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Sometimes all the planets come in align and with optimal conditions you just know you are about to have a stellar
trip. Gabe and I headed down greeted with clear water and an abundance of bait in close to the shore. Dusky Anchovies and
a variety of other prey were being devoured throughout the beach by predators of all shapes and sizes. We make it out in the
early afternoon and roll down past 'Big Shell' to where we find birds busting on anchovies in close.
We get out and start throwing spoons and hope to load up on some large skipjack. The water is absolutely alive
with activity and we begin hooking up no problem. We start seeing multiple Blacktip sharks carving their way through the bait
clouds. I hook up on a large Ladyfish and a nearby Blacktip close to 6' zones in on the hooked fish and practically beaches
itself inhaling my Skipjack. The shark maneuvers itself around and takes off starting to smoke my bait rod. By now I should
have been broken off but suspect he ended up sticking the treble from the spoon in the corner of its jaw. I have a solidly
hooked shark around 100# rocking my world and I run up and down the beach for a few min fighting him able to turn him back
to shore before having the chance to spool me. After a while I get the shark back on the first sandbar and he decides to
shatter the treble hook on the 3/4oz krocodile and escapes the official catch.
Within 15 minutes of stepping out of the truck and yet to put out a shark rod, we have our first encounter and
almost our first shark catch... this is what kind of trip we were about to be in store for.
The bait continued to get pounded but we wanted to setup on a more friendly location of the beach
so we cruise down a few more miles to find the same activity. We decide to officially setup camp and continue the bait harvest
as we previously did. Water on the surface was chaotic with birds and fish feeding and I started throwing Spoon'rs hoping
for a Jack or two that we saw frenzying. The lure got slammed every cast and I end up bringing in a heavy fat Spanish.
Sometime after I landed the Spanish, Gabe was out there throwing spoons hooking into Skippies when a large Tarpon
about 5' grabs his lure withing a few feet and jumps on the bar right next to him. The Tarpon got the best of Gabe (and
his lure). Gabe shook it off and couldn't take it any longer and runs a couple shark baits out. Right off the bat he
gets hooked up and lands a 5' Blacktip (tagged and released).
The sun was starting to get close to setting and the feeding activity only amplified. Gabe battles in a hefty 6'3" Bull
Shark (tagged and released).
Shortly after Gabe hooks up once again and lands another Bull.. this time a 5'10" female with bite scars on the
dorsal (possibly from mating).
As Gabe releases his Blacktip another rod goes off and I get in a 5'1' Blacktip released.
We left out big baits all night with two breakoffs. The next morning we are greeted by calm conditions and bait once
again getting nailed. I am able to get back one of my breakoffs and we reset for the day and start to get prepared for a full
day of action.
Around 8am the swells from Hurricane Wilma started to make its way in with long periods of separation. While they weren't
too bad and with careful timing it didn't really affect us with our bait deployment and thus continued to get baits out.
Shortly after Gabe continues where he left off the day earlier and lands an early 5'4" Blacktip.
Shortly after we would have 3 more Blacktips on the beach and released by early afternoon. The day went
on with several runs and misses. Gabe had also had leaders bit through and broke off. By now the swells and winds were
picking up but conditions were still yakable for us. Being down a few sharks to Gabe I switch out my big baits with cable
and go to mono. I immediately have a couple nice runs and then a hookup on a nice shark.
I finally get the shark in on the first bar and it spits the hook. A tough hit but I run a couple baits back
out. As I come back in Gabe is hooked up and releases a fat 5'4" Blacktip.
Not long after while out on the bar slaying the skipjack and hooking into Mackerel my 4-wide takes off
and we get in and release another Blacktip at 5'5".
By now darkness is not far and we strive to get out last minute baits. We run out an array of big and med size baits
battling through the increasing surf. The wind was starting to switch out of the north but the predicted front still hadn't
made it through yet. Just after sunset we get a couple of runs and fish drop the baits. Just before 8pm Gabe's 9/0 which was
deployed in a deep first gut goes a blazing and takes off.
We could tell there was another solid fish at the end and with its shear power did not want to
come in. Gabe fought the fish for a good 30 minutes gaining a small amount of line at a time. While the moon still wasn't
up yet, we had very little light to work with. Gabe finally gets the fish in on the first bar and I go out with a tailrope
still not knowing what we were dealing with. With a shining of the maglight we find out that it is not a shark we thought,
but a monster Tarpon. Coming in at 7'0" we end up releasing the surprise fish of the trip... Congrats Gabe on a trophy
catch!
No more than 20 minutes pass and my 4-wide with a titan Skipjack starts getting smoked. After taking a good 150
yards on the initial run I get the fish turned around and have him coming in one crank at a time. As ironic as it was it fought
exactly like Gabes Tarpon.. but we knew the odds were highly unlikely and remained set on it being a shark. After a decent
20 minute fight we get the fish over the first bar and see it is indeed a nice shark appearing to be a Bull as it swam in
shallow water. Gabe leaders the shark and I end up landing a fat 7'0" female Bull Shark.
After the release she swims off in the darkness and within the past hour we have landed two 7' fish. What an amazing
way to cap off an incredible day of action. The last remaining baits were jacks deployed deep but would stay out until morning
when the front would come through and put an end to the great conditions. The Jacks would come in untouched and seemed that
the only thing the sharks would touch would be Skipjack and certainly understandable.
We wake up in the morning deciding to pack up and call it a done deal. Gabe had gone on a rampage
with the sharks and ended up landing a top trophy fish. In total we had landed and released 12 sharks to 7 feet in 28
hours with a length of 788 total inches and also a 7' Tarpon to boot. For me personally this had to be one of the most active
trips I have been on PINS. In October of 2002 I had landed 10 sharks to 6 feet in one day.. but this trip just had something
about it that made it one of those unforgettable trips. Overall it was something Gabe and I had a good feeling about before
we even rolled down the beach. While we were prepared to stay 2 more days, guys like us are always happy for every minute
we are able to spend on the beach and for the time we were there, it was non-stop work that rewarded very well for ourselves.
Great fishing Gabe, and Congrats on the Tarpon!
- Oz
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