My Community
Shore Fishing => Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports => : Latimeria January 31, 2017, 10:01:01 PM
-
So the plan was to hit the bay tonight, but I got held up at work with an emergency. In the meantime, Squatch started checking beaches since he didn't bring any firewood for the bay and found a spot that he wanted to fish. I really didn't pack for the surf, but the surf was fishable so plans changed.
I got there just at sunset and saw a dense marine layer rolling in. You could tell this was going to be a bad picture night if we were lucky enough to beach one with all of the moisture in the air to make the camera flash useless. I just told Squatch that I wanted to see a shark landed as our last 3 or 4 all busted off over the last month.
It was the start of one our typical "Falling asleep in the chair" nights when I thought I hung up on some weeds, so yelled weeds to Steve. Steve yelled back "I don't think so". I never hear Steve say that so ran to the rod and line started peeling out! Definite shark and didn't do anything weird to let me know it was an exotic critter, but had some serious mass. It definitely felt like a big Sevengill and I had to really work for it. I hit that point in the fight where I started getting nervous that it was going to break off, but continued to do what I was doing in hopes it didn't do such a thing.
Finally after getting her over some shallow water, I saw her... Wow! My biggest yet, but it was just soooo round! Steve and I could not budge her at a certain point since she was too heavy so we went to work where we could get her to without having her swim away on us. We actually had to keep holding her as the waves would come in and try to drag her out.
(http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/q733/Latimeria3/P1010358_zpsof3115cp.jpg) (http://s1356.photobucket.com/user/Latimeria3/media/P1010358_zpsof3115cp.jpg.html)
Steve took a dozen pictures, with and without the flash, but the moisture in the air was killing all of the pics! We got to a point where we couldn't keep her out of the water too much longer and got a solid 105" measurement, but the girth was something to be wowed by!
(http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/q733/Latimeria3/P1010364_zps7nhtyfie.jpg) (http://s1356.photobucket.com/user/Latimeria3/media/P1010364_zps7nhtyfie.jpg.html)
Unfortunately, the pics with and without the flash barely came out good, but this was what I had to work with. I wasn't going to kill her just for a picture so I'm still happy with what we got.
Squatch helped pull her fat ass in and she caught her senses before swimming off... She also puked out her stomach, so I didn't want her biting the hell out of it so we worked quickly to get her to swim off strong.
(http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/q733/Latimeria3/P1010378_zpsppila7sx.jpg) (http://s1356.photobucket.com/user/Latimeria3/media/P1010378_zpsppila7sx.jpg.html)
Well, 105" is my personal best but it was twice as thick as the 102" I caught so was a much more impressive creature! It weighed more than me for sure!
It may be time, so get out there and get some! Not bad for planning to fish Bat Rays and a last minute change of plans yielded my biggest surf shark yet!
Thanks for reading and until next tide!
-
Hot damn!!! That's a biggun!!!
-
Dayum! :o Congrats Tom!
-
Nice fish.
-
WOW, that thing is big :o
-
I only see Steve doing all the work ... :P :P :P
Nice fishy Tom. Noticed you were quick to update that double digit lead ... ;D ;D ;D
-
Frick'n awesome Tom, stoked for you my man 8)
-
I only see Steve doing all the work ... :P :P :P
Nice fishy Tom. Noticed you were quick to update that double digit lead ... ;D ;D ;D
No sh!t, huh? First words out of his mouth last night were, "Guess I'll make the 2017 list now."
-
Noticed you were quick to update that double digit lead ... ;D ;D ;D
I'm glad you noticed. I reminded Steve last night. Lol
-
Right on! So happy for you Tom!!
-
That's a pig! I need to get out. Good going guys!
-
STOKED 8) 8)that thing is giant.
-
Wow! Look at the head on that big girl...impressive
-
Congrats on your personal best Tom! That is a big one! Nicely done! 8) Were you sore after from that battle?
-
That's awesome.
They are so beautiful to look at.
The girth must have be amazing to see.
That's a true 7gill.
Gotta give the sand hand props too.
Really starting to miss those things.
-
Congratz Tom. She's a beauty of a beast. They sure put on the pounds at that size don't they. I wish I had measured the jaw width on my big'un. How's your back feel after pullin that pig back in the water. I know mine was killin me the next day.
It still amazes me how a shark that size just sits chewing on the bait instead of peeling out like the leopards do.
You got me chomping at the bit to hit the sand.
-
What would you estimate the weight was on that toad?
-
What would you estimate the weight was on that toad?
I've only weighed one small one with Steve and Don up in LA, but really can only guess. My rough estimate would be 260 pounds? I really have nothing to go by except that it was twice the girth as a more typical sized Sevengill.
-
so 9ft, 260lbs ... you caught a Steve ... :P :P
-
Now that's the way to start off 2017. I hope you tipped Steve for all the work that he did. ;)
-
so 9ft, 260lbs ... you caught a Steve ... :P :P
Pretty close.