bachiboy
03-31-2012, 07:19 PM
So, it was my friend Nate’s birthday today, so we went out on an early morning session since we got the blessings from the wives to spend a few hours hunting his first surf/LC hali. For his Bday, I gave him a twin of the LC I painted which caught my first LC butt a few days ago, along with a couple of bottles of UniButter, which he’s been wanting to try out.
We got to the beach at the crack of dawn and start flingin. About ten minutes into it I catch a pup leo and release. Nate gets a pup about ten minutes later to get the skunk off. We start making our moves up the beach and he gets hammered but pops off the fish and the new lure I gave him. We had been seeing a few bigger model leos cruising so we figured that what took him. A little while later as I’m working the holes, I turn and see that he hooked up again. I go over and see what’s bending and he’s just shaking his head...”I ain’t never gonna get this thing.” I asked, “Why? What pound test you got...6?” and he replied, “Yep.” :Rolls Eyes: He stays on it for quite a while before he finally pulled the hook. While he reties, I cast out and get slammed...set the hook...no go...ten cranks later...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! I put pressure on him cuz I figured, at least I’m using 12#, and he gets his freedom...kinda forgot that I’m not using Super Mutus out here. I get a straightened hook back. We both regroup and get back to work. Nate hooks up for a third time and I decide to shadow him for the fight. About 10 minutes into it, I realize that he’s gonna be on for a long time so I get back to casting. Three casts later I’m hooked up. I had backed off the drag a bit, but he seemed to be coming in fairly easy. I get him about 20 feet a way and I see that he’s been playing opossum. It’s around 4 feet long and after that glimpse, he puts on his track shoes and makes me follow, in the opposite direction of Nate. I end up about a 1/4 mile up the beach weaving through the surfers, who were getting a kick outta watching me get smoked. :LOL: About 30 minutes later, Nate comes walking up and says that he finally pulled the hook. He hangs with me and helps me beach my beast. I’ve caught leos before but nothing near this big. He tapes out at 56”. :EyePop: We set him free and make some more casts for about a half hour for nothing and head home. All in all we had a blast and even though he didn’t get his first butt, he was pretty damned happy to get on some fish that pull.
The lure I got him on had Owner 41s which seemed to handle the pressure a little better than the Gamakatsu wide gaps that straightened on me. I’m sure the Gama’s are fine but just a little overwhelmed by fish this size.
I’ve attached some visual stimulus of the day’s outcome. Enjoy...
Nate's pup threaded on the hooks like a nightcrawler and him bent on a bigger model
3427034269
Me bent on my bigger model
34265
The beast and me. The tape measure I have tops out at 60"...laying next to him. Stretched out, it came to 56".
3427134272
The release
34268
The arsenal...notice the bent Gamakatsu.
3426734264
This trip also might have cost me my iPhone. It got a little damp and was wiggin out. It's in a bag of rice right now to see if it still has life. Oh well...kinda worth it cuz the phone is an older model that I was looking to upgrade and DAMN that was fun!:LOL:
I'm off to San Diego with the family tomorrow night for a few days and have been given clearance to work the mornings for a couple of hours. I'll let you know if I up the score! Wish me luck...I can use all that I can get.
We got to the beach at the crack of dawn and start flingin. About ten minutes into it I catch a pup leo and release. Nate gets a pup about ten minutes later to get the skunk off. We start making our moves up the beach and he gets hammered but pops off the fish and the new lure I gave him. We had been seeing a few bigger model leos cruising so we figured that what took him. A little while later as I’m working the holes, I turn and see that he hooked up again. I go over and see what’s bending and he’s just shaking his head...”I ain’t never gonna get this thing.” I asked, “Why? What pound test you got...6?” and he replied, “Yep.” :Rolls Eyes: He stays on it for quite a while before he finally pulled the hook. While he reties, I cast out and get slammed...set the hook...no go...ten cranks later...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! I put pressure on him cuz I figured, at least I’m using 12#, and he gets his freedom...kinda forgot that I’m not using Super Mutus out here. I get a straightened hook back. We both regroup and get back to work. Nate hooks up for a third time and I decide to shadow him for the fight. About 10 minutes into it, I realize that he’s gonna be on for a long time so I get back to casting. Three casts later I’m hooked up. I had backed off the drag a bit, but he seemed to be coming in fairly easy. I get him about 20 feet a way and I see that he’s been playing opossum. It’s around 4 feet long and after that glimpse, he puts on his track shoes and makes me follow, in the opposite direction of Nate. I end up about a 1/4 mile up the beach weaving through the surfers, who were getting a kick outta watching me get smoked. :LOL: About 30 minutes later, Nate comes walking up and says that he finally pulled the hook. He hangs with me and helps me beach my beast. I’ve caught leos before but nothing near this big. He tapes out at 56”. :EyePop: We set him free and make some more casts for about a half hour for nothing and head home. All in all we had a blast and even though he didn’t get his first butt, he was pretty damned happy to get on some fish that pull.
The lure I got him on had Owner 41s which seemed to handle the pressure a little better than the Gamakatsu wide gaps that straightened on me. I’m sure the Gama’s are fine but just a little overwhelmed by fish this size.
I’ve attached some visual stimulus of the day’s outcome. Enjoy...
Nate's pup threaded on the hooks like a nightcrawler and him bent on a bigger model
3427034269
Me bent on my bigger model
34265
The beast and me. The tape measure I have tops out at 60"...laying next to him. Stretched out, it came to 56".
3427134272
The release
34268
The arsenal...notice the bent Gamakatsu.
3426734264
This trip also might have cost me my iPhone. It got a little damp and was wiggin out. It's in a bag of rice right now to see if it still has life. Oh well...kinda worth it cuz the phone is an older model that I was looking to upgrade and DAMN that was fun!:LOL:
I'm off to San Diego with the family tomorrow night for a few days and have been given clearance to work the mornings for a couple of hours. I'll let you know if I up the score! Wish me luck...I can use all that I can get.