On a typical summer fishing trip last week, with Captain Doug on Tearin' Em Up! Fishing Charters in Siesta Key, Sarasota Florida, the usual suspects, were chewing our bait and filling our fish box, in 28-32 feet of water off Sarasota's beaches, Spanish Mackerels, Red & Gag Grouper, Nice Mangrove Snappers, and an occasional Flounder. I noticed the fish scatter and the bite slow down, and then from under the "Phat Katt", I spotted a huge shadow…CUDA! I reached for the nearest fish in the fish box, stuck it on the hook with the fattest wire leader I could find, whipped it out there and…nothing…nothing…nothing! Then the mom on the trip, still having her bait out, had a bite! A bigger than usual Mackerel was on. The usual fight…she reeled it in close to the boat then… SLAM! Fish (bait) jumping out of the water, and ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! CUDA ON! Whow! Look OUT! He took all the line on my Penn 5500, 12 lb test w/ 25 lb fluorocarbon leader & 2o J hook. Then turned around and started swimming toward us. I instructed mom to reel as fast as she can, and he took off again. After about 15 minutes of this, the behemoth was finally tired, but I was only able to just get his head in the landing net. (I don't like gaffs too much.) I was admittedly a little scarred of this big toothed monster. I hoisted him in by grabbing his tail and keeping his head in the net. FLOP! He fell into the boat; my customers shouted and ran, as far away as they could. YEA BOY! Check out these photos.
P.S. the fish was so stinky and huge, that there would be no shore lunch this time.
