Fishing Report 8/21/2014

I took the paddleboard out this morning. I had the St Croix Tidemaster and the Orvis Hydros out with me. I started out by casting a pretty long gummy minnow. Within a few minutes, something had grabbed it, pulled a bit and took off with my fly - good sign. I spent the next 45 minutes trying different flies. I got a few more takes on a chartreuse clouser, but nothing hooked on. I started throwing a popping lure (mullet) and got no interest either. By this time I had also seen three mantas (small ones - 3 foot across) and one shark - maybe a 4 footer. I finally switched out the popper for a 5/8 ounce deep lure and started trolling it (which I think is pretty cool from a paddleboard). I got a hit - smaller Spanish Mackerel. I got another hit - a bluefish. Now is where the fun really begins. I cast the swimming lure again and I quickly got another hook up. This one was bigger and was moving pretty quickly. I did not turn the GoPro on (but really should have). I got the fish in sight and saw color - it was another bluefish - but it started to pull drag and WOOSH!!!! A big shark threw a bunch of water while trying to eat the bluefish. For a second I thought "there is no way that I have that shark hooked... it would have broken off a long time ago - and how the heck am I going to get my lure out that mouth..." - but then I saw the bluefish jumping to get out of the water. I got the fish on deck and decided that it was time to paddle in. That shark was bigger than the 4 footer that I saw earlier - and way thicker... I have not had that much adrenaline flowing through me since I was in Diego Garcia and had a bluefin trevally on the end of my flyline and it was running from a shark!!!

Bluefish

I was surfcasting in the afternoon yesterday using shrimp and sand crabs. I didn't leave the rod in a rod holder and just held on to it the whole time. I could feel the spot nipping at the bait - I had number 6 Gamakatsu bait holder hook which were a bit too big for the spot. And I could really feel the bluefish take the shrimp and do the headshake. I got the fish to the beach and was in the process of going toward La to get a picture, but the fish had bent the hook and was able to flop off and swim away. Oddly enough it was 14" (same length as the carp I got a picture of). Some annoying kids (whose female parental unit was completely ignoring her corralling responsibilities and giving me the opportunity to talk with her kids - damn lazy parents) kept trying to tell me the bluefish was in fact the largest spot they have seen to date. Oh well - I didn't feel like eating bluefish anyways, although I did stumble on a new ceviche recipe that used bluefish...