Shark week

[Andy C]

Buddie of mine just sent this. It's to funny not to pass on, cause if you know the family (i do and fish with them alot) I can just see it happen from my cpu!!!




Last week was "shark week" on TV, and Fisher has been asking about shark
fishing ever since. How do you catch them, can you eat them, how big are
they here, etc. So, off to the sporting goods to update my heavy gear.
Some 120 lb. steel leader, a big cork, and some 7/0 hooks, and some big
swivels. Then we drug out the old Penn Senator and boat rod, cleaned it up,
oiled it up, checked the line and set it up with a shark leader. Pam and I
were taking him trout fishing on Friday anyhow, so I stuck the big rod in
the boat. I told him we would try for some sharks after we got done trout
fishing. He was all excited all afternoon and evening, and was spending the
night with us. I packed a bag with the camera, the pistol, and a couple of
spare leaders for the shark expedition, and we all hit the sack. I rolled
him out of his campsite in the house about 4 am, woke up his grandma, and
made breakfast. He's getting all pumped up about sharks again, and I told
him the trout came first, we needed them that night for a family dinner.
About halfway to Fort Anahuac Park, grandpa remembered the "shark bag", and
realized it was still in our bedroom. Dang it, no camera! But, I guess I
can use my cell phone camera. Got the boat launched and headed out to the
north end of Trinity Bay, wind was fairly light from the NE. Perfect for
where we were going. First fish was a snot shark (saltwater slimey catfish)
that Fisher got on a mirrolure. I reached for my cell phone, and realized I
had left it in the truck. Then I got a huge horse mackerel on a mirrolure,
so I boated it. Perfect shark bait since they bleed like a stuck hog. Next
fish was another snot shark I got on a top water plug. What a let down.
However, a 6lb. snot shark is a pretty good fight, just not the best table
fare. Got to thinking about some low life stealing my phone, and not having
a way to document Fisher's first shark so I hauled it back to the launch and
got my phone. Glad I did. We found about 2 acres of birds working out past
the close in wells, and every cast you either hung a horse mackerel, or a
snot shark. Horse mackerel are good for crab trap bait, shark bait, and the
fight when hung on a rod and reel. Some call them poor man's tarpon.
Fisher steadily asking when we are going to fish for sharks, when can he
jump over and cool off, typical 6 yr. old stuff after the first 30 minutes
of fishing for trout is over. Time to move onto something else. I finally
picked up a trout slow rolling a mirrolure under the birds, snot sharks, and
horse mackerel. Hooray, one for supper for the kids, since the adults were
having boiled shrimp and crabs. About 10 am, the wind was up 10 to 15 mph
and we moved out to 10 ft. of water around some other wells. Pam picked up
a 4-5 lb. trout on a mirrolure, and I picked up another one also. Seas
building, making it hard to keep near the well with the trolling motor.
Grandma's saying we should go in, it's getting too windy and too hot, Fisher
is wanting to shark fish, and I want more trout. Two against one, grandma.
I dug out the shark rod, put the cork about 2 ft. above the hook, and baited
it with about a third of the 3 lb. horse mackerel I kept. I lined up on
about four wells we could drift by with the wind, and sat Fisher down on
drivers seat facing the rear of the boat. Tossed out the bait and let it
drift about 30 yds. behind the boat. I stuck the rod between his knees,
showed him where to hold on to it, and told him to "hang on" to the rod at
all costs! I had the drag set pretty light to give me time to get to it if
he hit a shark, and went back to the bow to control the trolling motor and
trout fish. He kept telling grandma he was gonna catch a big shark, and you
guessed it, he was right. Pam was on the phone, Fisher hollered "I got a
big one!", and Pam reached in and grabbed the rod as the line screamed out.
I got down off the bow and headed to the back of the boat, Fisher was
cranking away, and the line was still leaving. About that time, it was
gone, and the cork floated up. Dang, missed him. I thought about pulling
it in and checking the bait, but I thought I'd be better off leaving it
there for a few minutes in case the shark came back. I went back to the bow
casting for trout, and about 5 minutes later, Fisher hollers "I got another
big one", Grandma's helping him hold onto the rod, and I head to the back of
the boat again. Fisher is steady cranking away and I see the line leaving
the reel rather quickly. I got behind Fisher and we sat down on the seat,
rod in front of him, cranking away. I rechecked the drag, tightened it a
little, and noticed how much line was gone from the reel, and saw the shark
was headed towards a well about 150 yds. away. Uh oh, barnacles are going
to cut the line! I got Grandma to start the engine and started backing down
on the fish hoping to drag it away from the well to keep the line from being
cut. By now, Fisher has had enough of "his shark" and asked grandpa to take
over. I worked my way to the bow, got into my chair, and had Grandma follow
the shark with the big engine. I figured it for a 40 to 50 lb. class shark,
but after 20 minutes of cranking him in, I started having my doubts. Grandma
asks if she needed to get the net ready, and I just looked at her and said,
"Uh, no, I don't think so, it will probably only make him mad, and I don't
think his head will even fit in the net." Well just how big is it? Probably
100 to 150 lbs. Fisher is wanting to put it in the boat and clean it so we
can eat it, and grandma is already hollering, "your not putting that big
thing in THIS boat!" I took a mental inventory of what I had to possibly
land this beast, and it wasn't pretty. A small 12 in. hand gaff, a billy
club, a filet knife, and rope. I've been in a 25 ft. boat out in the Gulf
of Mexico when three grown men whacked a 100 lb. shark after gaffing and
hauled it into the boat. It was out for about a minute, then it owned the
boat. It thrashed around nearly throwing rods and tackle boxes over the
side. I went up on the bow, our fearless capt. climbed up on the console,
and our other deck hand climbed out on top of the outboard motor. That darn
thing thrashed for 5 minutes and I got worried he would disable the boat or
break some rods so we developed a plan. I had the billy club, so the other
two guys jumped on it's back and tail, pinning it to the deck, and I whacked
it repeatedly until his head was mush. Yep, we got him, but the boat looked
like a bomb went off inside it and ten people bled to death! Yes, we should
have shot it first, but the police officer who we were with only had a .380
auto loaded with silvertip hollow points, and the previous two we shot, it
just flattenned out on the sharks head and he peeled off more line.
Basically it just made a 125 lb. class shark, mad! So, having that
flashback vividly in my mind, I offered that we could get a tail rope on the
fish and drag him backwards until he drowned, but once again, grandma nixed
any ideas about this shark in the boat. I finally won the tug of war and
pulled Fisher's shark up from the bottom, and man, was I surprised! His
head looked as big around as a 5 gal. bucket, and he was between 7 and 8 ft.
long! I'm not a shark expert, but he looked like a bull shark to me. He
just had that look of massiveness to him. Quite a chore to pull him up to
the surface holding a cell phone in my teeth, and get a clear shot for a
picture with all the glare from the sun. Fisher's looking over the side,
grandma's hollering at him to get away, and the circus continues. I told
Fisher it was not safe to try to put this shark in the boat, that we would
have to cut the line. Grandma retrieved the knife, and I started hoisting
this big sucker back to the surface. I wanted the big cork back, so I told
her to cut the line between the steel leader and the line. When that knife
hit that line it popped like a .22 going off. Syranara big boy! Now Fisher
is wanting to rig up another shark line and get another one. Fortunately, I
didn't have anything to make up, it was in the bag with the gun, at home, so
we called it a day. And that is why grandpas like being grandpas!! My goal
is to have Fisher experience as many of the things I have done in the out
doors that I have done. We'll leave out the stupid things grandpa did, but
it will be fun. He wants to go wade fishing and floundering "real bad", so
I guess we'll watch the weather closely, and leave extra early to flounder,
the wade fish awhile.

[CajunSteelsetter]

I'll bet that was fun!

[jkcckc2002]

Awesome story. Thanks for sharing it.

[Suthrngntlmn]

Nice Story, and NO; it would not get put in my boat either.

[duckman1911]

Thats an awesome story and hilaious too. Also a fine shark. Would say id love to catch one like that but since I wade the surf to fish id prolly rather know he's not there.lol.