Personal best ???

[svendawg]

Went to La Jolla yesterday to see if I could get a YT to smoke this weekend. Launched before daylight to ankle deep surf and was able to make bait relatively easy.
Headed out to the fishing grounds and stated fly lining a mac.
At about 0900 my bait got nervous so I started looking around to see if there was a seal in the area. That’s when I saw the FIN. (RED ALERT) I quickly pulled in my mac and it was followed by Mr. Hammerhead. How cool was that. I pulled the mac out of the water and into the bait tank and scrambled to get my camera out. Turned the camera on but the battery was dead. It was pretty cool; the HH (8’ to 10”) circled my Yak a bunch of times and was within feet a few occasions. No bumps. After a couple of minutes the HH circled me at a distance.. I was bummed that I didn’t get any video to show the wife. What was curious was that while the HH was circling me there was a seal in the area also.
So after that encounter I continued fishing and finally got hooked up. I pulled in the fish and saw that it was a huge barracuda. This was my personal best for sure, it was huge. I thought cool I can smoke this this weekend if all else fails. (I had some smoked barracuda the last time I was down visiting Rossman. It was smoked by Sheri’s husband Juan and it was GOOOOD.
I grab my gaff and have the barracuda at the side of the yak and all of a sudden a huge seal comes from under my yak, grabs the barracuda and Fish Gone.
My total for the day was two good size Bonita (released)(maybe I should of smoked one of them)
Called it a day at 1430 and landed to lake like conditions at the launch. Great weather all day, overcast and light winds

[ful-rac]

I saw you come in yesterday Sven!

On the new web cam! I was waiting for you to pickup your yellow and put it in the cooler...

[CorvinaLoca]

Cool experience! I bet it was a sea-lion that stole your barracuda - not a seal. And, no they are not afraid of hammer head sharks at all. Sucks that you got robbed. Not much you can do, except call Seaworld and thank them for "rescuing" and releasing 100s of "starving," over-populated sea-lions.

[jorluivil]

I landed a barracuda at LJ last week in about 90' of water, it was about 40inches long. this was definitely one of the largest that I've ever landed

[makobob]

Bummer Sven, that barri would have smoked up good.

[taggermike]

Havent seen big cuda, or numbers of smaller cuda, locally for years. Cuda arent my favorite fish but it'd be good to see em back. Mike

[FISH11]

Congrats on your personal best Swen. After reading all the post about different ways to prepare barracuda, it makes me wish I had kept the one I caught last year while drifting for yellows. It was the largest I have ever seen. I didn't think of measuring it and I released it but I have looked at the picture I took and measuring the distance that I have my arms in this picture the barracuda had to be 52+". It was a monster. I don't think I would release another like that, if I was lucky enough to ever hook another that size. That was deffinetly my PB barracuda.