Railroader
10-25-2006, 07:39 PM
Please forgive this post in the Open Forum, but I think you'll all enjoy the tale...It's the crowning moment of my wife's fishing career, and she deserves this "15 minutes of fame".
It's just before sunrise on the last day of our three day fishin' trip to Jacksonville Beach Pier. It's 48 degrees and windy. The last two days have been mediocre at best, and it's down to the wire, now or never.
I've just gotten the baits in the water, and I'm un-hooking the umpteenth bluefish of the trip, when her rod starts screaming...She picks it up, tightens the drag a half turn, and leans back. BIG FISH on!
Now the game begins, a big angry something or other on one end, and my wife with her Penn 6500 SS full of 20# on a 7' 10-25# rod on the other. The first run was a long one, it got about 3/4 of the line, and then it was give and take, mostly give, on her part.
Here's a pic, 10 minutes in...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/Rob69/1077small.jpg
The game continued, with the still unknown fish running her back and forth across the "T". We still had the pier to ourselves at this point, so she and the fish had plenty of time.
Here's another pic, about 30 minutes in...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/Rob69/1079small.jpg
The sun's coming up, but we still have not seen this fish, cause he's never given but about half the line back. It's still back and forth, give a little, get a little....
45 minutes in....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/Rob69/1080small.jpg
It's obvious in the pic that she's TIRED, but Mr. Red ain't thru yet. She got him up and to the pier, with the 40# shock leader on the reel, when he decided to try one more time, and headed for the beach.
All hail the Spider Hitch to Yucatan, because right about now the two knots made about 5 or 6trips thru the guides and on and off the reel.
By this time, we're 50 yards up the pier toward the beach, and my net's out on the end....Thanks to the unknown fisherman who appeared out of nowhere with his net, and helped me haul up the biggest fish of my wife's career....Total time on the rod, 56 minutes!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/Rob69/1081small.jpg
Needless to say, she was one happy camper.
The best part of this whole thing was along the way, she remarked that she could feel the power and the will of this fish to not give up. She could feel when he was about to run again, and when he was getting tired. She begged and prayed for the fish to swim off when we lowered him back into the water with the net, and he did just that. Let's just say, She gets it!
Gentlemen, I NEVER touched the rod, and outside of a little verbal coaching, she did this herself from start to finish.
I couldn't be prouder to have a real fisherman for a wife.....
It's just before sunrise on the last day of our three day fishin' trip to Jacksonville Beach Pier. It's 48 degrees and windy. The last two days have been mediocre at best, and it's down to the wire, now or never.
I've just gotten the baits in the water, and I'm un-hooking the umpteenth bluefish of the trip, when her rod starts screaming...She picks it up, tightens the drag a half turn, and leans back. BIG FISH on!
Now the game begins, a big angry something or other on one end, and my wife with her Penn 6500 SS full of 20# on a 7' 10-25# rod on the other. The first run was a long one, it got about 3/4 of the line, and then it was give and take, mostly give, on her part.
Here's a pic, 10 minutes in...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/Rob69/1077small.jpg
The game continued, with the still unknown fish running her back and forth across the "T". We still had the pier to ourselves at this point, so she and the fish had plenty of time.
Here's another pic, about 30 minutes in...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/Rob69/1079small.jpg
The sun's coming up, but we still have not seen this fish, cause he's never given but about half the line back. It's still back and forth, give a little, get a little....
45 minutes in....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/Rob69/1080small.jpg
It's obvious in the pic that she's TIRED, but Mr. Red ain't thru yet. She got him up and to the pier, with the 40# shock leader on the reel, when he decided to try one more time, and headed for the beach.
All hail the Spider Hitch to Yucatan, because right about now the two knots made about 5 or 6trips thru the guides and on and off the reel.
By this time, we're 50 yards up the pier toward the beach, and my net's out on the end....Thanks to the unknown fisherman who appeared out of nowhere with his net, and helped me haul up the biggest fish of my wife's career....Total time on the rod, 56 minutes!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/Rob69/1081small.jpg
Needless to say, she was one happy camper.
The best part of this whole thing was along the way, she remarked that she could feel the power and the will of this fish to not give up. She could feel when he was about to run again, and when he was getting tired. She begged and prayed for the fish to swim off when we lowered him back into the water with the net, and he did just that. Let's just say, She gets it!
Gentlemen, I NEVER touched the rod, and outside of a little verbal coaching, she did this herself from start to finish.
I couldn't be prouder to have a real fisherman for a wife.....