or we never would have landed
these fish. Here is a double hook-up. Both fish landed. Jeff caught a true
monster on his 6/0. This fish was est at over #450 by all of us and measured
7'3"long. My second fish was a mere #200 or so...I kicked his @$$ on the
12/0. This was a cool moment to experience with my brother.
Hooked up on the 12/0
Hooked up on 6/0
Two on the beach!
My second fish.
Here's a couple pictures of Jeff's leviathan
Jeff fought another big fish only to have the hook pull before
we could get a look at him. It left a giant hole in the water under the
moonlight. Now that Jeff and I had scored it was David and Shanes time at
bat. After running fresh baits in the darkness - David is on to a huge fish.
He lands this Goliath that measured 6'8'' long with a girth of 66''. This
fish looked like it swallowed a mooring buoy. Another beast WELL over 400#.
David hooked up to his sea-monster
Another short lull and I ran two baits for Shane. I barely made
it back too the beach when the 6/0 took off and we buckled him in. The fish
dropped the bait. Shane immediately got strapped in to the 12/0 and it was
in his hands when it took off. Here is a picture of Shane hooked up to his
big critter.
Shane's second fish of the night. Another big fish on the beach!
I couldn't resist but go for lucky number 7. I rigged two more
baits and dropped them offshore. Within minutes I missed a fish. Then the
last bait off the night takes off and I hook up on my biggest fish of the
evening. My third Goliath, landed from the surf, under a beautiful Florida
night sky.
Thanks to David and Shane for their help in landing these beautiful
fish. All swam away in great shape, usually spitting up some giant blue crabs
and then soaking us with their powerful tails. Thanks also to David Mata
and Bimini Custom Rods for the rods that stood up to these fish. Thanks to
Shane for the shared photos too....Well off to find the sharks somewhere
else...What a night! Adios!!!
- Shindle
A few more pics to boot.
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