Yesterday was a good day and maybe I'll do a report some day (caught 12 small trout and a small snook) but today I caught my biggest snook.
It's a good thing I had my Helios reel, because I needed it today. On the first run the fish pulled out 120 yards of line on the first run!! She was 3 times as big around as my thighs and she was estimated to be over 50" long. The weight was estimated a 25+ lbs[1]. Truly a snookzilla!! My story follows! Only true lies!!!
Fishing Report; Walton Road, 1:30 pm 5-15-15, wind out of the East at 10mph then gusting to 20mph. Tide low and outgoing. Fishing an 1/8 jig with assorted DOA paddletails on 8 lb. white Fireline braid.
My neighbor and I decided to go fishing and since he was off work we left around 1:15 and got to Walton Scrub around 1:30. I thought it was dead low tide but now I'm not sure because Bob, a new fishing friend decided to come fish too. According to Bob, the tide was still outgoing- so I'll check my chart next time. I told him we would be at Walton but I didn't know he was coming [Tide was outgoing near low].
So we hit the water and it was very low tide, and we headed out past the sand bar to the 2nd weed-bed. I had been getting trout there every day so I was expecting good things. I looked to my left and saw someone fishing on the shallow side of the sandbar in front of the 1st weed-bed. I didn't know who it was at first but eventually he came over to us- it was Bob who I just met at the Rod and Reel Club meeting. So I didn't catch a fish on the first cast like I did yesterday and I didn't get bit for a couple more casts. Then I got the tail bit off my DOA paddletail and had to put another on. About the time Bob came out to where we were fishing, I caught a nice Jack that struck only 20 feet away as I pulled my jig near the surface.
Bob came out, but not quite as far and he fished on my left side. The wind was not bad and there was only a chop on the water. We couldn't believe that it wasn't windy since the weather report said 15-20 mph wind. My neighbor hooked a 2-3 lb Jack that really bent his line. He unhooked it and showed it to us then dropped it back in the Lagoon. We stared moving South- no trout, we'd been fishing 15 minutes- yesterday I had already caught 5 in the first 15 minutes--the day before I'd caught more and big ones too. Finally I hooked a small trout and he came up and shook before I pulled him skating across the surface and into my waiting hand. About 14" - not much of a fish but a trout none the less. Speckled sea trout are one of the most beautiful fish in the the Lagoon. They are awesome!
We worked our way South and the wind started to gradually increase. By the time I hooked my second trout, the waves were starting to froth and the wind was pushing clouds across the horizon and right over us. We were casting directly into the wind, which was ok with me but some anglers like the wind to their back-- to do that we'd have to fish the West side. Suddenly it felt like a storm was coming but there were only a few small rain clouds gathering- not enough to worry about.
By now Bob had to pull back into the shallower water or his gear would be soaked (he was wearing a wading belt). My neighbor was getting soaked too and the waves were two foot tall now. I don't mind the wind and waves but that's me. We were trying to make it to the third wed-bed but the wind was getting worse. I hooked a small trout and released him- that was 3 trout now and one Jack for me. My neighbor said it was too rough for him and he wanted to head back- so he went to the shallower sand bar and made a couple casts. He wanted to go back to the 2nd weed bed where we started and make a couple casts before we left.
I was still out in 3-4 feet of water trying to keep from getting soaked. I was casting as far in the wind as I could- which wasn't very far now. I was throwing line-drive casts and backing away from the big waves. We were almost back when a funny thing happened - I cast out and halfway back through the waves and froth I go a strike, it wasn't a hard strike necessarily but it was so windy it was hard to get much feel. I looked up and saw a giant splash- and this wasn't a wave --it was my fish!!!
I didn't know what was going on but I knew I had a good fish on and suddenly I knew how good a fish it was-- my drag went zzzzziiiinnngg! I lifted the rod tip and tried to slow the fish down- I couldn't. My drag was just whining and I watched my line go out. I thought, "What is this? Must be a big sting ray." I'd hooked several sting rays and even bought one in so I wouldn't have to cut my line but this was moving. First it spooled out 70 yards my 8 pound test Fireline, then seconds later, it spooled out 30 yards of my 10 pound Spiderwire braid I had tied to my Fireline. "Stop!" I was thinking as I started to wade after the fish. It didn't stop and now my 14 lb. mono which was on the reel as filler was spooling out- woah fish!!
I was still wading South after the fish, trying to keep from losing all my line and my lure. I thought again that it must be a sting ray. After spooling out 120 yards of line on the first run- I turned the fish. I was really putting pressure on it now because I didn't have that much line left. To my surprise, it headed North, and fast. I didn't know what I had but I felt like I could bring it in now, because I was leaning back and it was starting to come. After she headed North she stopped and I pulled her shallower then she went South, then pulled some drag and headed North again. This time it was easier to pull her in and she started coming in- now only 30 feet away. I could see the top of my leader but not the fish. My neighbor came over, "What is it?!" I shouted. Then we saw the massive tail, "Redfish??" he yelled. I too thought it might be a Red.
She turned and headed North again and I pulled her up a little so we could see, "Snook," we both yelled in unison. "What a monster!!" I said. "Don't lose it," he said. "Pull it in the shallow water over the sandbar," he yelled. So I pulled it over the sand bar in two feet of clear water. This fish was still fighting but was tired. I had hooked her in the roof of her mouth with my little jig but she clearly wasn't hooked well- you could see the jig head sticking out.
I didn't have a camera and my neighbor didn't have a camera. So I looked for Bob who had left and was getting off the water. I yelled to him and he saw my pole bent double - so he headed back to the sandbar. He said he had a camera so I tried to keep the snook on the sandbar- but it swam off the bar to deeper water on the shore side. I pulled her back over the bar. I could tell finally she was tired and my neighbor told me to lip her like a bass, so he took my rod and I lipped her but she was so heavy and long I couldn't do anything but hold her in the water with my hand. Fortunately Bob had a plastic blue fish lipper that he clamped down on the fish's bottom lip and my neighbor pulled the jig out. I held her under the water while Bob got his camera from his waist band.
Bob pulled his camera from his waist band and it was in a plastic Ziplock bag. He told me not to lift her up by the lip only so I stuck my hand under her belly and lifted her mouth with the blue plastic lipper using the other hand. Woah- she was hard to even lift out of the water!! She was twice as big around as my thigh and so long I'd would have had to lift her past my chest to get her tail out of the water!! What a fish.
Bob took a couple quick pics and we quickly got her back in the water and she swam away. So glad she was OK. We were stopping soon anyway so we waded off the Lagoon and climbed up the bank to our cars.
An hour later Bob emailed me the photos - he sent them as Snookzilla1 and Snookzilla2 etc. My neighbor who has caught big snook before estimated the weight as 25 pounds plus- a snookzilla for certain.
I 'm glad that I was fishing with my friends and one of them had a camera!! Snookzilla will be back some day to feast on someone else's line.
True lies, only true lies, exaggerations and fish stories on this blog!!!
Richard
1. I'm not sure of her exact size and length, she certainly could have been a 50" snook- I'm only going on what I've been told. The pic didn't really do her justice- I just wanted to get her safely in the water!!!
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