Steve and I hit another spot in the rotation just hoping to find where the hell the sharks are hiding. We fished earlier in the daylight for nada, but saw a big 25+ inch Spotfin cruising the skinny water, but there was a lot of chopped salad floating around. We packed it in and ran out for a beer and some grub before the evening session begun.
With a full belly of grub and beer, we made our way back to the surf. It looked a little more weedy, but was getting dark and we were in it for the full haul.
Most of us who caught and lost some nice sharks find that it usually happens at that last breaker before the beach. It always seems to roll or toss the shark in a way that the hook seems to pop off or the shock leader breaks. Tonight was no exception.
We kept reeling in chopped salad after chopped salad ball with eels and lobster peppered here and there.
I cast out and my rod doubles over... it's definitely a shark! It felt like a big leopard as it fought really well, but stormed the beach before turning and trying to run through all the eel grass. I saw it flopping in the closest wave to the beach and it was only a matter of 10 feet before she was subdued. I only saw a big bright white belly, but never saw any saddles or distinguishing marks in the spot light. Steve was ready to grab the leader and put this one away when the last wave rolled it and the hook just popped out! WTF! Good hook set... tight line.... everything was text book, but that last Jail Break wave set her free... UGH..... That was the first shark in weeks that I hooked up to.
A few giant weed balls later and my clicker starts screaming! Textbook hookset and fight. Definitely a shark and from the horizontal runs and heaviness, I'm certain it was a big soupie. It was ripping drag and I was finally getting it in to shore when Steve yells that he is hooked up also! Unfortunately my fish was running towards his line and down the beach, so I tightened my drag to get it to swing towards shore instead of running me out into Steve's line. I couldn't see him, but heard him right in the Jail Break wave down the beach. It was time to start walking the beach to collect my prize when POOF! It popped the hook and made off like a thief in the night! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Steve's fish turned out to be a shovelnose which made me wonder if I should have tried to fight him a little differently, but it was too late. That sick feeling of losing two sharks in one night was stuck in my gut.
I pinned on a new fresh mackerel head when I realized something totally wrong... The f@cking hook was bent out an extra 20 degrees!?!? It was still sharp as hell, but that last shark shredded my leader with his skin and teeth, but even bent the damn hook out! Ugh... this was no light wire hook, but also not the Gamakatsu 12/0 steel either. My other hooks bend way easier than these ones do and I considered these to be a true 3x hook, but that angle, the tightened drag and the Jail Break wave was too much.
In hind sight, I probably should have fought the sharks a little different, but the excitement and adrenaline took over my rational thought... well the stuff that's left after the concussion from the other day.
Either way, it was a great sign to see the sharks in the area again. Too much chopped salad and a MEAN ripping current though, but at least there were Grinner Signs of life!
Those lost sharks are going to hang with me for a while. Time to scale up again in case the run of sharks is starting to take shape.
I'll post pics of the hook later when I get home along with other random pictures still on my camera.
Thanks for reading and tight lines.... and No Jail Break Waves!!!!!
