# 45-lb / 45-inch Red off of Sunglow



## KodiakZach (Mar 16, 2005)

Fished for about an hour Saturday day afternoon. Water was muddy as he|| and I didn't see 1 single fish caught on the entire Sunglow Pier. All I had were $7 worth of select shrimp, but the water was so dirty a fish would have to have bumped into the shrimp to have seen it, so I left.

About 3 hours later I get a call from my buddy Brendan telling me about the 45-lb / 45-inch Red he caught on my buddy Harry's 10-ft surf pole. WOW! Nobody really caught anything there that day, except for the monsterrrrr Red!  

Brendan (who reads these forums) told me in reference to the previously locked thread that he now agrees that a Big ocean ran Red is a tough competitor (I won't elaborate for fear of getting this thread derailed/locked  ). Anyway, without further ado, here is the beast he pulled in:

Chris on the left, Brendan in the middle and Harry in the Red jacket and Ricky Bobby on the far right:


















I wish I would have been there to see this beast in person. Apparently some dude in a purple hoody (that nobody on the pier knew) kept jumping in the pics. Was that you Jettypark?


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

And the boys up north thought we didn't get big reds.


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

Great fish... 
is there a water flow there or just a pier.. That would have been a great fight. I would love to fight that with out a water flow... 
That purple guy like to touch the fish eh??? Kind of creepy.
Great fish and congratz to the fisherman....Great fish...


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## KodiakZach (Mar 16, 2005)

Ammendment to earlier post: Fish was actually 48 inches long and 45-lbs


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## jettypark28 (Jun 23, 2006)

*Good looking fish*

for a ocean red and no i am taller and purple isnt my color Zach   Zach when they bring those big boys up on the pier, How do they put turn them loose?? do they walk them back down onto the beach or just lower them back with the net?? I have heard people debate this also, i have always taken the fish back down, then walk it to make sure it was okay. But some say that lower it back down in the net wont hurt them. And like alway i had to disagree with that oh what did they catch it on?? and yea Vic that guy in Purple look like he was ready to grab that fish and take off running (GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY FISH)


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

We drop ours Head first but if the guy is rookie we lower them down at SI... Must be head first or they belly flop and it stuns them and they turn into shark food... Great fish. Wish I had a pic of mine... minus the creepy purple guy...


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

Nice Azz fish Man! taht 4th pic IS a cool angle, Really makes it look like a monster. :beer:


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## KodiakZach (Mar 16, 2005)

Depends on the person doing the releasing. Personally if I am at a location where they can be revived, then I will do it. On the pier however, most of the bigguns are caught on big game tackle and reeled in very quickly so they don't need reviving. Normally one of the more experienced guys will head first the fish back into the water. I was told that fish was out of the water for about 1.5 minutes max. I have yet to see a monster released off of Sunglow and come up floating. Not true from some of the other places I've seen some bigguns caught/released from.

Generally speaking, the fish doesn't really need reviving if you whoop it quickly (like 10 minutes). However, when you whoop a Red that big in the 'goon on 12-lb test and play with him for an hour before landing him then he will almost assuredly need reviving.


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## jettypark28 (Jun 23, 2006)

*I heard*

that dropping them head first off boats was just as good as anything else. But off the SI pier i can hear that fish sceaming from Orlando i can see dropping them from the rocks head first, but from the pier. Wouldnt that hurt them if you drop them from any tall height?? as for me if i see a guy in purple while i am fishing, one eye will be on him at all times Just read the info on dropping the fish, thanks for clearing that up for me...


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## KodiakZach (Mar 16, 2005)

If the distance from release down to the water is short enough that you can pretty much guarantee a face first entry, then no. When you get higher up and get to the point where if you send him down face first and by the time he makes it to the water he may*or*may*not*be still going down face first, then that is too high. How do I know? I've seen it done the right way and the wrong way. Let me say that seeing it done the wrong way which results in floating fish makes me very angry.


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## Dolphinpier (Aug 15, 2006)

With all the large Reds I've caught from the jetty at SI I have released all with a net. I feel better doing this for several reasons. You drop the fish and he flops on the way down could cause a belly flop or the fish could make a sudden turn as he hits the water and do a nose dive into the rocks. Neither is good for the fish. Also holding it up like that is said not to be good for their internal organs. Don't know for sure about that.

When we release them with a net their weight is supported from head to tail. When the net gets to the water I lower it below the water and pull it up and down until the fish swims away on its own. Doing it this way just makes me feel better and hopefully the fish also.

Jimmy


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

Dolphinpier said:


> When we release them with a net their weight is supported from head to tail. When the net gets to the water I lower it below the water and pull it up and down until the fish swims away on its own. Doing it this way just makes me feel better and hopefully the fish also.
> 
> Jimmy


That is probably the best way... I have yet to float one but I will try to net them from now on...


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## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

We put 'em back with the net at Jax and Ft. Clinch.... 

For my money, that's the ONLY way to do it.

Congrats to those guys on a HELLUVA good fish!:fishing:


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## rhorm (Mar 25, 2005)

I've never landed anything that big but, I agree with KZ and I usually put em back head first. If I was on the skyway or a bridge I would use a net. I put em back quickly though.


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

I will point out one thing, In pics 2&3,Holding a 45lb fish by the gill plates cannot be good handling practices 

And the touron in the purple is just F'n WIERD man


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## KodiakZach (Mar 16, 2005)

barty b said:


> I will point out one thing, In pics 2&3,Holding a 45lb fish by the gill plates cannot be good handling practices


Yeah, I had lunch with Brendan today and pointed out how bad holding big fish like that vertically can be for them and he wasn't aware of it. He did say that he would be aware of it for the next fish and try to remember to hold it horizontally supported like in the first pic. He's a good guy and just learning the ropes (PRETTY QUICKLY) for catching the bigguns like we are lucky enough to have down here in FL.


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

KodiakZach said:


> Yeah, I had lunch with Brendan today and pointed out how bad holding big fish like that vertically can be for them and he wasn't aware of it. He did say that he would be aware of it for the next fish and try to remember to hold it horizontally supported like in the first pic. He's a good guy and just learning the ropes (PRETTY QUICKLY) for catching the bigguns like we are lucky enough to have down here in FL.



i didnt want to say anything and start a pissing match, but definately, them big fish dont like being held like that. rips internal organs and the like. but its a nice fish man. a bull red is always fun.


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## MarkDido (Jul 6, 2003)

barty b said:


> I will point out one thing, In pics 2&3,Holding a 45lb fish by the gill plates cannot be good handling practices
> 
> And the touron in the purple is just F'n WIERD man


He looks like a VERY young Joe Peschi


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## SeaSalt (Apr 29, 2002)

haahaa... who's the guy in the purple hoodie, fannie pack, mc hammer sweatpants and 80s sun glasses... that is too funny that you guys didn't know who he was.


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

SeaSalt said:


> haahaa... who's the guy in the purple hoodie, fannie pack, mc hammer sweatpants and 80s sun glasses... that is too funny that you guys didn't know who he was.


The more I think about it the creeper it gets... 
hey KZ see what happens when your not there helping you buddies... -Strange purple hooded guys show up...


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

*Awesome*

beautiful fish. Congrats on the catch!!!:beer: :beer:


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## KodiakZach (Mar 16, 2005)

VICIII said:


> The more I think about it the creeper it gets...
> hey KZ see what happens when your not there helping you buddies... -Strange purple hooded guys show up...


I was thinking he might be the UnaBomber's little bro


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

KodiakZach said:


> I was thinking he might be the UnaBomber's little bro


little gay purple bro....


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