Stream Trip - 3/31
Fishing with 4 Captains when your the only mate........
I was using a Trevela medium heavy with a Penn 560 slammer, normally rigged for topwater, but I tied on a diamond jig.......BIG mistake !
We are dropping in 250 + feet of water, on some great marks, empty half the spool of 65# PowerPro & I hooked a mystery fish. Feeling kind of good - out of 5 guys jigging I'm the only one hooked up - hoping it's a Cobia.
Get it off the bottom, start gaining some line, he turns, start losing some line. Capt. John comes to coach, puts me into a fighting belt, tells me to get into a fighting stance, started gain more line, this will be over soon - hoping it's a Africian Pompano.
By now the other 5 have all stopped jigging, giving me words of encouragement peppered with insults - go firgure ? Capt Mark grabs his video camera, hoping to capture it all on video while asking me turn, smile & talk. I can't even breath, no less be an action hero in his video.
I having a hard time with this fish, every time I gain some line he takes it all & then some back. The rods bent over, feeling like I have been fighting him for an hour ( more like 15 minutes ) & I am exhausted - wishing for it to be over.
Capt. John sees this, offers to take over. He's fighting this fish, gaining line, while I sit, eat a sandwich, have a water. All along while listening to him complaining about " if he had his a Precision Reel this would be over."..........
Feeling rejuvinated I take back the rod, if only to stop his complaining & to silence the insults from my buddies.....
Good friends, right ?
So now I am back on the rod with this fish, Capt. Jim a recent graduate from Don Rickles School of Diplomacy.
Comes over to offer words of encourage that attack my manhood, breaking me down & to find my inner alpha male.......
Along with my bruised ego, we are using the boat to gain an edge, I am determined to beat this fish, I start gaining line, turn his head, feeling good - hoping to stop the verbal abuse.
This fish is winning, beating me again. I offer the rod to Capt. Mark - he to busy making a " How NOT to Fish Video ". Ask Capt Bob, but he just walks away smiling. Then I ask Capt Sean & he's no longer speaks or understands English. Capt John doubled over laughing, offers to buy all my jigging equiptment " at a good price " & I'm seriously considering his offer - just praying for it to be over.
Prays answered, Capt Jim takes the rod, tightens the drag down to max, hoping to break the rod, the reel, the line, lose the jig or break the fish off........Not going to happen.
He's gaining line, turned it's head, starting to bring this fish up, start seeing color come back in my face, while he's losing color in his & still not seeing any color.
Capt. Jim battling this fish all around the boat barking out orders to move rods.............
And finally it happens..........The worst thing possible...........
Capt. Jim lands this monster 85+ AJ. A citation fish - that took 3 exhausted anglers to land, but could never beat....
Oh yeah - we managed to boat 2 Wahoos, 2 BalckFins, a YellowFin while having some laffs .................... ICM
Special thanks to CaptMark .......
He did catch the only YellowFin on his 34' YellowFin
Last edited by Ice Cream Man; 04-01-2009 at 11:27 AM.
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