Wanted to share an experience

Questions about Saltwater Fishing

Wanted to share an experience

Postby Brian » Mon Aug 23, 2010 11:27 pm

Hello All,

I just wanted to take the time to share an experience I had while fishing this past week. I was on a family vacation in North Carolina at the Outer Banks and decided to introduce my Dad and little sister to old Mr. Amberjack. I had tried a trip earlier this summer and the crew I went out with had us right on the little monster trucks with fins. The spot is a naval tower 20 miles off the coast. I booked with the same crew and we set off at 6 am to try our luck. Everything was going smooth. In no time, we trolled and caught plenty of small bluefish for bait just off the shoals near Oregon Inlet. We set out for a calm ride to the fishing spot. The water shined just like a mirror, and I was lucky enough to experience a real treat as a school of flying fish took off out of the water just off the right side of the boat. I had never seen flying fish before. I was feeling great about the trip.

We pulled up to the tower, the captain backed the boat in, and the mate dropped the first bait into the water. within a minute the rod was dancing as the bait got nervous. Just then, the mate said there was a bite, but the drag didn't scream out like usual with an Amberjack bite. Within about 5 seconds, though, a HUGE barracuda erupted from the surface of the water with its jaws gaping wide. Looked like something from a torture chamber in an old horror flick. It was the largest barracuda I had ever seen and it was hooked. The mate handed me the rod and I began to fight the fish to the boat. Knowing that there was no steel leader, I kept pressure on the fish and tried to get it to the back of the boat as fast as possible. I managed to get it to the back of the boat, and just as the mate was going to bring it over the side, it sliced through the 300lb leader like soft butter. I was a little disappointed as I've always wanted to catch a large barracuda. The mate estimated that the fish went anywhere from 40 to 50lbs but who knows for sure. Maybe one day I will get another chance with one that big. No matter, we backed to the tower again, and within a few minutes I was tangling with old Mr. Amberjack. I cannot get over how darn hard those things fight. Just as you think you have them beat, they peel off drag like nothing and quickly run back towards the bottom. It's like you really only win if they want you to. Within about 5 minutes, though, I had the 34lb fish on the boat. And then came my second "first ever" of the day. I got a photo with the fish, and then it tail slapped me across the face like I cheated on it. Almost knocked my glasses in the big drink. Sure enough, everyone had a good laugh.

But, it gets better. It was now my little sis's turn to try her luck. She hadn't even been fishing in over 10 years, so I figured we were all in for a good treat. Sure enough, she tied into a cuda that cut her line in about 5 seconds. So, we backed close to the tower again, and she hooked up with an Amberjack. Yeah, I could tell that she really had no idea what she was in for when she asked me if she could go fishing with My dad and I the night before. But, the hook pulled out of the fish's mouth. So, as we were backing in for a third try for her, I heard a LOUD bang, a lot of thumping, and some serious vibration started to shake the boat. The captain looked at the mate, and they stared at each other for a few seconds with quite a confused look. The captain said that his steering was jammed. So the mate lifted up the access panel to the hydraulic system for the rudder and just about jumped out of his shoes. He turned to the captain and said "We're F***ed". I wish I had a camera ready to prove that there really are many different shades of white, and that my sister's face is capable of turning all of them. Somehow, the bracket holding the hydraulic control arm for the rudder snapped and the rudder turned completely around and got into the propeller as we were backing to the tower. Not only did it bend the prop, but it also knocked off the drain hose to the fish box and water was coming into the compartment. The mate on the boat is an awesome dude, though, and he was able, in coordination with the captain at the steering wheel, to turn the rudder back around by hand and rig the control mechanism to hold so the boat was again manuverable. It was a few tense moments thinking that we may be stranded 20 miles at sea on a boat that wasn't steerable.

Now came the fun part of the day. Since the normally fine tuned prop was bent somewhat, only slow speed was possible without massive amounts of vibration. So, at less than 10 knots, we began to limp back to the marina, which was actually a few miles inland beyond the 20 miles back to shore. It took over 4 hours to get back to dock. To break the boredom, the mate dropped dolphin rigs and we trolled most of the way back in, but only had one taker the whole 20 miles. I got a partial refund since we did catch a few fish.

Although it wasn't the best fishing trip ever, I have to say that the mate aboard the boat is the best I've fished with so far. I've never seen one that can outwork him. The fact that him and the captain worked so well together and the fact that he was very personable and easy to talk to and get along with was what helped the trip go from disaster to memorable. The captain and the mate were both very disappointed and both very sincere in their apologies that our trip did not go well. It was a crappy deal that our day ended that quickly, but hey just getting the chance to fish with my dad, who I hadn't fished with in many years, was worth it. And, I believe that my little sis is hooked now as she has talked about wanting to go again at least 100 times since then. Just another one of those memorable things to tell the grandkids about one day in the future thanks to fishing.

Take Care everyone

Brian
Let's Go Pens!
To the Cup!
Brian
 
Posts: 106
Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2008 9:40 pm
Location: SW Pennsylvania

Re: Wanted to share an experience

Postby mustFish » Sun Aug 29, 2010 1:27 pm

Thank you for sharing, I enjoyed your story.

Dave
mustFish
 
Posts: 27
Joined: Fri Aug 08, 2008 8:47 pm


Return to Saltwater Questions

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 20 guests

cron