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| Subject: Jul-13-04, 07:30 PM (PDT) "Big Black Seabass!!!!" | |
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Author: chuam |
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Date Posted: 21:47:26 08/21/04 Sat Headed out to Malibu Pier at 10AM this morning as I was meeting up with Thresher (Frank) and Catfish (Tom) since Tom was in town from Hawaii. We had thought about heading out on a boat but I just didn't ahve the time. I made a stop at the MDR bait receiver and picked up a half scoop of sardines for bait. Made it to the pier and only about half had rolled (I need to make sure I take less bait next time). Frank and Tom are set up and I drop my rigs down with a dine on each. Not much action going on for the first hour. One of the guys down the pier hooks something nice and is reeling it in. We look over the rail and it looks like a short halibut but we will never know as it spit the hook right at the pier. I decided to start draggin a smelt across the bottom along with Tom. He gets a solid strike and the fight is on!!!! Then the fight is off as it gets off almost as fast. I had rubbing sounds coming from my reel so I decided to take the sideplate off after I cast it out. I finally get it cleaned out and start reeling. The line goes tight and wham I'm on. After a short fight we see its a hali and it looks like it might just be legal. We finally get the net under it and hoist it up to the pier. After 2 tape checks it comes up 2 inches short so back in it went. A little while goes by and I look down to the end of the pier and this guy has a bend in his rod and looks like he's fighting a fish. Since it was slow Tom, Frank and I head down to watch the fight. As we get closer we can tell this thing has shoulders. Its taking lots of drag and the guy was having a tough time reeling it in. It would swim towards the corner of the pier and the line would touch the pilings. He would slow it down and get it turned and away from the pilings. This tug of war went on for a while with all the onlookers giving their two cents on what it might be. "BatRay maybe? Nah, its not swimming right", "Leopard? No it really doesn't have the headshakes of a leopard", "Big shovelnose? That is possible", "It must be a huge halibut. Hopefully". The fight goes back and forth with the angler gaining line and the fish taking it all back. We stood there watching as the line would touch the pilings and the drag would scream, waiting to see if at that fateful moment the mussels would cut the line. I was as nervous as the angler was. Luckily he was using 50lb braid so it gave him a chance where mono would have been useless. After 24 minutes of us standing there we see a spot of color, Silver, no black! Then the fish comes fully into view and it was an enormous Black Sea Bass! It was tired and came to the net easily. It took about two people to hoist it to the pier. It was laid down, a few pictures were taken, the hook was removed and we tried to weigh it. The 50lb spring scale bottomed out before I even had the fish off the pier in the lobster hoop. I would estimate it to be about 75-80lbs easy. Three of us gently eased the hoop over the railing and lowered the fish back to the water. It lay there on its side for a minute or two not looking good. I was getting ready to take off the shirt and dive in and help resuscitate the fish when with a mighty kick of its tail it righted itself and was gone. It was the largest BSB I have ever seen caught on rod and reel. It was an unbelievable sight. So those of you fishing Malibu Pier, when you hook into something on light mono and can't stop it you have been warned. There lurks a monster in the pilings........... Marcus [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
| Subject | Author | Date |
| Re: Jul-13-04, 07:30 PM (PDT) "Big Black Seabass!!!!" | yikes raccoons | 22:08:15 08/21/04 Sat |