# Huge catches



## Youngbuck757. (Jan 10, 2013)

Post your biggest catch! Post your best stories ! And maybe we will have a river rig discussion  GO!


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## george76904 (Mar 10, 2013)

Ok, so last August my family took a trip to Alligator Point, FL. Off fresh caught mullet we were hammering the huge top cats I mean anywhere from 2-8 pounds regularly. Well I walked over to to my dads light combo a daiwa sealine x paired with a Tica uhea 11 ft. Rod. I just happen to see a small bite akin with a fish small enough for use as live sharkbait. ( we could see large spinners jumping a hundred or so yards out). Anyway my dad was insisting that the fish biting was way to small to bother about. Well me being me, I promptly picked up the rod anyway. I felt a tug and instinctively pulled there was WAY more resistance for a baitfish. It ran peeling out probably 50 yards, I panicked I hadn't caught many fish that exceeded 15 pounds. I was really hoping it was a shark and my father of the same opinion instructed me on how to properly "baby" the fish in. The fish however did not return the babying favor nor did he want to come in. I must have sat there for 30 minutes northern of us gaining much water. Finally I managed to tire the "shark" out enough to get him close enough to see a HUGE redfish. I got him close enough for my father to grab the leader, and haul him up onto the beach. We kept the 30+ pound redfish out of the water long enough to snap a few pics and make a lot of memories.


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## Surfmantom (Jun 6, 2012)

Mine was not a success story. So I have been shark fishing for a few years without much luck, i have had 2 penn 113 and a penn 114 in the past, but without a kayak to take the bait out I sold those rigs. I ended up using my 209 on a 12ft surf rod for casted shark baits. So last summer me aand my bro were in Holdens beach in NC and he had caught a nice 12lb or so bluefish. It was an 8/0 j hook caught up deep in his throat so he was not gonna live. So I turned him into cutbait to cast on my 209. I can cast my 209 about 80yds plus I wade out to cast so my bait is about 100yds out. I went and casted out a fist sized piece and 20-30 minutes later the 209 started going. I was not a blacktip or spinner run. I was slow, steady, and had no intention to stop. I got my fighting belt on and fought the shark for only about a minute or two when he bit through my 150lb mono leader. Now i have started taking shark fishing more serious, I now have a kayak, a penn 115, and another penn 114.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Can't wait to see Garboman's post on this'n.....  opcorn:


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## Surfmantom (Jun 6, 2012)

LOL Drumdum I may be pretty new here but I know about Garboman


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## scoutfrog (Feb 19, 2013)

Well, I'm new to the saltwater thing,(haven't actually fished salt yet), headed to South Ga. May 28th - June5th. But my huge catch was from a peir so here goes...
Father's Day morning 2011, my only child that still lives at home, was at his mother's that morning. I figured I'd get in some fishing that morning before meeting up with them all for lunch. I heaed to the bottem side of the local dam to do a little lite fishing. Was using a Bass Pro Comp. 7ft med-lt spinning rod and a Mitchell Impact 30 reel spooled with 8lb mono. I was using either a #6or #8 hook(can't remember) and wax worms for bait. I was fishing stright down about 10-12 ft. and had pulled in 3 strip bass about 1lb ea, 3 drum about the same size and 1 bream I would call huge. Then on one drop, something hit my hook hard. I thought, O.K. I got a big drum, and set the hook! Well the hook set, came loose and them just stopped! O.K., this happens a lot, the hook comes loose and snags the peir, all I have to do is give it slack and It will fall loose. So I give it slack and "IT" swims against the current and won't come up! Did I say I only had 8bl test on the reel! I run my drag loose just for fun and I just played with the fish for a couple mins. Then he decides to come to the surface and i was amazes to see a Huge paddle fish. So for the next 30 mins he would swim to the surface and then just lazily swim back down deep. Then a guy fishing nearby ask if I wanted him to grab it the next pass he came up? I said (well I won't put that here in case lottle eyes see this) I said yes!! It measured 4 1/2 feet. Don't know the exact weight, the only scale anyone had bottomed at 30lb. I was told based on size, 40-45lbs. Based on where I hooked him, about 6ins from the corner of his mouth out on his bill, I figure another fish took my bait and when I pulled up, the hook came out of it's mouth and snaged this one. I caught him just after the season closed so he was set free. he just swam off as slowly as he was while I had him hooked.


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## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

I have had a few memorable catches in my life some stemming from Drum fishing and some from twenty summers spent King Fishing

I thought of a Sunday in early May 1994 when the end of Rodanthe pier was full of tourists taking sea mullet and the occasional puppy drum, no one from Rodanthe was out on the end that afternoon yet as it was still early in the season

I had gone to Rodanthe Creek and I had a cooler full of three pound jumping mullet on ice

I had my Surf Sticks and Abu 9000's and I was trying for Cobia on the bottom as a good sized swell had the water somewhat discolored and unfit for live baiting

I would take turns rotating my baits (fishing two rods) ten minutes or less after I cast out small biter sharks would attack the mullet and for a brief few seconds the clicker would wail and then it would stop

I must of decked a dozen or more of the small biters when my Black 9000 began a steady wail on the clicker, and in anticipation I set the rod with force, we used 25 pound line mostly in those days and one would walk back and really try and bury the hook in the quarry's jaw.

The fish I was hooked to had weight I knew it was either a big biter or it was my quarry and as the fish steady kept stripping yardage off the 9000 I started feeling more confident that the fish was large and that it was well hooked.

The fish came up on top (another good sign) and at a distance of nearly three hundred yards I could see the dark back of a full grown Cobia moving off shore with powerful strokes of his tail. 

Even from that three football field's worth of distance I knew the fish was well over fifty pounds and likely a good deal more

I put pressure on the fish and you can do that when you have a 9/0 hook and turned the fish towards the pier, funny thing was that no one around me even noticed I had the fish on and I was starting to wonder if I was going to have to gaff the fish by myself or send one of the tourists for a competent gaff man from the pier house.

I got back perhaps three quarters of the spool of line when the line suddenly went slack and it was with great dismay I knew that I had lost the fish

Glumly reeling in my rig to check it, the firm body section of mullet I had cast out looked brand new and untouched still dripping a bit of blood, if I had not seen that big Cobia out there on the horizon, I would have been forever perplexed, as it was that big Cobia had mouthed the chunk of mullet in his mouth and never got the hook.

At the time I was a bit dejected and despondent, the people around me kept swinging sea mullet over the rail, not noticing me at all keen and intent on filling their coolers....

I still envision that big Cobia on the surface winding his way making for the outer bar, singularly stroking purposely offshore and for a brief period in time, I had him.........


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## sunburntspike (Oct 4, 2010)

garbo,fwiw,THAT is the reason cobia are my favorite,they play with our senses and just when we gottem figured out they change the rules,.back in 2005(i think) i had one of those summers that every kinger longs for,every trip a fish or bite,put 6 kings and 5 cobes on the deck that summer,but one day stands out.i had got off work early on thursday,the ride down took 3 hours from the job site,so i'll guess i got there (OBXpier) around 2:00 p.m.,being july there was plenty of light left for pinning.my buddy had a double hook up blufish on his rig just as i was tossing out my anchor,so i rig up and slide the bait out and go to rigging the rest of rods.now these boys been fishing since sunrise and hadn't seen a fish all day,my rig was on the inside jigging lane on the north side,second tube in.just as i'm about to put the bucktail on my site caster ,my reel starts screaming,total elapsed time from bait in water to hit -6 mins,tops- had to let the fish get out farther than i wanted to clear lines and he was out a good 200yds and was heading for the inlet,once i had a good fighting lane i reared back,set the hook(s),and he found his accelerator,burned off probably another 75-100 on mid-strike before i got the drag where it felt good.this is the point where the story goes awry,the cobe did his best impression of a wahoo and started hi-tailing it back to the pier,i furiously tried to keep up,only to have em go back north like a bat out hell and spit my hook-total time 15 min.this fish was no where near the biggest i had ever hooked nor landed,maybe 30,but i still remember the look on everyones face when my rig went off after being in the water less time then it takes to tie yer shoes.


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## Ryan Y (Dec 1, 2005)

Catching a bunch of menhaden (Bunker for you northerners) on the point in a 12 foot castnet. Water was cold and the about drowned me pulling against me with the current, I got my five gallon bucket filled with about 12 fish. (they were the biggest I'd ever seen). Everyone else flocked around me like seagulls when I left the rest of the fish sitting in the sand for whoever else wanted them.

Rob A. Cut the first one up and while he was walking back to his spike he got hit...75 pound cobia on the point. I still remember the aluminum bat pings as he hit him over the head. Then he rode him all over buxton on the hood of his truck.


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## Youngbuck757. (Jan 10, 2013)

Great stories! Any pics? Keeps em comin!


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## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

Well......this one time, down at the pier there was this girl.....oh crap this is a fishing story thread


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## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

In 1990 at Rodanthe Pier it was a clear water July week day and the Kings were pretty thick but by after noon the Kings had either eaten all the baits and pretty much whatever was in any of the Rodanthe crew's numerous bait buckets had expired with the near 80 degree water.

Around twenty Kings had been landed that morning by the Rodanthe crew and I am pretty sure I had but one, I think the Redhead had three and Rick Belton may have had four

Stanley had not fished the early morning bite, but got there after noon and made a grand entrance with a hand truck carrying a 100 quart cooler sloshing sound water and cob mullet...

Stanley threw his anchor out off the north end of the Tee and got his fighting rod ready

There had been no fresh bait since early in the morning and everyone was either fishing his last bluefish or his rig was out of the water fishing on credit

Stanley had been to the Sound and had cast netted up some fine cob mullet, there was no bait in the ocean since around 7 AM when the early bluefish run had quit

Stanley had just started sliding one of the cob mullet down his anchor line when a King skied on his bait and took it six feet above the surface of the water, got hooked in the side of the head and after a time went under the gaff. Elapsed time from when the mullet got rigged up ..............four or five seconds....or zero seconds if you want to count that the mullet never actually hit the water......alive anyway......

That mullet never saw it coming.............tough being a mullet you know .......


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## cooper138 (Aug 8, 2012)

One of my biggest but certainly my most memorable was my first slob drum outta the surf, def a night i will never forget. Spent 6 days fishing down on hatteras only picking up slots with a few hitting over 35" nice fish but no brutes. The last night of a 6 day trip we fished we pulled north of the point basically because i had two very novice fishermen and a basically nonfishergirl, the point was busy that night and i didnt really want to have any issues because it was serious drum time for the men and women down there. So we moved our party north closer to the ramp. About two hours later i got my first big fall drum measured 48-50" to excited to get an exact measurement. I remember calling my father to wake him up around midnight, it was one of my best memories. Took the picture into frank and frans to show ginger she congradulated me then slid in a wonderful sarcastic comment about stealing the fish or something like that. She had me fill out the citation paperwork and i was on my way home with a poo eating grin that lasted for a week. Still have that citation hanging up reminds me of that night, my dad and frank and frans, still years later looking at it actually will make my eyes a little watery sometimes because of the emotional happiness that memory brings me. Yes that fish meant that much to me.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Twas back in my 20's,in 76.. I work on flatrate,if the work isn't there I leave.. Well I finished what work I had at about 10 in the morning and made a run for Va Beach wooden pier. I was set on catching my first drum.. Had heard labor day was the time to catch'm,and it was labor day .. Well,as I walked onto the pier with my 10000 abu and 66 lami,noticed a friend of mine throwing a castnet,near the end.. He had caught three mullets,one was a cob,the other was a nice finger,and a third was pretty much a flounder bait.. The cob went to the guy with the castnet,the finger went to a friend of mine Sandy Flannegan aka Tank.. Sandy was a rough talking guy,stood about 5'9" and was as big around as a treestump and told it like it was with a gruff voice,and when he spoke I listened.. He said,you can have the baby if you like,been fishing for two days straight without a bite,and ya best not catch one with it either... 

Well,I took my "flounderbait" and cut the tail off.. Did my best at casting the 10000 as far as I could.. About 5min later,zzzing!! I took the rod and set the hook.. Sandy looked at me and said,"boy if that is a drum you're goin for a swim!!!!" Well it was a drum and Sandy netted it. I was lucky,Sandy's bark was bigger than his bite,secretly I think he liked seeing a newbee catch one as much as he liked catching one.. Now I understand the way he felt,cause I feel that same way as well.. It was my first big drum and the only drum caught off that pier that year.. Back then you could keep them,so I ran as fast as I could dragging that fish to the pierhouse. It weighted 35lbs.. Was 44 to the fork.. I was fit to be tied,and was going to show this drum to everyone I knew,then bring it to my stepfather's cause he said he'd mount it if I caught one.. Had a 75 bronco at the time,and strapped that drum in the seat with a seatbelt,and paraded it to everyone's house that I knew.. After that I went to my stepfather's house,he wasn't home.. SO just took the drum and put it into his freezer..  Wound up mounting it and still have it.. My first drum,and it got me hooked on fishing for drum the rest of my life..


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## Loner (Sep 9, 2009)

Drumdum said:


> Can't wait to see Garboman's post on this'n.....  opcorn:


..Ole G will create one ifn he ain't got one.......BUT WE LOVE EM!!!!..


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Loner said:


> ..Ole G will create one ifn he ain't got one.......BUT WE LOVE EM!!!!..


 He's a dern good writer,and I happen to know the crowd from Rodanthe he hangs with,so no doubt he's got some goodens...


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## Hawk (Feb 19, 2004)

Drumdum said:


> Had a 75 bronco at the time,and strapped that drum in the seat with a seatbelt,and paraded it to everyone's house that I knew.. After that I went to my stepfather's house,he wasn't home.. SO just took the drum and put it into his freezer..  Wound up mounting it and still have it.. My first drum,and it got me hooked on fishing for drum the rest of my life..


And I'll bet you wish you still had that Bronco too!


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## Vinnx (Nov 11, 2012)

Dang.. I've got to get fishing more and catch my monster ><

One of the biggest fish I've caught was a 22.5" Largemouth Bass... This was caught about 6-7 years ago while I was still in HighSchool.. I was fishing a large pond in the middle of my uncle's community out near the Orlando area, the pond was connected to a huge lake by drainage pipe so we knew it had fish. I was probably out there for hours.. from 1pm casting a 7" worm.. My cousins came around to see how it was going around 4pm to chop on me a little that I wasn't going to catch anything.. it wasn't still they started walked back that I FINALLY got a hit. pulled in something like a 16" Largemouth I lifted that fish and yelled out to em with this huge stupid grin on my face.. I made another cast and as soon as that worm hit the surface of the water it was gone! Rod tip started bouncing and it all happened so fast I just started reeling, the fish made a jump and I dropped the rod tip and kept reeling like mad. I finally got that guy out of the water and it wasn't till I saw him side by side next to the smaller fish that I knew I caught a big boy.. 

Anyways.. my cousins had they're jaws on the floor, we took some photos and everyone at my uncles house was going nuts.. and we had a fish bake that very night lol. That was probably the experience that got me hooked on fishing, and now people in the fam recognize me as the kid who actually catches fish ahahaha.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Hawk said:


> And I'll bet you wish you still had that Bronco too!


 NO DOUBT!! I had flared the rear quarters, had 33's on it which was pretty big at the time, as well as headers,three on the tree,painted it in black imron that shined like glass,with the short wheelbase it would go places no one else could,and a 302 that would haul some butt... Sold it for close to what I paid for it new,and had over 100k on it.. Right now,I'd buy that sumbeetch back fer sure..


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## Loner (Sep 9, 2009)

....being in my 60's and having pin-rigged--shark fished---pomp and trout fished since I was 18...........gots a lot of storys of big'uns caught and lost..
BUT...in my sharking days...slid the old 9/0 out EVERY NITE AFTER KING FISHING ALL DAY....this time it was a wednesday or thursday after fishing ALL DAY since the before friday...just me and one more on the end for the nite.
Throwed the old wad out and promptly went to sleep...my buddy was asleep on the rail..
SOMETIME in the nite I was awakened by someone kicking me on the foot..."hey buddy..IS THIS YOUR ROD??? WE GOTS TO GO....
My ole 9/0 was almost empty and they said they had pulled on that thing 1 1/2 hrs so far!!!!..They just walked out to look and this thing took off..said me and my bud NEVER MOVED...
2 HRS later we beached a HAMMER that was 291 lbs........yea we killed him...weighed him and buried him on the beach.....
I just wonder what would have happened if those 2 HADN'T walked out there...yea, I know..I would have thought someone STOLE My shark outfit...


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## Youngbuck757. (Jan 10, 2013)

Loner said:


> ....being in my 60's and having pin-rigged--shark fished---pomp and trout fished since I was 18...........gots a lot of storys of big'uns caught and lost..
> BUT...in my sharking days...slid the old 9/0 out EVERY NITE AFTER KING FISHING ALL DAY....this time it was a wednesday or thursday after fishing ALL DAY since the before friday...just me and one more on the end for the nite.
> Throwed the old wad out and promptly went to sleep...my buddy was asleep on the rail..
> SOMETIME in the nite I was awakened by someone kicking me on the foot..."hey buddy..IS THIS YOUR ROD??? WE GOTS TO GO....
> ...


What pier?


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## Finger_Mullet (Aug 19, 2005)

Went down to Carolina Beach some years ago on the annual men's fishing trip. We fish all day on Saturday down at the Fort. I wanted to drink some beer and the in-laws are not much on drinking so me and my buddy head to the Fort. Stop and get some salted mullet. Drove out on the beach and the water was rough. You could only drive a few hundred yards down the beach before it started to wash over. There were a few trucks down the beach so I just stopped and fished at the crossover. Tossed out a big chunk of mullet with a 4 oz weight. About a minute later it washed up down the beach. I added another 3 oz to the 4 ounce and tossed her back out. It washed down but not as bad. I spiked the rod and proceeded to drink beer. Me and my buddy was sitting in the pitch dark drinking beer. About 30 minutes go by and about a six pack and my rod goes down. I set the hook and it takes off down the beach. My buddy grabs a flashlight out of the truck and we start heading down the beach. After a few minutes that drum washed up on the beach. 45" to the fork. My first drum. 

A couple of years ago me and my two sons were bream fishing in a local farm pond. We were catching some pretty large bream. We were on a pier about 8 foot off the water. I was fishing with a Zebco 33. I casted out in the middle of the pond and sit the rod down against the reiling of the pier. A large catfish grabbed it and headed to the bottom. I knew it was big but did not know how big. I just knew I had to get off that pier before it wrapped up and broke off. I got off the pier and my kids are going crazy. My youngest son steps in a fire ant mound and starts screaming. I am trying to get the fire ants off of him while fighting this catfish. I finally get him settled down and get this thing to the bank. I walk down the bank and can't figure out how to grab him to get it up the bank. I was not going to stick my hand in that mouth. I grabbed it by the gills with both hands and haul it up on the bank. Got it to some scales and it weighed 49lbs. Blue cat. That is the largest freshwater fish I have ever caught.

Darin


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## Element (Nov 1, 2012)

Ryan Y said:


> I still remember the aluminum bat pings as he hit him over the head.


I know that sound.


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## Loner (Sep 9, 2009)

Youngbuck757. said:


> What pier?


....Dolphin Pier, Topsail Bch......5 miles south of the surf city drawbridge....


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Loner said:


> ....Dolphin Pier, Topsail Bch......5 miles south of the surf city drawbridge....


 Loner,I've heard MANY a tale of the old Dolphin Pier,and can relate,because there were MANY tales from the old Frisco Pier as well.. Shame they both went down,and left the memories behind.... Had a pic of you and some of your friends from back then,but can't find it anywhere... Could kick myself in the ass because I never took pics of the fish or my friends from Frisco back in the day.. To all you youngens out there that have digital cameras and phones,*make sure you take pics to look back at the memories..*

Still have some in my mind,but ya can't beat a pic to bring those memories back...


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## mahimarauder (Jul 8, 2011)

Early June, 2010. King riggin on the south corner of the OBX pier. The bite had been slow for several days, water temps pushin 78 degrees, gin clear water and no bait to be found. 

I started out the mornin running a pin fish caught at about 5:30am on a Sabiki. It wasnt until around 2pm that the first bluefish came over the rail, and a nice one at that, around 2 pounds. I had to beg Mac for the bait, as i was stealing his dinner, and he reluctantly agreed, just as long as i gave him some of whatever I caught on it. 

Long hot afternoon ensued, no action. As most of yall know, with water that warm and a big bait, its nearly impossible to keep them alive on a hot afternoon, even if you run um deep. Time slips away, 6, 7, 8......no action. By 8:30pm, every other rig had been pulled outta the water and i had all but given up hope. My bluefish was nearly dead. By this time, i had brought him up to the surface just to make some ripples and hopefully tease somethin in, and all he could manage to do was swim lazily in circles. About 10 minutes from dark, I brought my bait up into the lights, just about 15' away from the corner piling, went to the cooler, grabbed a Silver Bullet, and returned to the rail.

Bentnail, who is now the captain of C-Therapy, was over at my rig and tried to convince me that my bait was dead, which for all intensive purposes, it was. All i remember next is pure CHAOS! We were both staring down at the water, my bait barely kicking, when out of no where, my bait disappears in one smooth, silver flash. I looked at Bentnail and he looked back at me in disbelief........we both had the same exact thought......."OH SH*T! A TARPON!" 

It was on! My TLD 25 went to screamin! As soon as the fish hit, he turned straight to the beach and put so much torque on the rod, i couldnt even get it out of the holder. I literally ran down the pier, and thankfully most of the tourists had left for the night, trying to keep up with the fish. After nearly wrapping the surf bouy, he finally turned away from the beach and ran off about 100 yds of line while skying twice just to show off. 

Up to this point in my life, I had never caught a tarpon. To be honest, I had never even seen a tarpon outside of Saturday morning fishing shows. I had only heard stories of how gorgeous they are, how much line they can strip in an instant, how lucky a fisherman is to catch one on a pier......

By this time, 30 minutes in the fight, my fish was heading straight for Bermuda, and making good time. I pushed the drag over the button, up to about 18 pounds, but all the while, watched the 30# mono being stripped right off the spool. I watched the spool get smaller and smaller. When i was down to about 100 yards left, I pushed the drag to near lock-down and prayed for the best. Thankfully, after just shy of an hour, the tarpon began to tire and i started to get line back. After reeling in approx. 400 yards of 30 pound mono, we saw color in the edge of the lights. The fish was massive!

The last 100 yards was like reeling in a log. The fish was dead weight, at this point swimming much like the bait that it had eaten. Finally, my leader knot came onto the spool, the fish was nearly to the pier. When he came alongside the pier, it was very disheartening to see that he was extremely "red-tailed". I had no intentions of bringing him up so i left him in the water for almost 10 minutes hoping he would regain his strength. Unfortunately, the fish never recovered and died before we pulled him out. It took 2 gaffs to get him up and once it was on the deck, I knew my "catch of a lifetime" had just happened. 

The fish measured at 74.5" and nearly a 30" girth, and weighed 94 pounds. It was truly the best day fishing I have ever had, and a memory i will treasure forever!

Oh, and did i forget to mention that it jumped 28 times and 15 feet over jennettes pier? (for you ncsharkman)











Picture taken the morning after:


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## Mark H. (Nov 26, 2005)

I have family who have a home on a beautiful tidal creek just off St. Helena Sound near Beaufort SC. I keep a variety of fishing gear there and every time we visit I spend as much time as I can fishing off their dock. That creek acts as a thru-way to bigger water and I've caught everything from drum,spadefish,cobia,whiting and more......Fresh bait is always just a castnet toss away.

Late one summer afternoon a few years back we were having a family gathering down on the dock. To pass the time I baited up a heavy outfit with a fresh mullet head and tossed it out in the middle of the creek. Most of the afternoon had been spent with me and my father-in law trying to out drink each other so when the rod went off, I stumbled to grab it. After a few seconds of feeling like I was hooked into the back of a tractor I realized that I had hooked what Mr. Garboman calls flatasarus.

My father-in-law,who has never done much fishing,was standing next to me so I just handed the rod over to him. Flatasarus/tractor was headed down the creek pulling drag and Pa-in-law was reared back cranking on that old spinner as hard as he could. Flatty never headed for the big water,just kept going back and forth,up and down the creek. After a few minutes I guess he tired and just laid down on the bottom.Pa-in-law thought that he was hung up as that big rascal sucked up on the bottom.

They keep a couple of wave runners down there so in my almost druken state of mind I had a plan. I jumped on one of the wave runners,got pa-in-law on the back facing backwards and of we go. He was able to keep a fairly tight line as i idled out. When we got about 20 yards from him, I guess mr Flatty got spooked and took off again. I cut the engine on the wave runner and showed Pa-in-law how to tighten the drag. Off we go,two grown men being pulled around backward up and down the creek on a waverunner. Every now and then big boy would lay on the bottom. When we got close I would crank the engine and off he would go. I'd cut the engine again and of we'd go. 

We must have been quite a spectacle cause after about 45 minutes,people had gatherd on several docks up and down the creek. We just waved to them as we passed. Finally,Mr. flatty must have decided he'd had enough. He pulled us up close to an oyster bank where we were able to see him. He started flapping on the surface and me and Pa-in-law looked at each other like what in the hell are we going to do now. The size of this creature scared the drunkeness right out of me. He was as wide as the waverunner was long and the base of his tale was as big around as my arm. Coached Pa-in -law into locking down on the drag and we were able to break him off. Hope he's still roaming out there.


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## Loner (Sep 9, 2009)

mahimarauder said:


> Early June, 2010. King riggin on the south corner of the OBX pier. The bite had been slow for several days, water temps pushin 78 degrees, gin clear water and no bait to be found.
> 
> I started out the mornin running a pin fish caught at about 5:30am on a Sabiki. It wasnt until around 2pm that the first bluefish came over the rail, and a nice one at that, around 2 pounds. I had to beg Mac for the bait, as i was stealing his dinner, and he reluctantly agreed, just as long as i gave him some of whatever I caught on it.
> 
> ...


....Hey MM was the date june 9 2010????


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## Loner (Sep 9, 2009)

Drumdum said:


> Loner,I've heard MANY a tale of the old Dolphin Pier,and can relate,because there were MANY tales from the old Frisco Pier as well.. Shame they both went down,and left the memories behind.... Had a pic of you and some of your friends from back then,but can't find it anywhere... Could kick myself in the ass because I never took pics of the fish or my friends from Frisco back in the day.. To all you youngens out there that have digital cameras and phones,*make sure you take pics to look back at the memories..*
> 
> Still have some in my mind,but ya can't beat a pic to bring those memories back...


.

love my pics DD...in all fairness to our ignorance we boys at Topsail HAD NO IDEA there was EVER more than a handful of kings a year offn Frisco..and I still don't know about all that I heard about Avalon........
These days I shoot pics of every chopper and king I luck into.....


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## mahimarauder (Jul 8, 2011)

yep, Loner, that was the day


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## speckhunter80 (Oct 3, 2011)

Dolphin pier was awesome!


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## Loner (Sep 9, 2009)

mahimarauder said:


> yep, Loner, that was the day


...reason I remember it was I landed one on the 8th at Seaview Pier on North Topsail...that was the 1st one for the year and the earliest I have landed a pier tarpon...seems I was all happy about that and clicked on Gerrys report for your pier and there U and the picture was.....


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## mahimarauder (Jul 8, 2011)

Nice! How big was yours? 

That was definitely a crazy summer for fishing! no way would i have thought a tarpon, especially one that big, would be that far north in the ocean in early june. just a few days after I caught that tarpon, there was a snook that looked to be about 15 pounds that buzzed one of the live baits just off the north corner of that pier as a group of us was watchin, and pulled up a few mahi later on in july


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## sunburntspike (Oct 4, 2010)

mahimarauder said:


> Nice! How big was yours?
> 
> That was definitely a crazy summer for fishing! no way would i have thought a tarpon, especially one that big, would be that far north in the ocean in early june. just a few days after I caught that tarpon, there was a snook that looked to be about 15 pounds that buzzed one of the live baits just off the north corner of that pier as a group of us was watchin, and pulled up a few mahi later on in july


i remember the snook.last year on the big j i had a triple tail follow a gotcha,2 mahis and a ladyfish for the suprises,sean got spooled the night aftr he caught the first king,dem avets just don't stand a chance against them silver kings


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## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

I was at the Point and it was late (I was young back in the day and could stand all night in waders casting if the bite was on)

The Bite was on and I had been hooked up briefly to four large Drum and all of them had managed to elude me and come unhooked, it was a dark cloudy moonless, starless night and it was dark, real dark.....

I finally sunk the hooks in good on a nice full grown Drum and I slid him on the beach and then stuck him under the Red Head's Truck to rest him for later (It was back in the Day...........) set him right next to his Cousin that the Redhead had beached earlier...............

Neither of the Cousins seemed too happy (It was back in the Day and it was a tougher time for sure...)


My Flashlight had gotten wet when a rogue wave had gone over my head, my cigarettes and lighter had also got soaked (It was back in the Day and most every one smoked, or smoked something)

I cast out and get bit again, and this time its on..........cause this is one tough Hombre I am hooked up to and I lean into him with my Surfstick and twenty five pound Clear Blue Stren Fluorescent (I told you it was back in the Day)

After nearly a thirty minute slug fest I feel the fish slide in on a wave I cannot see (I told you it was Dark)

I knew the fish was on the beach but it was disturbing to me that I could not make out the whitish glint of the Drum, my flashlight was dead, so I decided to get the hook out by feel cause it was Dark back in the Day.....

I was sliding my free hand down my leader to find the hook, when out of the darkness a fella came and shined a bright light on my fish

My free had was perhaps four or five inches from the gaping Mouth of a seven Foot Garbo and he was looking mean, that cold dark night back in the day......................could have been bad news if that Angel had not shown up with his light.................(Back in the Day)

I plucked the Hook in the bright light of the Angel and then asked the Angel to hold by Surf Stick and took the Garbo with both hands on his tail and drug him out until he floated, I told the Garbo to swim and if he turned to bite me..........his ass was going on the Beach and he could wait with the Cousins for daylight (It was back in the day and things were hard back in the Day...)


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## mahimarauder (Jul 8, 2011)

I was there when that triple tail kept teasing us! Darn thing just would bite the three eyed shrimp!


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## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

It was back in the Day and CE and Me were riding the summer beach late one night just ambling along North of 23...

We were running along right by the water when a large Brown mound came out of nowhere and a distinct Crunch was heard somewhere in the area of the front differential of my F150..................

What the ?????????? Blurted CE knocked out a his half slumber.............Truck felt like it was dragging something so I let off the gas and drifted to a stop and hopped out of the Truck to see what was the matter??????

Underneath my Truck I heard a hissing sound and when I shined a light, it revealed a full grown Loggerhead..........scowling and looking for trouble...................

I retreated out of reach of the Loggerheads snapping jaws and thinking quick on my feet............got back in the Truck and Floored it...................

After a bit of hesitation from the Truck............the F150 skipped ahead easily and that Loggerhead shot out from under my Truck...............

CE told me to swing around and when I did that Turtle raised up his head and I would swear he looked like he was asking for it............What ever that Turtle meant with that angry scowl, I will never know.......I decided to make my move and getting up to speed, I swerved sharply and took him out with the driver's side tire this time and with a whoop.........CE hopped out of the truck and in one deft move swung the Turtle into the back of the Truck and after a bit of struggle got the Turtle subdued enough for us to head to the Trailer 

Don't let them Peta people fool you .............Turtle Soup..............its real good...........


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## Loner (Sep 9, 2009)

mahimarauder said:


> Nice! How big was yours?
> 
> That was definitely a crazy summer for fishing! no way would i have thought a tarpon, especially one that big, would be that far north in the ocean in early june. just a few days after I caught that tarpon, there was a snook that looked to be about 15 pounds that buzzed one of the live baits just off the north corner of that pier as a group of us was watchin, and pulled up a few mahi later on in july


......74 lb....-we landed 4 for the season...HOWEVER...JOLLY ROGER PIER on the south end landed 13 that season...gots to be a record.....I know it is for Topsail Island...


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## smacks fanatic (Oct 16, 2010)

Loner said:


> ......74 lb....-we landed 4 for the season...HOWEVER...JOLLY ROGER PIER on the south end landed 13 that season...gots to be a record.....I know it is for Topsail Island...


Dang I remember that year all to well!


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## sudshunter (Jan 20, 2008)

in my 45 years of fishing i would have to say that my biggest saltwater fish to date would be a 6 1/2 foot black tip shark caught from the beach in bbwr. in 2010. my largest freshwater fish would be a 8lb 10oz. bass caught from shore at the lake behing gateway church on va.beach blvd. in 1988. my wife who really dont fish but likes to walk the beach, was at bbwr with me and she had just returned from her walk to barbour hill was standing next to me as i was realling in the heaver,my little bait rod started getting a bite and you could tell the way it was hitting that it was a baitfish. well all of a sudden that rod went flying out of the rod holder and was in the water in a flash, you coul see the rod just beyon the shorebreak and the wife running down the beach after it. she probably chased that rod 100 yards before going into the water and grabbing the rod ,comes out of the water and brings in a 34inch cobia,biggest of her life and like i said she dont even fish !!!! heck i've never caught a cobia wtf...


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## Chris_Worthington (Jul 13, 2012)

9 foot sand tiger caught back on 11/2002 is the largest here and it was hooked about a 1/2 mile north of the point and for the most part landed on the point 45 minutes later on 30lb mono. I remember not being able to lift up a beer with a single hand afterwards and to date I have never had another toothy wear my butt out like that one did. 

Released alive to fight another day


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