Then, ALL OF A SUDDEN.....the foreward rod bends over for an instant... and goes slack. Dad grabs the rod eagerly awaiting the second bite which never comes. Reel it in to discover all the groceries gone. Fresh baits are put out and the wait continues... but not for long. This time a solid hook-up and Cam lands the first fish of the day, a nice Pomp to start the morning. 0815, The wind begins to wain a little, giving us a respite from staggering around. Dad and I grab the jigs and get to blind casting. A few minutes into the jigging, the aft rod jumps a bit... Dad reaches over to it just in time for another strike, some quick work with the rod and he's on for the second fish of the day. We all exchange high-fives and cheers and reset the lines, finding the other rod robbed of its bait. The action slows for a while until a dark shadow appears in the deeper water just south of us. Adrenaline rushes to the brain, the heart starts to beat faster and faster, hands begin to shake as sweat beads the brow...COBIA!!! We quickly release the anchor, retrieve the baits and the chase is on. Dad maneuvers me to within casting distance, I raise my rod to cast and ... oh, man, Shark. Amid the disappointment we see another good lookng spot to try.
0920, We go back, retrieve the anchor, and reset at our new hole. A short time later and another hook-up, Cam is up against what Dad says is a really good fish....and turns out to be TWO nice Pomps. Not a bad decision to move! Not ten minutes later and it's my turn to contribute to our weekly family dinner. Sweet, just before 1000 with 5 nice fish in the box and conditions improving....but not for much longer. The wind stiffens for about 30 min then settles again, and again Cam improves our catch by boating two single fish, bringing us to 7 for the morning. My attention is quickly focused by Dad's excited "Look, LOOK!". A big school of Jack Creville roaming their way down the beach in our direction. Dad makes a nice cast into the fish with his Pompano jig on 10lb and is immediately greeted with a screaming drag. He looks at me and says "I don't want anything to do with this", and hands me the rod.
Big grin on my face I walk to to bow and release the anchor, Dad takes the helm and we're off on a mile and a half, 35 min fight with a 30lb+ class Jack. Everything was going smoothly, Dads making great use of the boat to help subdue the fish, and Cam's on the bow showing me support. The fish is finally close to boatside where we can get a good look at him, and the line parts. I bite my lip at my Dad's hearty chuckles, until I join him and tell him how AWESOME that was!
Back to pull the anchor a final time for the day and low and behold another school of jacks! I throw my 10lb outfit and tease a fish away from the school and up to the surface where we all watch him eat. Cam yells out "COOL!" and here we go again. Dad suggests rigging a bigger rod and getting one in the boat for Cam to see up close. I agree and Dad starts rigging. Once he's done I grab the spool and apply as much pressure as I can.....and the fish turns and comes my way. I continue to put max drag on the equipment and manage to boat this fish in a matter of minutes. We take some quick pics, give Cam a biology lesson, tell him the merits of STAYING IN SCHOOL!!, and release the fish who swims off to hopefully be caught again many times.
DAILY TOTAL
7 Pompano
1 Released Jack
A wonderful morning spent with my Dad and my Son; three generations sharing a common passion
