Date:	Saturday June 13, 2007	Fish:	Shark
#:	8	Largest:	250
Location:	Mudhole
Crew:	Tommy, Ronnie & Ian

Woodcleft Shark Tournament

What an unbelievable day...
Went to bed at midnight after getting everything all ready then up at 3 am. The guys (Ronnie, Tommy and Ian) started showing up around 3:45, by 4:30 we were on our way... We were early but the intent was to catch a few nice bluefish for bait. We usually catch them off shore but those are typically big fish, 10 to 16 pounds. We wanted something more like 4 to 8 pounds. We saw some birds working over some nervous water and started to cast some metal jigs in there. As luck would have it I caught 2. Except they were striped bass! OK, released the bass and shot over to the starting point. 5:50. We spend the next 10 minutes looking over temperature charts and decide on an area on the southern fringe of the mud hole. The water temps were good but the wind was screaming out of the north west. Along the shore we were protected but I knew that within 3 miles it was going to get nasty and this spot was only 32 miles out (instead of our normal run of 50+ miles). As predicted the waves got bigger and nastier with each passing mile. We find the spot and a boat is exactly where I wanted to be so we moved about a mile and began to "set up". We had a bunch of crappy baits defrosted and all the good stuff was still frozen so we deployed 2 rods with the crappy baits. It was around then we noticed the other guy in my spot left. Seeing him leave and being only 26 miles out we began to feel a bit discouraged. Then Ronnie climbs my tower and begins to spot for fish. He spots a loan shark by our furthest bait. OK, this is good but we doubt him. He wasn't too sure himself...
8:30 am. It's quiet except some bluefish move in and we are bobbing around like a cork in the rough 5 to 7 foot seas (some of which are breaking over the side of the boat). We begin to catch a few blues on some light tackle I had on board. I put 2 in the boat and we fillet these fish and put out a nice bloody 4 pound slab of fresh meat for the sharks. Almost immediately we get a blue shark of around 100 pounds. OK, things are looking up. I begin to fillet another fish when the knife slips and I put a huge gash in the top of my thumb that goes down to the bone. I check to see that everything works-it does. Full movement and then I begin the job of stopping the profuse bleeding. Around 12 paper towels later, 3 butterflies, a box of gauze and a roll of tape I am back to cutting bait. Within seconds we nail 3 other blue sharks. Hmmm... must of been all that blood. OK, who wants to get cut next?
We need more bluefish. Tommy catches one, so does Ronnie. I toss out the rod next when we see this medium sized blueshark going for the bait. I yank it out of his mouth. A few minutes later he's back and I figure what better way to get rid of him then to catch him for a minute or two before he breaks off (which seem inevitable as this is only 20 pound test line I am using not to mention my hook has 4 inches of wire leader instead of the 11 feet on the shark hooks & my bumb thumb). Game on! I notice the hook is well placed in the corner of his mouth but the fish is strong and this rod is nothing in his world. Still, there's a chance. Then Tommy laughs and says "no way. If you catch this fish you have a new lever of respect from me but there's no way in hell". The challenge is accepted. I begin to pay attention to every little detail. I do not give this fish a minute to rest (which means I don't either). I put the screws to him making sure the rod is always bent to the max and I am winding the reel almost non stop. About 15 minutes in I am in pain. My thumb is killing me as are my fingers trying to compensate for not being able to use it, gripping the rod with just the rest of my hand and not letting it spin. My arm is beginning to hurt from lifting and my right hand is tiring... most of all my groin is hurting the most as the rod end is jammed in my belly as this fish makes run after run after run tearing off all my line every time I get him within 30 feet of the boat. After 30 minutes this fish has not been as close to the boat as when I caught him but I feel him tiring. Now I go into overdrive and pump no stop. Nice short pumps with the reel turning and sometimes adding some extra pressure with my hand on the line trying to stop the reel drag form giving back line. I get 1 foot he takes 8 inches. Slowly and agonizingly he is coming in. Then after 1 last run I get the fish to the boat and touch the short leader with my hand. A legal IGFA catch! Tom is amazed. I decide to tag this fish so I give the rod to Tom. The fish makes a short run and it takes Tom almost 10 minutes to get him back. He technique sucks. He soon gives up complaining about the rod butt jabbing him. He gives the rod to Ronnie and once the fish is at the boat I stick him with the tag. Well, she didn't like this too much and it was game on again. One last time to the boat and I put on a glove and grab the leader again and lift as if to try to bring the fish in. The 50 pound wire leader pops and this majestic beast swims off insulted for the gang raping she took on that light rod.
OK, more bluefish. It's 11:30 so I eat my sandwich and another blue shark is in the slick. It leaves and so do the bluefish. I think maybe a mako is near? Suddenly we realize that with the rough weather we are running out of chum. The constant rocking of the boat is shaking out all the chum at twice the expected rate. The order goes out for more bluefish because everything we have is going to get chopped up and chummed the old fashioned way, by hand. Tommy is not feeling confident and actually lays down on the deck to sleep. I light up a stogie and we hook into what seems like a good fish. Ian works this fish and after a heated battle of about 10 or 12 minutes he brings a huge blue shark boat side. I tag this fish of about 200 pounds and we let him go (no blue sharks in this trny).
Water temp is 64, too cold for mako. Chum and bait running low. Tommy not helping out and our drift is not exactly as I wanted we are not drifting into the deep as I had planned, but in retrospect we were drifting along dropoff. It's quiet and I ask when everyone things we should leave. Ian says: 3:00? I point out it's 3:15. I suggest about 20 minutes when we should be out of chum. Tommy who is up now notices one of the balloons near the boat moving oddly. I figure it's a bluefish and I am not paying attention. Then I see Ian is hooked up and the rod is bent. OK, a blue shark I think. We strap him into his belt and harness and he's fighting the fish. About 10 percent of me is interested and then we see it. The fish greyhounds on top of the water flailing that huge tail. THRESHER!!!! Ian expertly fights that fish for 20 minutes while we clear the deck of the bait, buckets and other crap in the way. I got the engines started to help out and ensure the fish does not go under the boat where the props and rudder could snap the line, then I work with Ronnie and Tommy setting up gaffs in each of the corners of the boat. That leave me as the wire man (& throttle man). I put on the gloves and run form the helm to the deck trying to do both jobs. The fish comes to the boat and I grab the steel cable. This is it I think but the fish has other ideas and with 1 swing from that mighty tail she is over 200 feet from the boat again. Ian is tiring and barking orders. I am trying to make sure Ronnie known how to set the gaff when Ian gets the fish back to the boat. I grab the leader and Tommy takes a mighty swing with his gaff and misses!!! MISSES! But the fish spooks and she if off again. Now we are getting worried that something could go wrong. Back to the boat for #3 and I decide that no way she is not getting gaffed. I was wrong. As I pulled on the cable with all my strength the fish swings it's tail in a desperate attempt to gain her freedom and I let go just as she was either going to pull me into the water or rip my arm form my shoulder as something in there popped! OK, she is tiring. We can all see that now. Back to the boat and I grab the leader pull her into striking range and both Tommy and Ronnie set their gaffs into this fish. We all hang on to what we have, Tommy his gaff, Ian the rod, Ronnie his gaff and I am still holding that leader. I let go and get a tail rope on her tail. GAME OVER! WE WIN!!!

Never in your life have you heard so much yelling and screaming! But it's 4pmm, the weigh in ends at 6 and the fish is still outside of the boat. We cut the leader form her mouth and maneuver her to the transom door which I had opened. Everyone pulls and she is in the boat. Thankfully she is so tired that she is not trying to hit anyone with that tail or bight anyone. I close the door type in the coordinates for the weigh station and begin the trip home. The navigation equipment says 5:15 arrival. Great. This time we will not be late. I am on the radio trying to get info about the fish already weighed but no one knows. I light up a Cuban and everyone else is toasting with water. I estimated the fish at 250. Ian and Tommy are saying 300. We are talking about the prize money for the trny and Calcutta. Tommy has his share spent already. We get to the dock and there is a huge crowd. Everyone is impress with our fish. I am thinking we got it. Then as the fish is weighed the tournament master tells us that we are third. Only 2 money prizes. So we take our fish home steak it up. By 11:00 I am eating dinner having just finished cleaning my steaks. By midnight I am showered and in bed.

Nothing to say but a great great day!

Good Fishing - Captain John