Amateur hour on the beach

I’ve been lucky enough over the years to just about take this morning events on the chin.  Schoolboy errors happen and I’m putting this one down to tipping the barmaid last night and what ended up in fairly loaded Margaritas.

I found a nice spot yesterday and spotted two Tarpon in a dock area.  I made my way there at 5am in the pitch black and fished as the sun rose. I tried a small Savage Gear Fourplay on a 7g jighead which was about the same size as the bait fish present.

I worked it around the pier legs and between the boats and thought to myself that if I did connect it might be a brutal and brief affair.

I had a couple of knocks from small fish but was a bit disappointed that there was nothing else around. As I worked my way back along the beach I had two small cudas and another fish which I think is  an immature  Lane Snapper.

Even early AM its  blowing 30mph offshore wind so having changed  to a metal and  lobbing it up in the air   I was getting about 60-70 yards I guess. On one of these casts the lure was smacked by a substantial fish which tore off and leapt clear of the water……Tarpon on. Playing the fish was pretty hairy but I couldn’t believe my luck, a decent fish as well in the teens or twenties. It leapt another twice and threw the hook, gutted. I recast and hooked another one instantly, same thing happened again. I checked the hook points, these were fine. In the next 10 mins I hooked another 4 fish in what felt like some sort of feeding frenzy. I sat on the sand and checked the lure and the leader again.

What a dick. This is an Owner ST36BC which I put on the Hansen . OK, so not the strongest of the Owner range of trebles but still a strong reliable pattern. I hope this was a bad one as I’ve no chance of getting any upgrades here.

 

The points were fine but having just run my fingers over them I didn’t check them visually. I got so caught up in the moment; too busy looking at the fish moving on the surface. My leader was also badly worn as well, muppet.  I walked off the beach in disgust before 7am, first day at school material this.....