# Sharks looking for me?



## JeepMike (Feb 4, 2008)

Hey fellas!! I was reading on the other post I made about that big thing I hooked and took fishbreaths advice to heart. I have recently joined the rescue squad and not to alarm anyone, but I found out we spend alotta time closer to big chompers than we might realize. Now I've been swimming in the ocean my entire life, and while the idea is in the back of my head, I never really worry about sharks. Here on Hatteras Island though, I feel like it's a different story. There are some very very VERY large sharks in the surf here. Do you guys ever get concerned about them?

I know everyone thinks about it when wading baits out, and now the water is warm enough, I'm out there purdy danged far. I'm thinking I have a better chance of being struck by lightning. You guys have any opinions on the matter?:beer::fishing:

Welp, I gotta get back to the work grind tomorrow, so I'm headin to the beach today! I hope I don't get chomped on by any toothy critters!


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## basstardo (Jun 5, 2006)

I think you've also got a pretty good chance of being bitten (knock on wood that you don't!). If you've got any fish guts, slime, whatever on you that puts off a scent, or you've got tan lines, jewelry, etc, it might attract attention from the man in the gray suit. There have been shark attacks there before, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if it happened again. That said, I wade out as well, but not too far, maybe knee deep, unless I have waders on. The one thing I always keep in mind though: 

Once you enter the water, you're part of the food chain.


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## Cutbait Bob (Mar 24, 2004)

Pretty much everyone I know that surf fishes Hatteras Island... doesn't swim there. Nope, not at all.
One evening a big shark took me up the beach past a mommy with two children that were swimming. She asked what I had on... I told her I thought it was a shark. As I got him in closer he started back down the beach and she said, "Oh, I see him! He has a friend with him." 
No mamm I said... that's his dorsal fin and that's his tail. She sucked in five gallons of air and told her kids to get out of the water.


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## Fishbreath (Nov 11, 2004)

Mike, a few years ago, a buddy of mine and I were both chased out of the water on South Beach. We were a little deeper than waist deep and saw a big long dark figure swim just in front of us, by about a foot or two. Turned white as a sheet and hauled arse out of the water. Even when on the point late at night, I make sure and keep an eye open all the time in every direction.

A couple of years before that, I was in Avon, sitting on the beach sipping on a beer while some friends of mine were in the water swimming around and having fun. I looked up and just beyond them by about maybe 10 or 15 yards and there was the biggest dorsal fin I've ever seen swimming lazily along parallel to the shore. I yelled and screamed at them to get out of the water and they did. When I told them what I saw they didn't believe me. Not 5 minutes later, here comes the coast guard helicopter flying a zig-zag pattern just out from the beach, no doubt looking for that critter. I swear it was big enough to be a killer whale fin but could have been a great white. It was that big. No, I don't go very far out at all....


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## Fireline20 (Oct 2, 2007)

Years ago and I mean years ago I was fishing at Hunting Island State Park around Beaufort, SC. There is an inlet there that empties in the ocean and was always a good fishing spot.

I was having one heck of a day fishing catching something just about every cast and was in knee to waist deep water when I saw a huge dorsal fin just 10 yards out from me.

Man I freaked and hauled butt back to the shore. I kept fishing though and caught zippo after that and I believe the fish did the same thing I did,,,,skedaddled


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## thebeachcaster (Aug 7, 2006)

*Hey ryan remember this one?*

http://www.pierandsurf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31583&highlight=ward+hit+bar



That was a big shark. It is one thing to consider when thinking of wades. We fish with fresh bloody bait. Sharks eat it. Long deep wades to sandbars are still fun. Kinda like fishing in the drink with the fish almost on his ground. Way the risk and have fun.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Main thing to remember,as well as the blood and guts chumming them,is don't go in too deep at dawn or at dusk.. Prime feeding time...


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## FishJunky (Sep 16, 2004)

Two years ago on Ocean Isle pier I got ahold of a Spinner. That thing went straight towards the beach and jumped and spun about 30 to 50yards from the beach. Now thats how you clear a beach.


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## JeepMike (Feb 4, 2008)

Dang!! Good stories and good advice all! I was fishing today for about 7 hours and the water was carribbean clear! It was really cool, but I kept a sharp eye open for mr gray suit! I stayed waist deep or less, and I did manage to see some rays skirting about! The water was so calm today I could see all the grass beds everywhere, etc... They seem like the perfect place for a shark to launch an attack!! Gotta give alotta room and respect to a creature that's evolved for the last 40 million years to do one job and do it very well! On the plus side the water has warmed up enough to where I went swimming a few times today!!! Again, I went swimming in water only a few feet deep, as I was out there pretty much alone. 

I was wondering though, are these beaches a little more dangerous than say, Carolina beach, Kure beach, etc.?? Or is it the same as any other beach on the NC coast. I would assume HI beaches are very attractive, the same way they are to gamefish, hence the toothy fellers! I'm just glad someone got my attention about this, because I have been pretty careless up until today! 

And oh, how do I catch a spinner?!


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## dirtyhandslopez (Nov 17, 2006)

To catch a spinner, got to the fishing tree and look up, They are hanging from the branches


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## Andre (Mar 15, 2003)

> She sucked in five gallons of air and told her kids to get out of the water.


Now that's funny !!!!!!!!!!!


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## JeepMike (Feb 4, 2008)

You know, I've done some research into this shark stuff, and it's pretty serious business. I know I won't be wading up to my chest at dusk like I have been for the last 2 weeks anymore!! Geesh, I really need to hook up with one of you guys on the sand and learn a few things. I could've gotten eaten atleast 10 times in the last 3 weeks, when I would be all covered with cutbait, swimmin bait out as the sun was dropping down. The guys in the rescue squad nearly had heart attacks when I told them that, and almost smacked meh. haha.


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## 13lbflounder (May 4, 2008)

I hooked into a monster shark in Tybee Island, GA last year. The fish was very aerobatic and freaked out all the swimmers. He was only on for a few awesome seconds but thrashed out of the water 5 times. I hooked it while standing waist deep, I hauled arse outta the water and did not go back in after the episode. I dont think I want to go back in again. I just need the equipment to reach them with big live bait from the beach.


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## Capt Kurt (Jan 5, 2008)

Jeep, I'm glad you didn't get eaten by the sharks yet.......I enjoy your posts.


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## lil red jeep (Aug 17, 2007)

JeepMike said:


> I could've gotten eaten atleast 10 times in the last 3 weeks.


It's a little known fact that mother sharks teach their young not to bite off more than they can finish. Therefore, my fat behind should be safe from attack! LOL 

On the serious side, at this size, I know I can't get out of the water fast enough to avoid being bitten. When I'm told to haul arse, it takes three trips!

I'm with Capt Kurt, and like your posts too much to see them disappear or to see you digested. Stay out of the water!


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## Woodchuck (Jan 5, 2005)

I won’t wade out past the first drop off on Cape Hatteras and I don’t let the dog either. I have reeled in many half fish that stopped fighting very, very near the surf line. Yeah, most looked to have 3” to 5” wide mouths (judging by the curve of the bite) but that is more than enough to loose a toe or two. And for the morning or evening bite? No way. My feet might get a little wet but that’s it.

As far as swimming? I have seen and caught what lurks in the first slough. Ain't no way you're going to get me (or the dog) to become someone's snack.


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## Fireline20 (Oct 2, 2007)

Hey guys;

Your out fishing with two other buddies and your waist deep when a huge shark cruises right by you.

What is the best way to hand the situation???


Make sure you not the last one out of the water


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## Mullet Breath (Nov 15, 2006)

Mike ask the dudes on the rescue squad if they remember memorial day weekend 01. My wife and i were down for a week then and we were talking to Scott from In the Eye when the pager went off about a shark bite. We all went that direction to see what was going on. http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/04/shark.attacks/index.html

I'm sure Kenny and the boys can remember the media circus the next day. We say trucks from Colorado, Maine, and Texas in the Food Lion parking lot.


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## bcssux (May 23, 2005)

i actually had a blacktip bump my leg at sunset one time not even to the first bar yet. 

and another time at around nine in the morning one day i was wading back out after catching a big ray. the crowd on the beach was yellin at me, and i took it as praise for the big ray i just caught. when i turned around and looked at em i realized there was a large dark shadow headed slowly but surely right for me...hence the frantic yelling from shore. I hauled a$$ back to shore in time and watched it swim off. that was for the most part the end of my wading career, at least in the summer.


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## pumpkinboy (Jul 18, 2005)

you are much more likely to get hit by lightening than shark bit


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Mullet Breath said:


> Mike ask the dudes on the rescue squad if they remember memorial day weekend 01. My wife and i were down for a week then and we were talking to Scott from In the Eye when the pager went off about a shark bite. We all went that direction to see what was going on. http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/04/shark.attacks/index.html
> 
> I'm sure Kenny and the boys can remember the media circus the next day. We say trucks from Colorado, Maine, and Texas in the Food Lion parking lot.


 Yeap,I remember that evening.. Friend of mine heard about it on the scanner before anyone really knew about it.. I posted it on RDT and was told I was lieing...


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## Lip Ripper (Dec 8, 2003)

is there any law against carrying a handgun on your yak?


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## Sea2aeS (Jan 7, 2005)

Had a 9-10 footer pass me last summer in the yak. Course i had a few heads in the rear with hooks. Dropped em & hauled ass back to the beach, didnt yak any more baits that night. Storrs put a 9 footer on the beach before that. 

I still go into the water & always will. Only thing preventing me is a few non native birds that require a half mile of prime beach & a buncha f*****g tree hugging p****s. Not to mention the most f****d up legal system run by people who dont give 2 sh**s about the working man or freedom. 

im disgusted with the judicial system in this country, its pathetic:redface:


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## JeepMike (Feb 4, 2008)

pumpkinboy said:


> you are much more likely to get hit by lightening than shark bit



I think the stat's are flawed, or atleast geared towards people who usually go inside during thunderstorms and don't spend more than one week a year swimming in the ocean. I was wading into that surf every other evening! No more! hehe. If the bigguns really do come in that close to shore, can I setup shop with a big tuna head,, about 10oz's of weight to keep it still and just sit back with the jigmaster on evening? I'm really getting interested in hooking up with a monster. I'm going to study shark rigs for a few days, I really want to get me one now. I have a Penn 6 1/2 foot "Penn Long Beach" fighting rod wiht a Penn Jigmaster No. 500 reel. I thought baits had to be hundreds of yards out to get the big boys!!! Now to figure out how to get the bait out without a yak or wading!!!


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## Newsjeff (Jul 22, 2004)

Drumdum said:


> Yeap,I remember that evening.. Friend of mine heard about it on the scanner before anyone really knew about it.. I posted it on RDT and was told I was lieing...


That was on a Monday.

On the Saturday before was the death of the young boy in Sandbridge from a bull. 

What a terrible loss.


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## joe l. (Jul 31, 2004)

On my first trip to the Outer Banks in 1997, my then fiancee and I took an airplane tour of the Banks from a plane at Billy Mitchell field. Basically, it flew up and down the coastline, fairly low.

Quite an amazing view from the plane, and to this day it staggers me to remember how many sharks (amongst other aquatic animals - BIG rays, dolphin, sea turtles) were within a stone's throw of waders and swimmers, all of whom were probably blissfully unaware of what was yards from them at the time.

Most of the time, things go by uneventfully, but you gotta remember (especially when ya smell like bait from fishing) that the toothy critters are always there.

(as an aside, I was shocked by the size of some of the rays. I swear, even from the plane's height, some of them looked like car hoods! Just HUGE!!!)


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## dmaaero (Jan 27, 2008)

JeepMike said:


> Now to figure out how to get the bait out without a yak or wading!!!


That"s easy, just ease on over to the distance forum. Those guys will have you casting 150 yards before you know it !!!!!!!

btw mike, i dont swim in the ocean at all......
"me not know something"
david


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## Tailwalker (Jul 24, 2006)

I do a lot of wading and have had multiple encounters with big sharks. Have always just remained still and have not had one try to attack yet. I have them bump me late at night (I think to see what I am), I had one jump towards me when it was not 10 feet away one night when I was wading alone about 2 miles from my car and narrowly miss hitting me and just last summer I was wading at Hatteras near the inlet about an hour before dark, working a big school of Spanish mackeral and was about 200 yards from shore in chest deep water when a 9-10 foot bull shark rolled up into the school of macks and proceeded to start chomping. I stayed out there and kept fishing because I sure as heck was not going to make it back to shore before he could and I was steadily catching fish. I watched it for about 30 minutes, wherein he cam within 20 feet a few times. He never paid me any mind.

So my point is they are all over the place and I think you are pretty safe as long as you are not trying to put fish on a stringer while you are wading and have them attached to your body, which is something I definately do not do. I know I have fish smell on me from landing fish and holding them against my body sometimes when getting the hook out and that has not yet caused any problems. I've had other guys with me on a few occasions and they always ask whether we should make a run for it and I always respond, "I'm staying here but if you think you are faster than that shark go right ahead". I've never had anyone leave me yet.


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## Sea2aeS (Jan 7, 2005)

9-10 ft prolly wasnt a bull. a 9ft bull is pushing 450-500lbs. bulls love pompanos, you prolly saw a large spinner or a dusky considering the time of year.


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## Tailwalker (Jul 24, 2006)

Thanks but it was a Bull. I shark fished for over 20 years back in the 70's and 80's when they were very plentiful and have caught them all, including Bulls in the 400lb range. They are few and far between that big but usually when I see one now it is a big one. I've got a picture of one I caught back in 89 that weighed over 400lbs and this one was easily as big. Spinners don't get nearly this heavy and a Dusky has a much more pronounced dorsal.


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## SkunkApe (Dec 9, 2006)

Lip Ripper said:


> is there any law against carrying a handgun on your yak?


I carry a flare gun w/ 5 rounds in my PFD. I figure a flare to the gills should deter something that wants to eat me..


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## SkunkApe (Dec 9, 2006)

Mike, 
Having surfed the lighthouse jetty 100's of times, I can say that the sharks are pretty thick. When the water is clear, there are shadows are lurking all over. Never had a problem though. 

I did turn into Jesus Christ one day and walked on water, as about a 12' Hammerhead swam right up to me and then under me when I was bobbing around about 200 yards off shore in some overhead swells. 

Skunk


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## Sea2aeS (Jan 7, 2005)

Tailwalker said:


> Thanks but it was a Bull. I shark fished for over 20 years back in the 70's and 80's when they were very plentiful and have caught them all, including Bulls in the 400lb range. They are few and far between that big but usually when I see one now it is a big one. I've got a picture of one I caught back in 89 that weighed over 400lbs and this one was easily as big. Spinners don't get nearly this heavy and a Dusky has a much more pronounced dorsal.


sandbar is the badboy with the well pronounced dorsal... not doubting you, just going by what ive hear soo far....


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## Lip Ripper (Dec 8, 2003)

SkunkApe said:


> I carry a flare gun w/ 5 rounds in my PFD. I figure a flare to the gills should deter something that wants to eat me..


maybe switch out one of the flares for some .00 buck, and hope the plastic gun holds up


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## bcssux (May 23, 2005)

JeepMike said:


> Now to figure out how to get the bait out without a yak or wading!!!


I've been pondering that one for quite some time now


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## Sea2aeS (Jan 7, 2005)

bcssux said:


> I've been pondering that one for quite some time now


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## kingfisherman23 (Dec 14, 2003)

bcssux said:


> I've been pondering that one for quite some time now


Go talk to Tommy. He could get you throwin a 14/0 past the first bar within the month, as long as it was magged and the bearings were cleaned out!


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## Sea2aeS (Jan 7, 2005)

casting a 6/0 wide is fun, try it sometime.


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## Jesse Lockowitz (Feb 13, 2006)

Lip Ripper said:


> is there any law against carrying a handgun on your yak?


better off making a bangstick. to hold it against something under water...


i just dont want anything with me on my yak, if im paddling mybe a mile off of the beach, that can seriously injure me, or my kayak. no medical help and i aint that good of a swimmer


jesse


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## POMPINOLOVER (Jun 29, 2006)

Ive always enjoyed smimming on the outer banks since i was a kid, I still enjoy swimming out over my head between fishing breaks, I am well aware of whats there, but I figure If its my time to go , well then it is,,id much rather go in the ocean as opposed to gettin hit head on by another car or some other much more violent way...


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## JeepMike (Feb 4, 2008)

POMPINOLOVER said:


> Ive always enjoyed smimming on the outer banks since i was a kid, I still enjoy swimming out over my head between fishing breaks, I am well aware of whats there, but I figure If its my time to go , well then it is,,id much rather go in the ocean as opposed to gettin hit head on by another car or some other much more violent way...


I hear yah pomp. I will, however, be sure to seperate my fishing and swimming activities. It's one thing to step in smelling like beer and sunscreen, but another to smell like beer, sunscreen and blood/guts! 

As far as being violent, I'm willing to bet a shark would be one of the more violent ways to go! Hehe I hope I never have to test this theory!:beer:


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## Sea2aeS (Jan 7, 2005)

get you a diving knife. Riffe makes a nice one you can strap around your arm or lower leg. teflon coated serrated blade that will cut braided steel cable. 

sharks have a highly sensitivity to electromagnetic fields, and the more metal on you the better. they sense the electrolysis metal puts off in the water.


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## Fireline20 (Oct 2, 2007)

*Bull Sharks*

Speaking of Sharks, did any of you guys catch Shark Week last summer on Discovery,,,,great Documentary.

It listed the top 10 most deadly sharks and numero uno is not the Great White, he came in 3rd. The Tiger Shark was 2nd.

The deadliest shark is our old friend companion and common to NC waters; the Bull Shark. 

They said that the Bull is the only shark that can exist in both salt and fresh water and will swim hundreds of miles up stream looking for prey. It kills hundreds each year in Africa by swimming up the Congo as well as in the surf around the Cape.

They even said that the movie Jaws was based on an incident in the early 1920's and the shark was not a Great White but a Bull.

So be aware, that the deadliest Shark in the world is in our waters, loves the surf and will even swim up into our rivers and streams looking for prey.


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## dmaaero (Jan 27, 2008)

I"m sure most saw this today, he got excited an threw the rod away. A real fisherman would have knocked it in free spool an thumbed it to the beach !!!!!
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/surfer-towed-by-a-shark-u-gotta-see-this/2529451166


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## jerseysalt (Jul 8, 2005)

*jeep mike*

are u the horse guy from frisco...JS


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

dmaaero said:


> I"m sure most saw this today, he got excited an threw the rod away. A real fisherman would have knocked it in free spool an thumbed it to the beach !!!!!
> http://video.aol.com/video-detail/surfer-towed-by-a-shark-u-gotta-see-this/2529451166



That guy's friggin NUTS!! He's gotta be on crack!!

Awsume video!!


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## 13lbflounder (May 4, 2008)

I wonder if that video is real. Surely he will be on Letterman or a different late night show after that. That's nuts.


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## JeepMike (Feb 4, 2008)

jerseysalt said:


> are u the horse guy from frisco...JS


Yessir. Welp, I'm not full time with that job anymore. Beach closures were iminent, so it forced my hand and I had to get another job, seems to be for the better so far! (Not the closures, the new job)

Haha I remember wishin when I was a kid that a bullshark would make it up the Catawba River, jump the 4 or 5 dams, and wind up in Lake Norman so I could catch him!! 

Anyone wanna go fishin next week? I'm tryin to find someone to buddy up with for an afternoon so I can learn a few things, I'll bring the beer! :beer:


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## jerseysalt (Jul 8, 2005)

saw u when be and my bud were down in april...fished the hole right where u enter the beach.....purple jeep....JS


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## GotchaMack (Jun 16, 2004)

Used to love wading/swimming out to the edge of the bar at Sandbridge,Va in the evenings and early mornings to throw metal at the Spanish and Blues. Had some great fishing out there doing that...hauling in frantic, flashing, and sometimes bleeding fish straight to me and then unhooking and releasing them. I was doing this every night/morning for two weeks in the end of August...hazy on the year....00'-01' I think??? Anyway, just one week after we left that poor young boy was killed by that huge Bull only 150-200yards south of where I did that fishing....many summers before as well. After that, I stopped going out....I don't swim in the ocean anymore either. That was an enormously humbling experience that made my deep respect for the sea and her power a hell of a lot more clear. Sure, you have a better chance of getting struck by lightning.......that is if you live in Des Moines, Iowa in the middle of a cornfield....I don't think the same odds hold true if your on the edge of the bar at first or last light shuffling struggling gamefish around yourself.....case and point.


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## drumrunner (Aug 4, 2004)

Drumdum said:


> That guy's friggin NUTS!! He's gotta be on crack!!
> 
> Awsume video!!


Come on Kenny thats fake as rubber dog crap, you can see prop wash in several of the shots.


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## Puppy Mullet (Dec 5, 2003)

If you wade to a bar, Put your chunks of bait in a zip lock rather than your bait box.

Swimmin the bait out.. JEEPERS CREEPERS!!!


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## bowhunter81 (Aug 5, 2007)

If that ain't fake, that guy is a figgin lunitic, so were the other numb nu%$ 10 foot from him whatchin


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## 13lbflounder (May 4, 2008)

I see the prop wash Drumrunner. Spacoli from Fast Times made it look good.Still pretty radical vid though.


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## JeepMike (Feb 4, 2008)

That music sucked though... haha


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## Adam (Feb 19, 2001)

I dont swim in the ocean anymore at all ...ever. Between the boat, fish Ive seen caught, and just happening to see dorsals in the water ...I just aint gonna do it.

Caught a 6-7' Blacktip on The Point two summers ago, and that thing swam UNDER 7 different kids who were still out swimming. I thought I had a monster Cobe on, but to my surprise it was a big shark. Mothers were freakin out and threatenin to cut my line ...

Kenny remembers I bet, the day I got bit out in my uncle's boat. Had a little 2.5 footer I caught in the boat tryin to get the hook out, and CHOMP! 5 stiches in one finger, 3 butterflys in the other ...couldnt imagine what woulda happened if he'd been any bigger:redface:

Adam


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Adam said:


> I dont swim in the ocean anymore at all ...ever. Between the boat, fish Ive seen caught, and just happening to see dorsals in the water ...I just aint gonna do it.
> 
> Caught a 6-7' Blacktip on The Point two summers ago, and that thing swam UNDER 7 different kids who were still out swimming. I thought I had a monster Cobe on, but to my surprise it was a big shark. Mothers were freakin out and threatenin to cut my line ...
> 
> ...


 Yeap,I remember you coming over to the house and showin me yer "war wound"...

Great seein ya postin Adam.. 

*Come on Kenny thats fake as rubber dog crap, you can see prop wash in several of the shots. *

Yeah,but still purdy cool vid though...


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## LEADDRAFT (Oct 9, 2001)

LOL some crazy stories...
I once was fishing at Dusk on the H Beach side of Lockwood Folly Inlet...
Waded out about waist deep, wave action light..
I was catch the , well Lotsa BIG Spots! Couldn't cast far enough from the beach too reach them..
Had a 5 gallon plastic *bait bucket" W/Lid, ya know the kind We K-Mack plankers use...
So I'm there catching Spots really good, it's getting close too dark.. I kepted looking back on the beach expecting My, (NOW EX) Wife too pick me up..
I started feeling these "Bumps" all over My Legs , I'm like WTH, Look down and theres these huge Cob Mullet swimming by slowly... Bumping My legs..
ok cool.. then suddenly they got "faster" scattering, about the same time I saw "IT"....
Swim a couple circles around Me, I dropped My rod/gear, grabbed My Fillet knife at the ready...(I keep it strapped on My side..)
I guess-a-mate it was about a 14 footer, Hammerhead..
I DO NOT wade out very much since then...
Ya know, I fish the Surf quite a bit, and being a one-armed-Amputee, I get the question couple times I go out...
Sir? How did ya loose your arm...

Well, I was Wading right about out that far, pointing CLOSE too shore and Met up with the Big toothy creature, thats why I fish from the beach now..
People usually don't go swimming after that..
As I just ended the Problem of trying too fish around swimmers..


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## JeepMike (Feb 4, 2008)

Haha thats a durn good tactic right there! You ever fish with Capn Billy Coleman down there?


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