[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ NMS WWWBoard Version 1.0 ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by quietman on 02:29:02 06/13/03
I went down to the Harbor about 3:15 PM and launched planning to go back out the headland kelp like yesterday.
Very nice afternoon, a bit windy as always from the west, kinda choppy but not horrible. I left the harbor and got into a paddling rhythm that didn't involve too much water over the bow.
As I got past the worst of the kelp around the harbor mouth I started thinking about putting out the trolling rods, but thought I would go a bit further first.
Soon I metered some bait and some big marks, so I went ahead and put out two Rapalas.
Not three minutes later at 2.2 knots My heavier stick gets knocked hard, I immediately thought "thresher tail slap" and kept paddling and hoping for a connect.
Bingo, line starts pealing. I got the rod, and started winding but the shark was swimming right at me. I had a few anxious moments wondering if I was still on or not, then off she went on a loooong run.
I was very happy. I had 45' of water under me, no kelp and a nice loose drag.
When the shark slowed I wound in the other line and stowed the rod. After a couple more runs I got out my camera and took a picture of the rod, the one I posted.
I wanted the shark to fight until it was darn good and tired, I was in no hurry, and was enjoying myself and my tow immensely.
I stowed the radio, FF and GPS and put my paddle behind me to clear the deck.
I clambered up to my forward hatch and retreived my special tie-off line I had put together for just this event.
After about 15 minutes I saw color, and was a little disapointed it wasn't a bigger Mr T, but since I had never landed one from the yak before I decided I should count my blessings.
She was tail-hooked, of course, and I brought her tail up to within reach to execute my landing plan.
I have watched Rhyno's video, which was helpful, but I had come up with a little different wrinkle of my own.
My plan was first to make very sure the shark was exhausted before going any further. I loosened the drag a bit, and carefully grabbed the tail where the rapala couldn't get me, after making sure the shark was still well-hooked.
The second I grabbed it, that bad girl blasted off at warp nine. No sweat, I expected that and just sat back and tightened up the drag a bit while letting her run.
Next time up she was calmer, and I grabbed the tail, and set the rod in my flush mount with the drag nice and loose, and got out my secret weapon.
A rope with a loop. I put the loop end over the tail forward of the fat point where it joins the body, put the bitter end through the loop and had a lassooed shark.
The other end went through a biner cliped to the deck with one wrap so that I could hold as much or as little tension as I liked (on belay.) In the event she decided to blast off again, I would simply let go and she could run again without tipping me or getting away.
She didn't, so I unhooked the Rapala and sat on the end of the line and started paddling back in. After about 10 minutes I figured she was a goner, so I hauled her up on deck and lashed her down.
The bad thing was I had planned on a nice paddle, and had brought gear to stay out till after dark, and here I was pretty much done after not even an hour.
I had thought about releasing the magnificent animal as she was so beautiful, it's just amazing to be holding a shark sitting on a little Kayak.
But since I had not kept one this year, I figured what the heck, and I knew it would make my friend Yanni and my father in law very happy to have 10 or 30 pounds of "Greek Swordfish."
Female Thresher 62 pounds, just a pup...
Next one gets released!
Sorry this is so long, just kinda flew off the keyboard...
quietman
River Runt II
JARbrew
N7626 "ZR"
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ NMS WWWBoard Version 1.0 ] [ FAQ ]