74Formula233

Myself, my father, and "Seacraft74HP" Dave left Allen Harbor 4 AM. Had 2 guys drop out, and they were to soon found out how sorry they’d be LOLOLOL ……….Fresh Blues caught by 7-ish AM, and we headed to one of 2 areas we were considering. One was east, one was south. We picked south. I felt the water near where we got our Thresher last week was still holding some respectable fish.

No discernable break where we went, but just real nice water. Porpoises, tons of bait being chased around, clean, clean water……and an “open spot” amongst the huge number of guys out (due to Sat’s Blow).

Today’s conditions were a carbon copy of last Sunday. No wind, strange tide, baits all over, slick another direction, boat rotating LOL. So I knew the drill on how to handle this LOL. Lines were in/situated by 9 AM.

Almost an hour in, we had our first blue. An 8 footer, very strong. Tagged him and set that bait back up. Not long after, had a good pull on another bait. Dave sets the hook, but then the line goes slack. Gone.

About 11 or so, get another blue come by with a tag. Figured it was like last week, and it was the one we tagged earlier in the morning. Blue took the pitch, Dave fought it, brought it boat-side where I looked at the tag, and it wasn’t ours, and was older looking, so I snipped it and got ready to re-tag. Then the blue starts rolling quickly, and wraps herself up, and in the struggle, somehow grabbed the “belly” line of one of our other baits with her huge tail. What an abortion.

I grabbed her by the tail and held it at the gunnel, while Dave started to make sense of the mess. Between the 2 of us and a couple snips here and there, we pulled the nest off her….all but the 4-5 feet of steel attached to the hook. Just couldn’t get down there to get it. She was bending 180 degrees and snapping at us, trying her damnest to get us LOL. Anyway, once this mess was cleaned up, new Tag was inserted, and off she swam. I looked down at myself, and I was covered in shit! She shat all over my THERMZ shirt in the struggle LOLOL. Stunk too!

Anyway, changed my shirt LOL. Dave goes below for a snooze shortly after this last debacle. My father sitting at the helm “relaxing”.

I can’t sleep while sharking….never really could. So I chum, stare at the slick, etc., and watch the lines. I see a fin come up and circle the float on one of our deeper baits, and then the clicker sang for a sec as he whacked the float. The way it was swimming (ripple pattern) and the look of the dorsal fin had me 99% sure it was a Mako. So, I wake up Dave and tell him to get his ass out here LOL. He, too, saw it and was thinking the same thing.

I grab the rod from the holder, ready to act….waiting for the shark to swim down and find the bait, which often happens in a case like this. Couple pulls, then nothing. Could have been the shark hitting the line too.

Then our next shallower bait pulls a couple times quickly, then starts screaming……I grab the rod, hesitant to try to set the hook yet for fear of pulling it. As I expected, the fish slowed right down, paused……tugged a few times (probably eating it), then took off screaming……

I threw the lever to Strike and raised the tip sky high, several times in a row to make a solid hook

As soon as I do this, the Mako (we were right LOL) goes airborne, doing backflips! Spectacular show, going airborne at least 3 times. He’s a fat SOB too! As he’s doing this, I’m half watching him, half watching the line, and I see it go slack, so I quickly recover the slack and get tight on him, and off he races…..

Game on, and we all start getting everything ready for an eventual (hopefully) kill. Dave gets flyer & rope ready, tail-rope, etc etc…..my father powers up and I start giving him direction on the fish. This Mako is all over the place, requiring some careful maneuvering……he repeatedly heads for the running gear and/or the bow LOL.

Through very careful maneuvering, we kept him from fouling on the gear and breaking off, though a couple times he got himself under us……..

First time to the boat he was way too green to stick, and he even at one point was about 10 feet away and turned, 90 degrees to the gunnel, facing Dave and I teeth-first, and I swore he was lining himself up to race at us and hop in the cockpit!!!!

I said “Holy Shit, Dave watch out!” We backed up and stepped aside a bit, but then he took off again. Next time to the boat, he was tiring enough to take a whack at him. So, Dave sinks the flyer in him, he throws a fit, rolling, twisting, thrashing, but between the rope on the flyer and the gear attached to the rod still, we got him under control enough to tail-rope him. Cinched up the rope, tied off, and started towing the fat basturd.

Cleaned up a bit of the mess around the cockpit quickly, then pulled the Mako alongside close enough for me to get a few good jabs in the gills with a stiff-bladed knife. Rolled him over, and did it again on the other side. He was trying to get me the whole time, though towing him was making it tougher LOL. Once we saw blood pumping nicely, we dropped him back.

Set a course for home, put her on Autopilot, and slowly towed him while he bled out, and cleaned up our gear, chum, baitboard, etc etc.

By the time we were done, he was done LOL. Dave and I hauled him over the gunnel by the tail, put a bucket over his head, and pushed him head-first along the gunnel in the shade, head in the stern corner. Covered him with a couple big towels and kept him wet on the ride home with the washdown. Powered up, and steamed in for a very nice ride!

This was one fat friggin’ fish, and, as a result, much heavier than I expected.

We guessed 150# “all day”, based on lifting him and his girth. He was much fatter than average LOL. Fork Length alone was a good 67”.

What an awesome day! Like last Sunday we weren’t sure what to expect about the sharking when we got there, due to the drift and wind.......but it turned out just fine…..AGAIN! And the ride in was as flat as the ride out….AGAIN LOL!

I apologize for not having pics yet, but I will have them tonite. My father’s got them on his camera, and he’ll be over tonite helping me vacuum-pack Mako Steaks LOLOL. I’ll post ‘em up tonite. Should be some good ones!

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Rover74

Eric congrats on the mako. You should have stopped and bought a lottery ticket on your way home. 2 for 2...not too shabby

Albatross

Awesome Report!

Seacraft74HP

Sleeping brings Good Luck! (Anyway I wasn't REALLY sleeping in the cabin I just went down there to bring some good luck up to the boat and it WORKED!)......MAKO, THAT's HOW WE DO IT!
Sorry for those two souls who didn't make it, but this isn't like fishing for blue gills in the pond! Well at least the one guy who said "I'm In! I'm in!" for the trip and didn't make it (do to a hard night out and cancelling less than 12 hrs. to go) got to cover for some of the fuel expense.....hey at least he'll be getting a mako steak (a small tail piece that is LOL!)

Thanks again to The Seabury's! Glad I could be of assitance. Always an adventure! (Actually made it to work today! WHOA).
HP

ReelCrazySportfishing

Great Report!!!!
Congrats on the last couple of trips!!!!!!!!!!

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www.ReelCrazySportfishing.com
Connecticut Charter Fishing
www.fishermansparadisect.com

Andy

Great report Eric cant wait to see the pictures

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http://cthuntingnshooting.com/

On The Edge

Great Report i guess there will be some Steaks on a few tables this week..

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Catch um up

1999 proline 2202 wa
1999 200 merc

fightingcouch

nice what did the mako hit on??? and what did you read for water temp?????

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Blake Conlin
tight linzzzzzzzzzzzz
F-troop Ch.68/19

http://www.lennysnow.com/history.htm

pete

Congrats to you guys on a very nice fish! I hope you're gonna try for the 3rd?

pete

cruisecontrol

Great Job Eric. I am looking for a couple of good weather days to get in a canyon trip. The offshore weather does'nt look good as far as I can see at this time.

Dave