Lost my viginiT...5/28 - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Aaron · 05-30-2010, 08:09 PM

So I've got a story. Its a few days late and I apologize, but I've been celebrating the holiday weekend with no internet access.

Paddled the afternoon on Friday. Started a bit later than Thursday, about 3:30 pm or so. Saw a few people with fish and made the mistake of seeing birds working way outside. Paddled the long ways out there (about 170-180 feet of water) and the saga began...

Mackerel gets hit like a freight train and I give it a solid 10 count. Put it in gear and wind down...still there...set it and forget it. I'm on and it feels heavy, then nothing. I know its still there but has to be headed towards the boat...wind wind WIND. Yup, still on! Let the sleigh ride begin...

I battle this thing for at least 30 minutes and just cannot gain ground. I back off the drag knowing its heavy and knowing that I have nothing but time to wear whatever this thing is out. I'm right over it, in 170 feet of water and just massive head shakes. Then out of nowhere, long horizontal run, drag just peeling, out of the water comes a T that was pushing at least 200 pounds. At least 4 or 5 more full breach leaps off my bow. I look at my little gaf and club and have a good chuckle. I've never played with anything but little T pups that I don't even count. Thus I have no rope, only a tiny knife, and am completely not prepared at all for this.

Like all of us, I love big fish. But I also know my limits. And I know that I would have to be extremely lucky to kill this thing, get it on my boat with only me to help me out, way the hell out there, with a long paddle back, and have nothing go terribly wrong. I'm not an idiot. I got on the radio and started asking for assistance.

Radio in one hand, bent rod and Big T in the other, trading the radio for my paddle trying to flag down a private boat I saw with a flying gaf driving by....I get this thing to color and eventually just a few feet under my boat. On my X-Factor, its from my seat to well beyond the beginning of my front hatch. I've got about 3 winds on my spool of my 10 foot leader and something's gotta happen. I see the private boat turn my way and am pretty relieved. I back down off the drag and give the thing a bit of breathing room so I can work something out with this private boat.

Guys on the private boat were not the sharpest tools in the shed. Nice guys, but whenever someone says, "Don't worry, this guy here is a professional!", you should immediately start worrying. I'll keep this sour ending short...I tell the guy, "I'm going to put this reel in really light drag with the clicker on and hand the rod off to you. Just kill it." I took their flying gaf and their giant Parker for granted that they may know how to actually kill this fish. Not to float my own boat, but my pass was f-ing perfection. Drop the drag, threw the clicker, thumbed it and not a thread lifted off that spool. Grabbed the paddle and dropped back out of the way. I see "the professional" immediately thumb the spool and strike that stupid pose you see private boaters do with a big fish on. You know, the leaned back, two handed, "put every ounce of pressure you can on this mouth-hooked T you can" pose? Yeah, that one. I fought that fish for an hour...He lost it in less than a minute. Unreal. I sat out there for a good 30 minutes after the fact repeating, "What the hell just happened?"

I don't mind losing this fish as it is still easily one of the most amazing experiences I've had fishing. Sticking it with the assistance of the PB would have just been an added bonus to weigh it and to have a bunch of meat for a while, but I wouldn't have considered it a strict "kayak catch". I got it next to my boat and if I wouldn't have had that PB'er come over, I would have just cut it, so I'll consider this a longer distance C & R than originally expected. I know that getting that fish next to my boat still meant that it was NOWHERE NEAR the end of that fight if I wanted to try and kill that fish. It was still plenty green and would have gladly bitch-slapped me had I tried. No pics, and I'm sorry, but yeah, I was busy.

I'm sure other people have hooked some of these big T's on their kayak. And I'm sure there are a million different things I could've done. But being way out there solo, completely unprepared, I think I made the right call. But please do call me a puss if I deserve it.

05-30-2010, 08:09 PM	#1
Aaron Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 175	Lost my viginiT...5/28 So I've got a story. Its a few days late and I apologize, but I've been celebrating the holiday weekend with no internet access. Paddled the afternoon on Friday. Started a bit later than Thursday, about 3:30 pm or so. Saw a few people with fish and made the mistake of seeing birds working way outside. Paddled the long ways out there (about 170-180 feet of water) and the saga began... Mackerel gets hit like a freight train and I give it a solid 10 count. Put it in gear and wind down...still there...set it and forget it. I'm on and it feels heavy, then nothing. I know its still there but has to be headed towards the boat...wind wind WIND. Yup, still on! Let the sleigh ride begin... I battle this thing for at least 30 minutes and just cannot gain ground. I back off the drag knowing its heavy and knowing that I have nothing but time to wear whatever this thing is out. I'm right over it, in 170 feet of water and just massive head shakes. Then out of nowhere, long horizontal run, drag just peeling, out of the water comes a T that was pushing at least 200 pounds. At least 4 or 5 more full breach leaps off my bow. I look at my little gaf and club and have a good chuckle. I've never played with anything but little T pups that I don't even count. Thus I have no rope, only a tiny knife, and am completely not prepared at all for this. Like all of us, I love big fish. But I also know my limits. And I know that I would have to be extremely lucky to kill this thing, get it on my boat with only me to help me out, way the hell out there, with a long paddle back, and have nothing go terribly wrong. I'm not an idiot. I got on the radio and started asking for assistance. Radio in one hand, bent rod and Big T in the other, trading the radio for my paddle trying to flag down a private boat I saw with a flying gaf driving by....I get this thing to color and eventually just a few feet under my boat. On my X-Factor, its from my seat to well beyond the beginning of my front hatch. I've got about 3 winds on my spool of my 10 foot leader and something's gotta happen. I see the private boat turn my way and am pretty relieved. I back down off the drag and give the thing a bit of breathing room so I can work something out with this private boat. Guys on the private boat were not the sharpest tools in the shed. Nice guys, but whenever someone says, "Don't worry, this guy here is a professional!", you should immediately start worrying. I'll keep this sour ending short...I tell the guy, "I'm going to put this reel in really light drag with the clicker on and hand the rod off to you. Just kill it." I took their flying gaf and their giant Parker for granted that they may know how to actually kill this fish. Not to float my own boat, but my pass was f-ing perfection. Drop the drag, threw the clicker, thumbed it and not a thread lifted off that spool. Grabbed the paddle and dropped back out of the way. I see "the professional" immediately thumb the spool and strike that stupid pose you see private boaters do with a big fish on. You know, the leaned back, two handed, "put every ounce of pressure you can on this mouth-hooked T you can" pose? Yeah, that one. I fought that fish for an hour...He lost it in less than a minute. Unreal. I sat out there for a good 30 minutes after the fact repeating, "What the hell just happened?" I don't mind losing this fish as it is still easily one of the most amazing experiences I've had fishing. Sticking it with the assistance of the PB would have just been an added bonus to weigh it and to have a bunch of meat for a while, but I wouldn't have considered it a strict "kayak catch". I got it next to my boat and if I wouldn't have had that PB'er come over, I would have just cut it, so I'll consider this a longer distance C & R than originally expected. I know that getting that fish next to my boat still meant that it was NOWHERE NEAR the end of that fight if I wanted to try and kill that fish. It was still plenty green and would have gladly bitch-slapped me had I tried. No pics, and I'm sorry, but yeah, I was busy. I'm sure other people have hooked some of these big T's on their kayak. And I'm sure there are a million different things I could've done. But being way out there solo, completely unprepared, I think I made the right call. But please do call me a puss if I deserve it.