Lost my viginiT...5/28 - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Aaron · 05-30-2010, 09:09 PM

So I've got a story. Its a few days late and I apologize, but I've been celebrating the holiday weekend with no internet access.

Paddled the afternoon on Friday. Started a bit later than Thursday, about 3:30 pm or so. Saw a few people with fish and made the mistake of seeing birds working way outside. Paddled the long ways out there (about 170-180 feet of water) and the saga began...

Mackerel gets hit like a freight train and I give it a solid 10 count. Put it in gear and wind down...still there...set it and forget it. I'm on and it feels heavy, then nothing. I know its still there but has to be headed towards the boat...wind wind WIND. Yup, still on! Let the sleigh ride begin...

I battle this thing for at least 30 minutes and just cannot gain ground. I back off the drag knowing its heavy and knowing that I have nothing but time to wear whatever this thing is out. I'm right over it, in 170 feet of water and just massive head shakes. Then out of nowhere, long horizontal run, drag just peeling, out of the water comes a T that was pushing at least 200 pounds. At least 4 or 5 more full breach leaps off my bow. I look at my little gaf and club and have a good chuckle. I've never played with anything but little T pups that I don't even count. Thus I have no rope, only a tiny knife, and am completely not prepared at all for this.

Like all of us, I love big fish. But I also know my limits. And I know that I would have to be extremely lucky to kill this thing, get it on my boat with only me to help me out, way the hell out there, with a long paddle back, and have nothing go terribly wrong. I'm not an idiot. I got on the radio and started asking for assistance.

Radio in one hand, bent rod and Big T in the other, trading the radio for my paddle trying to flag down a private boat I saw with a flying gaf driving by....I get this thing to color and eventually just a few feet under my boat. On my X-Factor, its from my seat to well beyond the beginning of my front hatch. I've got about 3 winds on my spool of my 10 foot leader and something's gotta happen. I see the private boat turn my way and am pretty relieved. I back down off the drag and give the thing a bit of breathing room so I can work something out with this private boat.

Guys on the private boat were not the sharpest tools in the shed. Nice guys, but whenever someone says, "Don't worry, this guy here is a professional!", you should immediately start worrying. I'll keep this sour ending short...I tell the guy, "I'm going to put this reel in really light drag with the clicker on and hand the rod off to you. Just kill it." I took their flying gaf and their giant Parker for granted that they may know how to actually kill this fish. Not to float my own boat, but my pass was f-ing perfection. Drop the drag, threw the clicker, thumbed it and not a thread lifted off that spool. Grabbed the paddle and dropped back out of the way. I see "the professional" immediately thumb the spool and strike that stupid pose you see private boaters do with a big fish on. You know, the leaned back, two handed, "put every ounce of pressure you can on this mouth-hooked T you can" pose? Yeah, that one. I fought that fish for an hour...He lost it in less than a minute. Unreal. I sat out there for a good 30 minutes after the fact repeating, "What the hell just happened?"

I don't mind losing this fish as it is still easily one of the most amazing experiences I've had fishing. Sticking it with the assistance of the PB would have just been an added bonus to weigh it and to have a bunch of meat for a while, but I wouldn't have considered it a strict "kayak catch". I got it next to my boat and if I wouldn't have had that PB'er come over, I would have just cut it, so I'll consider this a longer distance C & R than originally expected. I know that getting that fish next to my boat still meant that it was NOWHERE NEAR the end of that fight if I wanted to try and kill that fish. It was still plenty green and would have gladly bitch-slapped me had I tried. No pics, and I'm sorry, but yeah, I was busy.

I'm sure other people have hooked some of these big T's on their kayak. And I'm sure there are a million different things I could've done. But being way out there solo, completely unprepared, I think I made the right call. But please do call me a puss if I deserve it.

Billy V · 05-30-2010, 09:42 PM

The Parker wouldn't happen to be a 23ft. pilot house called "Anita B" would it ?

Because those guys just bought that boat last week and damn near totaled it not 2 seconds after it floated off the trailer.

---------------------
Stay away from the boaters they're no help -
unless its one of those kayak fisherman/skiff owners like me.

Aaron · 05-30-2010, 10:00 PM

Nah, different boat. I wouldn't disclose the boat name anyways...they made the run over to help and didn't need to and I was thankful for that. They just blew getting the fish in the boat. It happens. I'm heating up soup right now though rather than filling my belly with T steaks and that sucks

-scallywag- · 05-31-2010, 08:37 AM

don't worry, it doesn't sound like you where targeting T's anyway, so it's just by-catch....the thing that would bother me is spending an hour or so playing with a shark while on prime fishing grounds. and from what i hear, that hour fight would only be the start of a multi hour ordeal paddling that thing in, bleeding, cleaning, packing, then cleaning up all the blood and guts all over your truck gear and driveway...no thanks!! YT are so much more fun!!!

Keep your eyes on the prize!!!!

Hobie-Pedaller · 05-31-2010, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sapdawg711

.....At least 4 or 5 more full breach leaps off my bow. I look at my little gaf and club and have a good chuckle....

that is classic. it's making me chuckle here at my keyboard.

if it was truly anywhere near 200 lbs, I think you definitely made the right decision not trying to land it onto your yak, by yourself.

ratdog · 06-01-2010, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -scallywag-

don't worry, it doesn't sound like you where targeting T's anyway, so it's just by-catch....the thing that would bother me is spending an hour or so playing with a shark while on prime fishing grounds. and from what i hear, that hour fight would only be the start of a multi hour ordeal paddling that thing in, bleeding, cleaning, packing, then cleaning up all the blood and guts all over your truck gear and driveway...no thanks!! YT are so much more fun!!!

Keep your eyes on the prize!!!!

I concur 100%

Aaron · 06-01-2010, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -scallywag-

the thing that would bother me is spending an hour or so playing with a shark while on prime fishing grounds.

You're telling me! Birds were just pounding the area and I was just pulling up when this ordeal started. They were gone by the time it was done. As it was I still didn't get to the launch until 9 p.m..

And you're 100% right on the by-catch and the ordeal afterwards. I wasn't too bummed...But thresher just tastes so good!

The 200 is just a rough estimate by me and the guys on the boat. I guess a rougher but more reasonable guesstimate would be just to say that this was DEFINITELY NOT a pup and that it was a quick and super easy decision for me to make that the fish was wayyyyyyy too big for me to handle on my own.

05-30-2010, 09:09 PM	#1
Aaron Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 175	Lost my viginiT...5/28 So I've got a story. Its a few days late and I apologize, but I've been celebrating the holiday weekend with no internet access. Paddled the afternoon on Friday. Started a bit later than Thursday, about 3:30 pm or so. Saw a few people with fish and made the mistake of seeing birds working way outside. Paddled the long ways out there (about 170-180 feet of water) and the saga began... Mackerel gets hit like a freight train and I give it a solid 10 count. Put it in gear and wind down...still there...set it and forget it. I'm on and it feels heavy, then nothing. I know its still there but has to be headed towards the boat...wind wind WIND. Yup, still on! Let the sleigh ride begin... I battle this thing for at least 30 minutes and just cannot gain ground. I back off the drag knowing its heavy and knowing that I have nothing but time to wear whatever this thing is out. I'm right over it, in 170 feet of water and just massive head shakes. Then out of nowhere, long horizontal run, drag just peeling, out of the water comes a T that was pushing at least 200 pounds. At least 4 or 5 more full breach leaps off my bow. I look at my little gaf and club and have a good chuckle. I've never played with anything but little T pups that I don't even count. Thus I have no rope, only a tiny knife, and am completely not prepared at all for this. Like all of us, I love big fish. But I also know my limits. And I know that I would have to be extremely lucky to kill this thing, get it on my boat with only me to help me out, way the hell out there, with a long paddle back, and have nothing go terribly wrong. I'm not an idiot. I got on the radio and started asking for assistance. Radio in one hand, bent rod and Big T in the other, trading the radio for my paddle trying to flag down a private boat I saw with a flying gaf driving by....I get this thing to color and eventually just a few feet under my boat. On my X-Factor, its from my seat to well beyond the beginning of my front hatch. I've got about 3 winds on my spool of my 10 foot leader and something's gotta happen. I see the private boat turn my way and am pretty relieved. I back down off the drag and give the thing a bit of breathing room so I can work something out with this private boat. Guys on the private boat were not the sharpest tools in the shed. Nice guys, but whenever someone says, "Don't worry, this guy here is a professional!", you should immediately start worrying. I'll keep this sour ending short...I tell the guy, "I'm going to put this reel in really light drag with the clicker on and hand the rod off to you. Just kill it." I took their flying gaf and their giant Parker for granted that they may know how to actually kill this fish. Not to float my own boat, but my pass was f-ing perfection. Drop the drag, threw the clicker, thumbed it and not a thread lifted off that spool. Grabbed the paddle and dropped back out of the way. I see "the professional" immediately thumb the spool and strike that stupid pose you see private boaters do with a big fish on. You know, the leaned back, two handed, "put every ounce of pressure you can on this mouth-hooked T you can" pose? Yeah, that one. I fought that fish for an hour...He lost it in less than a minute. Unreal. I sat out there for a good 30 minutes after the fact repeating, "What the hell just happened?" I don't mind losing this fish as it is still easily one of the most amazing experiences I've had fishing. Sticking it with the assistance of the PB would have just been an added bonus to weigh it and to have a bunch of meat for a while, but I wouldn't have considered it a strict "kayak catch". I got it next to my boat and if I wouldn't have had that PB'er come over, I would have just cut it, so I'll consider this a longer distance C & R than originally expected. I know that getting that fish next to my boat still meant that it was NOWHERE NEAR the end of that fight if I wanted to try and kill that fish. It was still plenty green and would have gladly bitch-slapped me had I tried. No pics, and I'm sorry, but yeah, I was busy. I'm sure other people have hooked some of these big T's on their kayak. And I'm sure there are a million different things I could've done. But being way out there solo, completely unprepared, I think I made the right call. But please do call me a puss if I deserve it.

05-30-2010, 09:42 PM	#2
Billy V Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bay Ho Posts: 1,382	The Parker wouldn't happen to be a 23ft. pilot house called "Anita B" would it ? Because those guys just bought that boat last week and damn near totaled it not 2 seconds after it floated off the trailer. --------------------- Stay away from the boaters they're no help - unless its one of those kayak fisherman/skiff owners like me.

05-30-2010, 10:00 PM	#3
Aaron Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 175	Nah, different boat. I wouldn't disclose the boat name anyways...they made the run over to help and didn't need to and I was thankful for that. They just blew getting the fish in the boat. It happens. I'm heating up soup right now though rather than filling my belly with T steaks and that sucks

05-31-2010, 08:37 AM	#4
-scallywag- Banned Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: on the road... Posts: 598	don't worry, it doesn't sound like you where targeting T's anyway, so it's just by-catch....the thing that would bother me is spending an hour or so playing with a shark while on prime fishing grounds. and from what i hear, that hour fight would only be the start of a multi hour ordeal paddling that thing in, bleeding, cleaning, packing, then cleaning up all the blood and guts all over your truck gear and driveway...no thanks!! YT are so much more fun!!! Keep your eyes on the prize!!!!