I'd picked up enough little tidbits of information in the past couple weeks that I felt were gonna put me over for my next trip. Tide, time, bait, presentation, place were no longer questions. 0600 launch. 2 frozen mackerel in hand, hoped to catch a couple more fresh ones on the way out. Dropped/trolled the sabiki through puddling baits all the way to the grounds for no fresh mackerel. Well, only takes one, right?
Set up my drift. Put the bait 150' behind the boat. Not two minutes into putting the rod in the holder and the clicker sings. That easy, huh? It played with the bait for a minute then dropped it. One bait destroyed.
Sent out the second bait, already a little uneasy that I might get shredded and put out of business. Not five minutes go by and an even harder run on the clicker. I turned around to look and there's an 8'er thrashing across the surface. Oh boy. Put the reel in gear and the fish is running at me and then away, at me and then away. Then pop. f@ck! Reel up and the hook is gone. Mild abrasion on the 150# leader. I tied the 7/0 circle via SD Jam which had never failed me. Maybe the 150# leader didn't cinch properly? No pig tail though. Couldn't have gotten bit through...
Regardless, SOL in the bait category. Saw a 3'er go airborne. Where the hell am I gonna get bait? I don't have any Magnums on me. Decided to tie a Yozuri High Speed Vibe (small madmacs style lure) and loop around the area. Did that, felt stupid. Go find more bait. Gotta be a mackerel around here somewhere.
Dipped behind the break wall and switched out my chrome sinker on the end of my sabiki for a small Kwikfish. A few minutes in, I get a fresh mac. Phew...high tide is coming fast, no time to waste. Spent another 5 minutes looking to top off with one more mackerel, failed to do so, then bailed back to the T grounds.
Pulled up, set up my drift. Would it be as fast? Nothing after two minutes, nothing after five minutes, nothing after 10...is the frenzy done? Checked my bait, reset. Finishing up a layer of sunscreen and then a confident scream of the clicker, going one direction. Put the reel in gear and I'm on. No thrashing on the surface, but it starts bolting in every direction. Adrenaline is going full bore while Jimmy Buffett is crooning something at 70bpm in my airpod. Slow the breaths, I will not be embarrassed! Start singing along to Lone Palm as the fish makes a run straight at me, then under me, and surfaces off my stern. I get a look and it seems to be the same fish from earlier. Starts dogging me under the boat. I touch the leader a couple times. Braid was touching the tail, not good. Then after a couple tries, I get it settled and leader it up to the boat. Gaff in the mouth. Done!
Then the outboard stalled out. Got it going and it didn't like over 1000rpm, so I kept it cool for a bit, then 4000 worked again. Cut out again. Did this dance all the way to the dock, engine stalling out 10 times. I really, really wanted to just get a pic on land, then take it back out to clean it, then come back, but decided to just head straight in.
Traded a few pics with a guy for a little help with the ropes as he launched his boat.
Nobody was at the ramp but him, but suddenly some speed boats got launched and got some gawkers.
Knew I had to move quick to clean the fish on this warm day. Decided not to break down the boat. Took all my might, but shoved the boat with the shark inside onto the roof of my car. Wrapped it for the ride home.
Got home, pulled the shark off, threw it over my shoulder, walked through the courtyard of my lovely quiet apartment complex, past the manager, up the stairs to my door. No big cutting board at home...
The level to which I destroyed my kitchen today by butchering a shark will remain classified. A TON of meat on that one to collect, and then got work with some bleach and steel wool on everything. Op, I see a little mess on the blinds as I type. Cutting, cleaning, vacuum packing might have all taken almost 3 hours. Which reminds me...the boat is still dirty and on the roof of my car.
