It was Sunday June 14 2010,
The red tide had finally started to clear and I spent most of the day outside the corner looking for some YT. After a long day I started to make my way in and as soon as I got near the reserve at sundown I started noticing weird stuff on the FF....looks like squid?
So I started dropping a megabait I had tied onto my jigstick (megabaits work well for squid jigs too!) and started trying to snag whatever was down there...it didn't take long before I pulled up a fresh squirt. At this point I was stoked went over to a couple yaks and a small skiff that where in the area to see if they had any luck. They told me about someone snagging a squid then sending it back down on the iron and catching a cbass. We where all pretty much freeking out at this point and I started jigging around for some more squid- I snagged another and as soon as i started to bring it in....
THUMP !! I'm on!!!! made quick work of her on the 93H/40lb mono combo and up came a 54 lb'er. Of course I dont have a gaff so I grab it and haul it onto my lap....SWEAT !!!!
The guys in the skiff saw me hook up and motored over right as I went to pop the gills.
I was sooo stoked outta my mind with this toad on my lap that I never put my legs over the side of the yak for stability... and they where now trapped under the fish. So I'm telling the skiff guys I got a WSB while I popped a gill then all hell broke loose.
As soon as I pulled a gill it flipped out and started to slide off my lap so I grabbed it and tried to put the opposite leg over the side to counter balance but it was pinned....everything happend soo slow but I couldn't do anything but hold onto the fish. So the yak flips and the cbass is just flippin out now that its back in the water but I have a good grip on it. Luckly the guys in the skiff where close and came over and gaffed the cbass outta my hand so I could flip my yak over.
Damn it!!! all the poles are gone...well all but one, the fat butt on the ulua 93h stuck in the rod holder....sweat!!!
So I pump the water outta my boat and gather myself and start fishing the megabait again...less than 5minutes later I'm on again!!! Another healthy cbass!!! This time I pulled the jig, gently held it up to show the skiff guys then made a clean release.....EPIC!!!
A little later when I went to get my fish back from the skiff guys I recongnized one of'um....a fellow local yaker by the name of Paul (who I havn't seen around in a while?) aka: amoceanbeachsurfer. Thanks guys, without you there I probably would have let the yak sink and swam my cbass in!
My friends didn't really believe the double WSB, yakflipper story until we repeated the feat a few days later...this time without the flipping and ALOT more releasing. Here's some of my favorite pics:
I'm still soaked......The yak flipper Cbass... 54lbs...photo by:Nic Dragomire
Some friends on the following afternoon after five hours of WFO WSB mixed with a few YT with only a two other guys out. Photo by : scallywag
My PB yellowtail and favorite OTW picture..... 42lbs. photo by: Martin ???(Tman)
And last but not lease, my buddy Trevor (whitedog) with the only WSB I have ever seen in person that went over 60lbs. Truly awesome seeing that thing come up to color. Props to Trev for handling this donkey WITHOUT a gaff. Crappy photo by: scallywag
Sooo yeh.....what a good summer it has been
