Well, it started bad, I over slept. Got on the harbor around 6 am, hit the honey hole with some sandworms to get some porgies...this time not for lunch or dinner...but for bait. Out of an hour of work trying to get them to the kayak with a tiny pole...it was fun, landed about 20 of them, 5 keepers over 11"...and one strange fish was in the mix. It was the size of a porgy, but it was white, had a rounded head, and one black dot on it's side. I've never seen one like that, but I went to grab the fish lipper, and it jumped off the hook in mid air and went back home. But I had enough bait now. So I headed for deeper waters.
Yesterday I bought that Daiwa 55 lb boat braid, so I wanted to use it. I spooled up one reel all the way, and the other reel 1/3 of the way, the other thirds were 50 lb power pro braid and 40 lb mono. Well, I took a porgy, put a 6/0 circle hook in it's nostrals, 50 lb mono leader, 1/8 once weight...and dropped it to the bottom of the channel in the harbor, and peddled across the channel and when I was back up to about 20 ft of water, I dropped my rock on a rope anchor and just cracked a beer, and tossed the other pole to see if there were any porgies around. Porgy pole twitches, so I thought I'd have some fun... started to play with a porgy... and all of a sudden the dropped porgy on a hook banged hard, and it was pulling drag. I set the small pole aside, and just got the other pole in my hands and cranked it from the bait runner mode to full mode...and bam....the pole was bending like crazy. The normal drag was sat just enough to let a decent fish run....I had to crank like crazy and it was still pulling drag. I had the second 1/3 of the power pro out, and the drag was whizzing into the mono...I tightened the drag, the boat was moving and pulling a 20 lb rock on the bottom. I thought about un-clipping the anchor line so I can chase the fish...but my hand just reached up to tighten the drag some more a few clicks...which worked, because I was able to turn the fish around and was able to finally get some thread back on the spool. All the mono was back, and I looked down to see the green power pro braid come back on the spool, and I was cranking and cranking..... then the fish turned again...and started to take drag like crazy.... me and that fish now knows something exciting is going to happen. I reach for another few clicks of drag....and try to turn the fish again.... it wouldn't turn... and I remembered the anchor...I can just reach down and unclick it and give the fish a little more drag to run....and I can chase it. I guess the fish had more of a second wind than I thought...and it bolted..... the next thing I know...twing!!! pole goes straight... and the fish got away with a hook, a sinker, 40-60 yards of Daiwa Boat Braid, and 80 yards of power pro braid. That fish cleanly snapped 50 lb braid like it was nothing. I was soo pumped up with adrenalin that I was shaking.... I think I shook for about 30 minutes..... no fish...but I had a fight with one that might have been something huge.
After getting my composure back, I grabbed the other pole that has 100% boat braid on it...a full 300 yards! So I rig it to the same set up, put on another porgy, drop him from the other side of the channel, and work my way across...set up anchor, and get the small pole set up for more small fish to play with...because huge fish wont bite twice right... at least not for an hour or two? Wrong again. I guess the second porgy was fit enough to swim up to the surface.....because as I was playing with the small pole...I hear the Coast Guard Speed ship whiz by me...and the next thing I know....my pole is going stupid crazy and then stopped. That boat ate my new $40 line. I pull up anchor mad as can be and go back across to see if the line floats or anything...nothing.
Re-rig again. Dropped another one, went to the other side... waited, and waited... then pulled the line to see if anything would happen... BAM... Fish on.... not as much drag as before.....the the line goes limp. Pulled up an empty hook. Grabbed another porgy...repeat process again...
Sat for maybe an hour, small pole did nothing, that big sail boat went by with a lot of people waving at me...so trying to look cool for an audience...I picked up the pole and start reeling it in....felt like a nible.... nah.... felt like I was pulling in seaweed again. Wait a minute, that seaweed moved...or did it? A few more cranks.... yup seaweed.... then a tug tug..... set the hook motion performed.....nope sea weed..... but I look cool for people on passing boat..... play with it.... play with it.... act like I'm setting the hook on a monster....so I tug hard....and I about crapped my pants..... I did have a monster on the line.... but it felt like I was just bringing up a 20 lb mass of seaweed..... so I kept reeling it in, and when the fish was next to the boat...it ran and pulled drag....I got him this time...but no fight like the last one. Just as I got it to the kayak, it was a nice huge bluefish, around 36-38"...and just as before...as soon as I reached to get the Boga grips...the fish chomped thru the 50 lb mono leader I was using. At least the people on the boat got to see some nice splashing.
Re-rig...repeat... went to the other side again...and I wasn't going to lose another blue fish...so I used a 12" wire leader to a hook, dropped the porgy and did the same thing...wait for a bite. Nothing hit, so I reeled in, but the tension was hard....felt like sea weed again.... It was my other half of the boat braid the boat ate.... happy...I went home with a huge grin. Gave the left over porgies to the guys on the dock to use as bait.
I'm all excited again.... can't wait to land a big something.