| It was the 2nd major cold front of the late fall and temps
had dropped dramatically in both air and water. Sessions had called and made
plans several days earlier wanting to do another big bait trip. Chris gave
me fair notice and when we saw the perfect opportunity we jumped on it. I
had left pre-sunrise Monday morning, hitting the beach to calm and cool
conditions. The radio station was reporting current temps in the 30's and
lower 40s. The only thing that made it tolerable was the lack of wind. The
previous day the winds raged out of the west and blew the beach flat and
with the winds dying, the conditions remained spectacular and as I hit the
beach, it was quite evident.
Chris and Brian were to hit the beach in the late morning and
I figured until then i'd hit the 20's and put out some baits on the long
rods. I started off catching several quality Pompano and large Whiting. A
couple of each would get deployed at sunrise after I jumped in the wetsuit.
I would continue to catch Pompano and bait in the morning while having shark
baits out.
Chris and Brian would finally come on by and with shark lines
out, I told them i'd let the soak for a while and then meet up later in the
day. They moved on collecting fire wood and set up camp a bit south of me.
They immediately started throwing out for small baits and Brian would get
into the Pomps.
Curmit would rock down and show right after Sessions passed.
He stopped and begun the winter fish/bait slaughter as well. During the next
couple hours I would spend time rigging big baits for the night while having
the current ones out. I nailed a nice Red on cut bait while Curmit would
hang into the Pomps and Whiting. In the early afternoon I would have 1 Pompano
and a Whiting get picked up but hookups. Around 4pm I wrapped up my terminal
tackle maintenance and bait rigging and headed to Chris and Brians Camp to
help get baits out.
Curtis had stopped and went further south searching for action
but would come back to join us a bit later. When I arrived they just got
several of there big baits out and I would hop out just in time for us to
get a couple more out. By Sunset we had five 12/0's and one 10/0 with killer
baits out awaiting a predator.
Chris has been a custom to eating luxuriously on the beach,
the way it should be. Whether fajitas or shrimp or tuna, the meals are always
worth the trip alone. Chris got started on the grill and I got dry while
Brian and Curtis would create the much appreciated campfire.
We got done eating and sat around the fire talking the talk
when one of the 12/0's starts going off. The fish had picked up one of Brian's
big baits and was swimming slow and steady. Brian gets harnessed up and starts
powering in the fish careful to keep it out of the other lines.
The way Brian was handling the fish we kept thinking it was
a large Sandbar, but he highly doubted it. After several more minutes he
gets the fish up to the first bar and we can see the fish, but due to the
high tide much of it was hidden beneath the surface. A nice solid fish and
Curtis who is already in waders, volunteers to go out and tailrope the shark.
He gets close and finds the shark is larger the previously appeared and as
he grabs the tail notices and yells out "TIGER!".
We get the fish in and Brian has landed a healthy, male 8'8"
Tiger Shark. Chris is on the move to act quickly to help speed up the releasing
stage. We quickly measure and take a couple pics and then Curtis walks the
shark back to the 1st gut and we watch with the spot lights as he swims off
into the darkness. Congrats Brian on a beautiful fish and a quick release.
After that everyone is in high spirits and already the trip
was well worth it. Brian who hadn't fished the beach much this year, is rewarded
with a fine fish.
Later on in the night the tide would push up some Mullet to
the shore break and you could see they were being chased. Chris soon throws
some cut bait out and quickly hooks up on a nice Red.
The next day we would pick up baits and move locations to try
something new despite landing a Tiger that previous night. We rolled all
the way down to the jetties looking for something different and got to the
jetties and found several nice large conch like shells. Anyway, after looking
around for a while we would travel back up the beach. We would move and and
organize camp and soon with all the work it was close to sunset again. We
would put big baits back out... same setup with 5 - 12's and a 10. Curtis
would have to get back to work and leave the beach. Once again after a killer
meal... Chris, Brian, and I are once again left with a killer meal. Tired
from the previous day and a half we crash fairly early. We are soon awakened
by a 12/0 that once again gets hit. It is one of Brian's baits and would
come in with the bait. Brian catches up to it and finally feels the fish
and battles him in. Not long and we have a solid Sandbar on the beach, the
first of the season and Brians 2nd quality shark of the trip.
This is turning out to be another great trip and we still have
several good baits out. We let them soak and a couple would get hit. After
sunrise, Chris would get in and release another nice Sandbar, 6'8" and nearly
a carbon copy of the previous.
A couple quick pics and the fish is released and swims off into the beautiful
water conditions.
Chris would have to get back to work also and had planned to
leave mid-morning. I helped them pack and get organized and after they left,
I decided to stay and yet move and fish a 4th location this trip. I arrived
to a killer spot around 1pm and the conditions could not have been more
beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous and calm with nice water clarity and activity
abound. I immediately throw out some mullet I just got in the cast net and
after 20 or so minutes get hooked up and land a Jackfish.
I would utilize that Jack as two baits on two different rods
and also put two other fresh baits out. As I got the shark baits out I would
get hooked up and land another Jack on Mullet.
Right after that Jack on the 3rd cast in a row I would land
a 27" Red that was put on ice. I begin to relax a bit and have the super-6
with a half jack get picked up and destroyed. I would bring in the bait and
was left with nothing. I would run a replacement back out and within the
hour the other rod with the head section of that previous Jack would get
hammered and I am finally hooked up.
After a moderate fight I beach a nice solo 6'11" Sandbar. A
couple quick pics with the timer on the camera and the fish is released still
green with energy.
I get another replacement bait back out and sit and relax. I
begin to see Pelicans in the 1st gut nailing something. Several baitballs
make their way in front of camp. Looking like clouds of Anchovies, I get
out the castnet and hope for mullet and throw on top of the bait ball. Right
after I toss it on the cloud of bait I noticed the immediate mistake. They
were not Mullet nor anchovies, but thousands and thousands of juvenile Hardheads
about 4" long. Not believing my eyes it is evident and proof when I sort
through and pry out the dozens of the pest tangled in the net. Needless to
say after the mess I put up the net and just kept an eye maintaining the
Shark rods and enjoying the very epic conditions when everything aligns up
on the beach.
I would quickly get a small Blacktip on a close yakked bait
and would yak out another replacement. Come sunset I would get a couple of
the smaller baits blasted by small stuff. Around 8pm I am taking off the
wetsuit and changing clothes when one of the Jacks gets blasted. I get up
on the truck and hook into the fish that keeps on truckin out into deep water.
After about 2 minutes without slowing it down it drops the bait. I eventually
reel the bait back in later to view the madness.
After a while I would get another run on a big bait and this
time would get hooked up. After and interesting fight I'd get in another
nice Sandy. A quick photo and I get back into the shorts to release the fish.
I would stay with 2 more baits out until 1am when I saw the
front approaching... the weather was changing and would be here sometime
before sunrise. I decided to pack it up and head on home.
Once again November proves to be one of the best fishing durations
of the year and in all we had some nice sharks. 5 of them being 6'8" or bigger
and one of those a November Tiger. Congrats to Brian and Chris on their fine
catches and my addition adds to another great trip. For myself I believe
these were my 6th or 7th Sandbars this year between 6'8" and 7' 5" with another
couple smaller ones thrown in. You can never get tired of the bad tempered
cool water Sandbar Sharks who represent a super large, fat pregnant Blacktip
on crack. This had been a very successful trip and even Trout and Bluefish
were thrown into the mix during some point of the action. The next month
will sure be interesting and if the weather remains mild the fishing should
be excellent. If we get a couple more harsh fronts it will definitely slow
some of the species down. Regardless, someone will be out there and a good
chance it will be me.
Thanks to Chris and Brian once again for the hospitality and
props on some nice fish.
Til next time, see ya on the sand!
- Oz
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