Redondo fish farming 9.29.18

[Semper Fi-shing]

https://youtu.be/V5n56XrMVLQ

Got to Redondo at 6am......me flying solo on my tandem oasis and my buddy on his solo skiff, out of the harbor with bait from bait barge and to the artificial reef by 7am.

Me and my buddy were 40 feet away from each other when a 6-7 foot shark jumped vertically clear out of the water.

My eyes lit up as I looked at my buddy and yelled '"holy sh@t that's a thresher!"
The shark splashed as it hit the water and started thrashing before it started swimming.
That's when my buddy's solo skiff dipped and his rod bent over 180 degrees at which point I looked at my buddy and yelled "holy sh@t it's on your line"!

Pandemonium ensued as I whipped out my phone and started recording my buddy with the fight of his life on a 15-40 rod and rockfish spinning reel screaming for its life.

After 30 minutes I got alongside my buddy's skiff and dipped my gaff into the water after it layed motionless for 5 seconds 3 feet down. The shark decides to take off and my buddy continues to bring it up to the skiff. After about 4 or 5 play dead sessions, the shark layed still for about 20 seconds giving me an opening. I dipped my gaff into the water and as I felt the tip pierce his neck and yanked, the rubber insulating pad on my Turners gaff slips off the handle, the shark goes berserk and whips his tail, snaps the line and......shark gone!

Came back into the harbor at 2 pm to re-energize and regroup for lobster. My friend decides to go back out to fish the mouth of the harbor without a net and gaff. He hooks up to nice size legal halibut and decides to try and horse him onto the skiff when its head touches air, followed by a series of head shakes and snap goes the line...fish gone!

Went back out for lobster later that night, which BTW i will never do again on lobster opener. Small craft barge was 10 times crazier than last year with at least 30 kayakkers, inflatables, and aluminum boats. Someone stole my buddy's paddle while we were readying our gear and had our backs turned.

I ended up with 2 keeper lobsters but should have been 3 if not for a broken thread in one of my borrowed hoop nets which the lobster found instantly and slip.......lobster gone!.

17 hours later, endded up the night between me and my friend with 3 rockfish, 5 lobsters, one dropped rod holder in the water, one stolen paddle, 2 sore backs and heiny, fond new memories, and lost dignity.

Next goal...... find a solid gaff and a better shark gaffing technique