Reward from the Fishing Gods. Epic Easter Sunday Morning in N. Zuma

[Wingnut]

After countless legal Butts that I sent back into the surf. I guess one of them came and whispered in Poseidon's ear... and he dispatched one of his messengers to thank me on Easter Sunday morning... read on!


Still coming down off my high from Saturday's first fly fishing adventure, I get a call from the Surf Master Mike (Kichigai1). He says "Don't get too comfortable with your fly gear. Pick me up at 6:00am Sunday morning and bring your conventional stuff!" Beautiful Easter Sunday morning, we arrived at our "not so secret anymore" spot in North Zuma about 6:45am, as the sun was just peaking over the horizon. We walked down to the beach in the morning twilight and prepared to go to work. Fishing a low tide condition, high tide was not for another three hours. Low to moderate surf, no wind, very little salad and the water clarity was better than when I was here yesterday.

Mike decided to throw a LC FM110 MJ Herring pattern trying to imitate the Grunion hatch and I chose to throw the ol' reliable LC FM110 "Factory Tune" Sound Mute Metallic Iwashi Sardine. We spread out 20 meters wide and started fanning the surf. We were fishing in between two rock formations with an incoming tide.

On my third or fourth cast, as I was pulling the LC at a slow & steady speed, it suddendly stops... I swung away... nothing but dead weight. I muttered to myself, "Damn it, I'm stuck on a rock." I took three steps to my left to get an angle on what I thought was a snag, to try to pop it loose. All of the sudden, the surface erupted with a huge splash twenty yards in front of me. My rod tip dipped sharply and the drag started peeling off in a way I've never seen before. When Mike heard and saw the splash, he looked over at me and says, "WTF was that?!?" I yelled back, "That's my fish!" He comes running over as my drag continues to run. He asks for the situation... and I replied, "I can't stop it... it's still running..." We both looked down at my spool to see that there were only about 1/4 of the line was left. He asked me what pound test line was I using and I answered "ten". It was one of those (you had to be there) funny moments when we both looked at each other, shook our heads and simultaneously said "Ohhh sh*t!" We had a good laugh about it later on.

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The first thing that popped into my head was, why didn't I grab the Luna this morning instead of the Calcutta. I'm going to need the extra line capacity of the Luna. The Calcutta 200DC only hold 110 yards of #10 while the Luna 203 holds 205 yards. The fish continues to take straight drag and I knew that I have to turn it now or I will be spooled in a matter of a couple of minutes. I remember this moment very clearly, looking down at my spool and saw the little holes in my anodized brass spool right thru whatever little lines that I have left and feeling a little sick to my stomach. Mike yelled, you gotta do it now! I said alright, this is it... I squeezed down on the drag wheel and immediately felt the strain of the rod and the #10 line was under full duress. Slowly, the fish turned, made a wide sweep and circled back in and I was cranking for dear life to gain precious line. This process was repeated two more times as I was close to being spooled a total of three times in the hour long battle. In addition in trying to avoid getting spooled, I had to keep the beast away from the rocks. It was a very stressful hour to say the least. It was a complete mental & physical work out. I haven't fought a fish of this caliber in a very long time, since I pulled a 76lb Big Eye on a private six-pack years ago.

Pull up... crank down... tedious work.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut2/Picture004-15.jpg

Thumb off the spool!

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut2/Picture003-17.jpg

During the fight, Mike and I was speculating on what kind of fish that this may be. A Halibut? A Striper? A White Sea Bass? I had visions of a HUGE BUTT dancing in my head. But this fish did not fight like a Hali, no major head thumping or body flexes. Definitely not a Striper, taking straight & steady drag without any sudden burst of speed is not in the Striper DNA. I have never caught a WSB before so I was just hopping that's what it could be. Let it be anything but a Bat Ray. About 40 minutes or so into the hour long fight, we finally caught a glimps of Poseidon's messenger... a tail fin streaked across the water... we both yelled "It's a Leopard!" Well, that ended my high hopes of a huge Flat Boy or my first White Sea Bass, but let's beach this Leo. About fifteen minutes later, Mike grabbed the Leo by the tail in shin deep water and dragged it onto the beach. :banana:

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut2/Picture015-11.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut2/Picture010-14.jpg

In this picture, as I was struggling to hold the muscular fish, he turn and bit me on the shoulder. :shock: Look ma "NO TEETH!" :mrgreen: Felt like a vice clamped down on my shoulder for a second... no blood, no harm... no foul. Message from Poseidon delivered.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut2/Picture014-11.jpg

Mike pulled out a tape roll and it measured 62 inches! I'm 5'6" and the thing was almost as long as me! I asked Mike how much does he think it weighs and he says 50 pounds easy.

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The release! Give Poseidon my regards...

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I try to weigh it on my Shimano spring scale that has a maximum of 30lbs and the scale just bottomed out immediately! :shock: Can someone please give me an educated guess on how much that this thing weighs? Maybe calculate the weight with the length of the fish or with your personal experiences with the Leopard Sharks that you've caught.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut2/Picture046.jpg

This is the actual LC that I caught it on... it has now been honorably discharged! Note the bent hook. It had two barbs burried in it's mouth.
The Factory Tune version have only two, instead of three treble hooks, but the two hooks are bigger & stronger... lucky for me! If I was throwing the standard LC, the smaller and weaker treble hooks would have straightened out and the fish would've been lost.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut2/Picture004-16.jpg

Okay, here's another secret... I smear my LC's with this! :secret:

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut2/Picture047.jpg

What, do you think that this is the end of the report? No way, there was more fishing to be done... it was only about eight o'clock! We continued to work the shoreline from North to South. The fish Gods aren't finished with me yet!

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We finally met up with City dad out there with his fly gear applying his craft in the surf. Poetry in motion...

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City Dad & Wingnut.

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Wingnut & Surf Master Mike (Kichigai1).

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We ended the day by heading North towards Point Mugu for some Perch action. Caught quite a few big slabs to end our day.
Perch Paradise!

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut2/Picture045-1.jpg

Check it out Dana & Ernie, the Bill Varney's Ande "Pink" line really WORKS!!! :bigsmile:

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut2/Picture037-3.jpg

What a GREAT morning! We stopped at Neptunes for lunch and I was home in time for my 3:30pm Easter Sunday Vietnamese mass with the family.

Hope you guys enjoyed this report. Until next time... be good.

Arthur (Wingnut) :mrgreen:

"Your faith should be a steering wheel... not a spare tire."

[Fisherman57]

OK.... now I'm just downright ENVIOUS!

That is ONE sweet LEO my man! If there's one guy that deserves a fish like that.... it's you Arthur!

I'll bet your blood pressure and heart rate was flying when that thing almost spooled you!

I dunno man.... weight?.... it pegged and overloaded the 30lb scale right?.... those things taper off so much at the tail, its hard to calculate based on girth and length..... I'd say that bad boy went over 45... (and thats just a safe guess on my part.. could be heavier)..... Mike's guess is probably closer!

Getting a fish like that on that line class and getting him turned before he spooled you was no easy task. You are a natural dude! I am TRULY impressed! Sweeeeeeeeeet!

Great to see Mike sporting the Team 57 colors! Thanks Mike!

You keep ringing up those heavy YFC's too Art! Very Nice!...

I heard a rumor you may have scored a PB Perch today?.....

Love the PINK line dude........ Bill will be pleased! I have some on the way! LOL!

AWESOME fish Arthur......... couldnt happen to a more deserving guy.

http://www.57shirts.com/team57members.html


Dana

[newbefisher]

I think the only thing that's left for you to catch is a whale. Hell of a job! :thumb:

[KILLA]

Great post wingnut, that is a very good play by play. Intense post, 10 lb drag screaming :shock: well I do fish some salt and I would guess 55 to 60 lb. Congrats :cool:
I think you make some of the best post on this board. Nice leo.

Nice catch :thumb:

Killa :2guns:

[DKCbassman]

Anywhere from 45-75 lbs. We love to get yanked on by leopard's! Especially on light gear from a tube.

[ThemBastards]

Very, very cool Wingnut

[ghetto dad]

hmmm...perch reports , you get about 75 replies....with that nice leo, i can feel at least 200 replies wingnut!! NICE fish man...

GD

[INDOANGLER2]

As usual Arthur great catch and super report. It was almost like being there myself.

[JSAUCE818]

hahahhahaa....ur to much man....what next from surf on the LC??....a MERMAID?....lmao..
your a "fish Magnet"....congrats...

[ThemBastards]

hahahhahaa....ur to much man....what next from surf on the LC??....a MERMAID?....lmao..
your a "fish Magnet"....congrats...

http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/showthread.php?t=15159:D

[Sinjin Kim]

Nice Leopard Arthur. I hooked one about that size on 8# test gear using a C-Rig for YFC are SAMO many summers ago and it took over an hour bringing the beast in. Leopards are surely strong fighters.

Just a tip. If vegetation and hard bottom isn't a problem, fight the fish side-ways with your rod tip lower to the water. Having the rod tip straight up encourages the fish to pull harder and shake more violently. This is especially true for Corbina and Halibut.

By the way, I managed to nab a 26" and 28" flatty this morning. I will be headed out again tomorrow morning. If you are interested, give me a call.

[tacklejunkie]

:shock:
Sheesh! That must have been a crazy battle! Nice job! Good size YFC too!

[JSAUCE818]

By the way, I managed to nab a 26" and 28" flatty this morning. I will be headed out again tomorrow morning.

you mutha...f....r......lol....we should of done that sat.....if joe wasnt there with you today, hes gonna be pissed....lmao....

[flyngby]

Arthur,

You continue to raise the bar!!!!!!!

How sneak out undetected from your place of residence and keep the poachers away???

Nice to see a nice LEO caught on the light line in less than favorable conditions like the surf and low tide and no way but to grab it from the surf to CPR it!!

Hmmmmmm line class record for LEOS.

Look forward to getting a lesson from ya soon if I can Track you down!!

Glat to see Mike out with you again, I thought the Master might have been upset with the students sucess!!! J/K Mike

Great Report again.

Steve

[Sinjin Kim]

you mutha...f....r......lol....we should of done that sat.....if joe wasnt there with you today, hes gonna be pissed....lmao....

LOL. The conditions weren't that ideal today and would guess the best bite to be during the late morning hours tomorrow. I am taking my bass fishing team tournament partner out there to teach him how to "read the water" and hopefully will nail a 40+ inch fish.

Joe was pissed after I sent him the pics of the flatties this morning, lol.

Take a day off early next work week, and I promise I will put you on more halibut and LARGER halibut than you can handle. I keep records off all my catches and I am expecting next week to be EPIC at a certain stretch of beach.

[City Dad]

Dang, I knew I shoulda followed you guys!

[Sinjin Kim]

Arthur,

You continue to raise the bar!!!!!!!

How sneak out undetected from your place of residence and keep the poachers away???

Steve

Very very very true! You better watch out Arthur. You may have the "halibut papparazzi" on your tail.

When I was hitting the beach 3-5 times a week during the halibut run, I had cars wait for me and then tail gate me to the "spot." It was crazy, but I met some really cool people who have become close friends.

[CoffeaRobusta]

That is so freakin sweet! Very nice Arthur. Good write up too.

[Jikser]

Wow...congrats Arthur!!! That a big sucker.

Yo Sinjin, you back on the sand now?

[JSAUCE818]

Take a day off early next work week, and I promise I will put you on more halibut and LARGER halibut than you can handle. I keep records off all my catches and I am expecting next week to be EPIC at a certain stretch of beach.
sweet....let me know when.....i gotta redeem myself for what happend on sat., good to hear that your gonna hit the salt man,.......my goal is to land a hali from surf atleast 30+in....we should hit the surf one day, and then go back to fresh the next and nail some Bucket Mouths...let go get em http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj18/redfishy987/Twisted.gif

WingNut,
i know you up to something,..hehe......im assuming now that you want to land some Hali's on that Fly Rod??...

[sansou]

Another PB best! Excellent!

Great report as always!


See you around,

Sansou

[Sinjin Kim]

Wow...congrats Arthur!!! That a big sucker.

Yo Sinjin, you back on the sand now?

Not so fast Will. Today was my first trip to the sand in over a year. The timing is finally right for a trophy class halibut and I will target them for a couple weeks and then get back to bass fishing. I will do a little corbina fishing and that is about it for the surf.

If you want to see me on the beach day in and day out, break my 43" mark and I will hit the surf quite frequently, lol. I just know someone is going to catch a monster flatty from Santa Rosa during the squid run and stop by the beach on the way home for a picture or two, lol.

[WOKIEE]

congrats very good post thanks ....

[Native Gal]

WN,
SWEEET LEO !!!
Two thumbs up for that catch alone :thumb: :thumb:
Nice catches for the day, thanks for the xlnt play by play.

:)
NG

[troutslayer05]

Wingnut does it again...do you even know what a skunk is........? Good catch speared a leapord half that size last year. looks like a fun fight. Nice work out there.

[troutdog]

That is one beautiful leopard Arthur....WSB has to be right around the corner!


TD

[BBL2Baja]

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m221/syfaulk/comment-friday-damn.jpg

Good job Arthur! I'm running out of ways to congratulate you on your epic sessions! :wink:

:thumb:

Later,
Scott

[Nessie Hunter]

Excellent read/report, AGAIN... :thumb:'

Better then excellent Leo, Outstsanding !!!
A Trophy Leo, Thats going to be hard to beat!!! The Self challenge will be overwhelming.
I have faith in you to step up and beat with even better catches....

Man, your fast becoming the SURF GURU!!! :)





.

[blackwater]

OUTSTANDING!

I thought all this time you were just really lucky!
Looks like you might be lucky and have mad skills as well. Who knew...

When I am not so busy, I will see you out in the surf again!

Great jobs as usual buddy!

BTW - Your spots is probably be overun by lurkers very soon. :explode:

BW

[Troutman65]

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m221/syfaulk/comment-friday-damn.jpg

Good job Arthur! I'm running out of ways to congratulate you on your epic sessions! :wink:

:thumb:

Later,
Scott



Ditto !!!!


Nice going Arthur!!!!

Great read. I felt like I was right there with you .


Troutman65

[Skyler]

Dude, are you sure you aren't one of these "fish Gods" incarnate?! Damn you own the surf!

[Stormcrow]

Wow that was a great read! Thanks for that!

[Nhatster]

Holy crap bro! The thing took a bite out of you?!? Lucky it wasn't a Mako or something. Too bad you didn't keep it, shark fin soup!!! :lol: ;)
Nice going!

[FishNFurious]

OMG dude... I had to change my shorts! :lol:
And you didn't even call me! What a birthday weekend you must have had!
That is totally insane, that fish is at least 50 pounds! Ten pound test, that's just nuts! :shock:

BTW - Your B-Day party Saturday night at Tyler's restaurant was off the hook! He closed the restaurant just for you? You da man. :cool:
Which hottie did you go home with... i saw.. hehe. ;) :twisted:

We'll see ya tonight at the B-day dinner.

Vincent :D

[boxl0bster]

lol arthur way to go man!!! i picked up a few spools of the pink ande line for you and dana, ill b ring them by the next time i see you two. :)

[IncredibleHuck]

Great job on the Leopard shark!

[steve092]

Dude!!
Way to go on the Leo!!!!

[Wingnut]

Fisherman57 wrote:
OK.... now I'm just downright ENVIOUS!
That is ONE sweet LEO my man! If there's one guy that deserves a fish like that.... it's you Arthur!
I'll bet your blood pressure and heart rate was flying when that thing almost spooled you!
I dunno man.... weight?.... it pegged and overloaded the 30lb scale right?.... those things taper off so much at the tail, its hard to calculate based on girth and length..... I'd say that bad boy went over 45... (and thats just a safe guess on my part.. could be heavier)..... Mike's guess is probably closer!
Getting a fish like that on that line class and getting him turned before he spooled you was no easy task. You are a natural dude! I am TRULY impressed! Sweeeeeeeeeet!
Great to see Mike sporting the Team 57 colors! Thanks Mike!
You keep ringing up those heavy YFC's too Art! Very Nice!...
I heard a rumor you may have scored a PB Perch today?.....
Love the PINK line dude........ Bill will be pleased! I have some on the way! LOL!
AWESOME fish Arthur......... couldnt happen to a more deserving guy.
http://www.57shirts.com/team57members.html (http://www.57shirts.com/team57members.html)
Dana
You're right Dana, when the fish took off on that very first run, my heart was pounding out of my chest. It is a helpless feeling watching your drag give up line at will and all you can do is just watch. On the first initial run, the Leo took almost my entire spool of 110 yards of #10 in about three or four minutes. Talk about sheer panic. :lol: The runs after that was less dramatic but it almost spool me another two times with a slow & steady pull. It was a seesaw battle for most of the hour and the beast started to tire out and allowed me turn its head towards the beach... once I was able to gain 3/4 of my spool back, I knew it was just a matter of time until I land it. I'm so happy that my knot held and I don't know how the #10 line survived. When I was inspecting my line after the release, I found traces of abbrassion on about 10 yards of it. I don't think that it would've held up another ten minutes of the stress. Doesn't matter what it weighs... I'm glad that I was lucky enough to experience the epic battle first hand. Does wonders for your confidence. :mrgreen:

Newbefisher wrote: I think the only thing that's left for you to catch is a whale. Hell of a job!
How bout' a Striper or a White Sea Bass. ;)

KILLA wrote: Great post wingnut, that is a very good play by play. Intense post, 10 lb drag screaming, well I do fish some salt and I would guess 55 to 60 lb. Congrats.
I think you make some of the best post on this board. Nice leo.
Nice catch.
Thanks KILLA, it was quite intense. After the initial shock of watching my line disappear so quickly, I settled down and concentrated better on the fight.

DKCBassman wrote: Anywhere from 45-75 lbs. We love to get yanked on by leopard's! Especially on light gear from a tube.
Damn, a big Leo would pull you around all day in a tube! :shock:

ThemBastards wrote: Very, very cool Wingnut.
http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/showthread.php?t=15159 :bigsmile:

Ghetto Dad wrote: hmmm...perch reports , you get about 75 replies....with that nice leo, i can feel at least 200 replies wingnut!! NICE fish man...
You keep track of the post count on you thread Steve?!? I find that it's a lot of work just to answer them all. :lol:

IndoAngler2 wrote:
As usual Arthur great catch and super report. It was almost like being there myself.
Glad you enjoyed the play by play.

JSauce818 wrote:
hahahhahaa....ur to much man....what next from surf on the LC??....a MERMAID?....lmao..
your a "fish Magnet"....congrats...
Funny Jesse... I wouldn't mind snagging a Mermaid by the tail. ;)

ThemBastards posted: http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/showthread.php?t=15159 :mrgreen:

Sinjin Kim wrote:
Nice Leopard Arthur. I hooked one about that size on 8# test gear using a C-Rig for YFC are SAMO many summers ago and it took over an hour bringing the beast in. Leopards are surely strong fighters.
Just a tip. If vegetation and hard bottom isn't a problem, fight the fish side-ways with your rod tip lower to the water. Having the rod tip straight up encourages the fish to pull harder and shake more violently. This is especially true for Corbina and Halibut.
By the way, I managed to nab a 26" and 28" flatty this morning. I will be headed out again tomorrow morning. If you are interested, give me a call.
Are you sure you didn't catch that Leo on 2lb test Sinjin? :lol:
I don't know about the position of the rod tip. Always thought that the rod tip should be at a high angle while fighting any big fish. Having a parabolic rod should be enough to compensate for a big Hali thumping don't you think?
Thanks for the invite Sinjin, but I was totally worn out on Monday night, just took it easy on Tuesday. Thanks for the advice and good luck out there. :cool:

Tacklejunkie wrote: Sheesh! That must have been a crazy battle! Nice job! Good size YFC too!
Crazy isn't the word for it T.J. "Insane" might be better. Those big YFC's love the Lucky Crafts.

Flyngby wrote: Arthur, You continue to raise the bar!!!!!!!
How you sneak out undetected from your place of residence and keep the poachers away???
Nice to see a nice LEO caught on the light line in less than favorable conditions like the surf and low tide and no way but to grab it from the surf to CPR it!!
Hmmmmmm line class record for LEOS.
Look forward to getting a lesson from ya soon if I can Track you down!!
Glad to see Mike out with you again, I thought the Master might have been upset with the students sucess!!! J/K Mike
Great Report again.
Steve
Release all Leos! They're a majestic species.
Mike is always happy to see his student succeed. He was standing right next to me, coaching me thru it all the way. Really helped calm my nerves!

City dad wrote: Dang, I knew I shoulda followed you guys!
Hey C.D., if you would have started on our end of the beach like you said that you would that morning... you might have gotten in on some of the action. ;)

Sinjin Kim wrote:
Quote:
Originally Posted by flyngby http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/showthread.php?p=163146#post163146)
Arthur,

You continue to raise the bar!!!!!!!

How sneak out undetected from your place of residence and keep the poachers away???

Steve

Very very very true! You better watch out Arthur. You may have the "halibut papparazzi" on your tail.
When I was hitting the beach 3-5 times a week during the halibut run, I had cars wait for me and then tail gate me to the "spot." It was crazy, but I met some really cool people who have become close friends.
Happened a few times already Sinjin... but it comes with the territory. I'm usually pretty polite to them, unless they get too pushy. Most people just want to learn. I usually talk to them for a bit, you can tell right away of they're out for sport or if they have a poaching mentality. People will always find a way to your spot no matter what you do. But they still have to actually find a way to catch the fish once they get there... it's harder than most people realize. Plenty of spots out there for me to move around... and plenty of fish in the ocean for everybody. My first priority is "catching fish", and not wasting time hiding from lurkers.

CoffeaRobusta wrote: That is so freakin sweet! Very nice Arthur. Good write up too.
Thanks for reading buddy, you're putting some time out there too I see. :cool:

Jikser wrote: Wow...congrats Arthur!!! That a big sucker.
Imagine that thing dragging you around in your kayak Will!

Sansou wrote: Another PB best! Excellent!
Great report as always!
See you around.
Thanks Rich, this personal best will be hard to beat!

Wookie wrote: Congrats very good post thanks ....
:p

MLeegal wrote:
WN,
SWEEET LEO !!!
Two thumbs up for that catch alone.
Nice catches for the day, thanks for the xlnt play by play.
Thanks again NG, love describing the action... allows me to relive the moment again. ;)

Troutslayer05 wrote: Wingnut does it again...do you even know what a skunk is........? Good catch speared a leopard half that size last year. looks like a fun fight. Nice work out there.
You killed a Leo??? :( Hope you ate it at least. ;)
Isn't a Skunk a smelly fish that lives in polluted bays & harbors? :mrgreen:

Troutdog wrote: That is one beautiful leopard Arthur....WSB has to be right around the corner!
Thanks T.D., the WSB is high on my target list for the surf.

BBL2Baja wrote: Good job Arthur! I'm running out of ways to congratulate you on your epic sessions!
Thanks Scott, I'm gonna run out of steam one of these days... hopefully, not too soon though.

Nessie Hunter wrote: Excellent read/report, AGAIN...
Better then excellent Leo, Outstanding !!!
A Trophy Leo, Thats going to be hard to beat!!! The Self challenge will be overwhelming.
I have faith in you to step up and beat with even better catches....
Man, your fast becoming the SURF GURU!!!
Thanks again Frank. I'll keep doing what I'm doing and hopefully good things will continue to happen... we'll see. I'm still on a learning curve... a bit more accelerated, but still learning all the same. :mrgreen:

Blackwater wrote: OUTSTANDING!
I thought all this time you were just really lucky!
Looks like you might be lucky and have mad skills as well. Who knew...
When I am not so busy, I will see you out in the surf again!
Great jobs as usual buddy!
BTW - Your spots is probably be overun by lurkers very soon.
You're missing out buddy, come with Mike & I again this weekend... and don't forget about the 6th! ;)
I've seen plenty of people out at that spot for a while now. By watching them work the surf... no worries man, no worries at all. :twisted:

Troutman65 wrote: Ditto !!!!
Nice going Arthur!!!!
Great read. I felt like I was right there with you.
Cool Patrick, when are ya gonna hit the surf with me big guy?!?

Skyler wrote: Dude, are you sure you aren't one of these "fish Gods" incarnate?! Damn you own the surf!
Good one Skyler. Don't tell anybody my secret okay? :secret:

Stormcrow wrote: Wow that was a great read! Thanks for that!
You're welcome Mr. Vigilante! :lol: Haha, just joking man, glad you enjoyed the read.

Nhatster wrote:
Holy crap bro! The thing took a bite out of you?!? Lucky it wasn't a Mako or something. Too bad you didn't keep it, shark fin soup!!!
Nice going!
It was only a love bite... Poseidon was sending me a message. Thresher Shark makes good sharkfin soup, not Leopards. Release all sharks!

FastNFurious wrote: OMG dude... I had to change my shorts!
And you didn't even call me! What a birthday weekend you must have had!
That is totally insane, that fish is at least 50 pounds! Ten pound test, that's just nuts!
BTW - Your B-Day party Saturday night at Tyler's restaurant was off the hook! He closed the restaurant just for you? You da man.
Which hottie did you go home with... i saw.. hehe.
We'll see ya tonight at the B-day dinner.
It was great birthday weekend buddy, good times! Glad that you made it to the party and to the dinner get together. The D.J. was kick *****!
BTW - I don't really remember who tucked me in that night... was it you??? :lol: ;) :secret:

Boxl0bster wrote: lol arthur way to go man!!! i picked up a few spools of the pink ande line for you and dana, ill b ring them by the next time i see you two.
Thanks Ernie, see ya soon!

Incrediblehuck wrote: Great job on the Leopard shark!
Steve092 wrote: Dude!! Way to go on the Leo!!!!
Thanks guys and good luck out there! :D

[FishNFurious]

BTW - I don't really remember who tucked me in that night... was it you???

Not unless I was 110 lbs, blonde & beautiful! ;) YOU SUCK, I hate you!!! :twisted: :D

[ikeman]

Way to go Arthur! Nice Leopard!!!!!!!!!! Now get on a plane and go to the East Cape or Cabo and pound a big Rooster in the surf on a popper with a fly rod!!!!!!!!!!!! You have got it going on!!!!
If you ever think about going, google Jeff Klassen, he's the man down there in the surf. He has a guide service. Unbelievable dude! you always have great posts and pics!

Jeff

[IslandBoi]

Another epic day for the Wingnut!!!!!

Man, I'm so jealous ..... good job on the huge leopard ..... I must know the secrets !!! hahahahahah

[CASTAWAY]

This is a great report. Well done Arthur. Good job bringing
that PB in. You got skills, skills, skills.....:thumb:

[dfish]

I didn't know leo's eat the luckycraft only for aurthor great catch my brotha. see u sunday

[McMeathead]

Where do I get this lure? Who makes it? Lol, I have no idea what any of this means... LC FM110 "Factory Tune" Sound Mute Metallic Iwashi Sardine:confused:

[FreeWilly]

Holy crap....

Nice report and congrats on the big Leo. That catch is going to be stuck in your mind for life :D

[FishBandit]

Thats some serious BENDO ACTION. Love it.

theBandit

[GeordyBass]

AWESOME JOB WINGNUT!
Damn that shark is BIG!

[Wingnut]

FishNFurious wrote: Not unless I was 110 lbs, blonde & beautiful! :wink: YOU SUCK, I hate you!!!
I thought that might of been you in a blonde wig. :bigsmile:
Hey Vince, don't hate me cause I'm beautiful... :rofl:

Ikeman wrote: Way to go Arthur! Nice Leopard!!!!!!!!!! Now get on a plane and go to the East Cape or Cabo and pound a big Rooster in the surf on a popper with a fly rod!!!!!!!!!!!! You have got it going on!!!!
If you ever think about going, google Jeff Klassen, he's the man down there in the surf. He has a guide service. Unbelievable dude! you always have great posts and pics!
Thanks Jeff, believe me, the next time I go somewhere exotic for vacation, the surf fish that I'll chase will be equally exotic. ;) Gotta get myself one of those Rooster Fish, Red Drum or Bonefish on the fly or something. :cool:

Islandboi wrote: Another epic day for the Wingnut!!!!!
Man, I'm so jealous ..... good job on the huge leopard ..... I must know the secrets !!! hahahahaha
The secret is a four letter word... L...U...C...K! ;)

CASTAWAY wrote: This is a great report. Well done Arthur. Good job bringing
that PB in. You got skills, skills, skills.....
Thanks Tony, when are you getting out there?!? :D

Dfish wrote: I didn't know leo's eat the luckycraft only for aurthor great catch my brotha. see u sunday.
Yo Big Dave! You know that the LC's catches everything... especially Mike's Hands... ouch! I wonder if the "Master" is up to going with his students this Sunday? :twisted:

McMeathead wrote: Where do I get this lure? Who makes it? Lol, I have no idea what any of this means... LC FM110 "Factory Tune" Sound Mute Metallic Iwashi Sardine:confused:
Lucky Craft Flash Minnow 110 "Factory Tune" is the special eddition directly from the factory in Japan, "Sound Mute" doesn't have the extra BB inside, don't need the extra rattle in the surf. Metallic Sardine color pattern, good luck finding them. ;)

FreeWilly wrote: Holy crap....
Nice report and congrats on the big Leo. That catch is going to be stuck in your mind for life.
Forever... or at least until I get a bigger one! ;) :mrgreen:

FishBandit wrote: Thats some serious BENDO ACTION. Love it.
The bendo pics don't do justice to the actual battle. That was a medium/heavy rod, it could handle just about anything. I was more worried about the #10 line.

BassMaster818 wrote: AWESOME JOB WINGNUT!
Damn that shark is BIG!
My only wish is that I can catch a Striper half that size! :lol: :mrgreen:

[CASTAWAY]

CASTAWAY wrote: This is a great report. Well done Arthur. Good job bringing
that PB in. You got skills, skills, skills.....

Wingnut wrote: Thanks Tony, when are you getting out there?!? :D


I'll be ready to go out on the salt beginning of June. Trying to get things
together right now and my schedule is tight. I will charter out of Newport
landing either half day or three fourth day trip. Believe me, I'm working on
getting out there. I can't let you have all the fun.:D

[GeordyBass]

WINGNUT:
"My only wish is that I can catch a Striper half that size!"

LOL Me too!Lets Get ready for pyramid!Kill Them all!

[Wingnut]

CASTAWAY wrote: I'll be ready to go out on the salt beginning of June. Trying to get things together right now and my schedule is tight. I will charter out of Newport landing either half day or three fourth day trip. Believe me, I'm working on getting out there. I can't let you have all the fun.
Hey Tony, don't get stuck on a boat all day, come out and fish the surf! :cool: :D

Bassmaster818 wrote: LOL Me too!Lets Get ready for pyramid!Kill Them all!
Oh yeahhh, those Pyramid Stripers will get a rude awakening very soon. :twisted:

[CASTAWAY]

Hey Tony, don't get stuck on a boat all day, come out and fish the surf! :cool: :D

Now that I had time to think about it, doesn't sound like a bad idea to
hit the surf. Slow and steady retrieve right?;):D

[ZenDragon]

You are truely blessed my friend! You could've become a marine biologist with all the various fish that you've caught and released! You remind me of a friend of mine...he can catch fish in a puddle of water, simply has the knack! And as always, another fantastic report! Thnx for the tips too! Take care, Fish on Brother!