Friday the 13th – Blacktip Madness

The surf was rough, the sky filled with dark ominous clouds as rain swept into my face.  I was alone, surrounded by sharks… And they were hungry. It was Friday the 13th and according to Hollywood, I fell in and was ripped to shreds by Megalodon himself. Sadly, however, this is just a fishing report. The day began with sunshine and a steady, but pleasant breeze out of the south east. I positioned myself near some structure that seemed fishy and got to work. With an onshore wind, most small plugs were all but impossible to cast, so I stuck with the trusty crocodile spoon. Half a dozen attempts later landed me a nice Jack of about 3 pounds.

Eager to start shark fishing, I called it quits on the bait hunt. I proceeded to scan the surf to find out where exactly I would set up shop. It did not take long for the ocean to give up it’s secrets. In fact, it subtly screamed, “cast here.” I obliged. A bloody chunk of Jack soon rested on the sea floor and the wait was on… Or so I thought. Not even two full minutes went by before a shark had taken my offering!
Upon releasing her, I couldn’t help but think, “that was fast”, but chalked it up to a mere coincidence.
Wrong again.

For the next several hours, every bait that touched the water was almost immediately gobbled up by a Blacktip shark. If five to ten minutes were ever to pass without any action, I would grow worried that the bite had ended.  This went on until there was no bait left. I fought sharks to my hearts  content, I inadvertently discovered that my iPhone 7 really is waterproof, and I was certain that my arms would fall off some time in the near future. Epic is overused, but fitting for this night.

After my bait supply had dwindled to nothing, I decided to attempt throwing my new TA Subdaters at them. Not being proficient in the ways of the Darter, I was still optimistic, simply based on the sheer number of sharks around.  I threw yellow and gold, with the intention of matching color of a Jack. Several casts in and I began building confidence as I slowly worked across the sweeping current, an occasional twitch where I deemed fit. I was happy to have begun learning a new skill, but losing hope that it would pay off that night… Until I twitched one last time, 10 yards from shore, where I was met with a loud, explosive take! This fish threw a ton of water before speeding off into the depths, minus the darter, unfortunately. With my blood racing, I kept at it, hoping for a second chance, but it wasn’t meant to be. I called it a (successful) night and headed for home.

This is one Friday the 13th I will not soon be forgetting!

Until next time,
AJ

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