60 second battle with 400 to 500 # seal - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

Swimmer · 10-15-2007, 12:56 PM

My brother and I Squid Kids Dad were driving the beach in Edgartown two to three miles south of the filled in great pond opening when we decided to stop and fish. Mike threw some tin into the surf and I used my new 13' meat stick. I cut up some bunker and put it on a # 8 gami octopus circle hook. Aproximately ten minutes later the rod bent over and the Shimano Calcutta drag clicker starts making noise like you dream about. I grabbed the rod and it was bending over threatening to destroy the new rod I had wanted to make for years and finally did. The power pro 65 # test line was flying off the reel. Mike was about 100 feet away and could hear the line stripping, and his hearing sucks. I figured I had a world record striped bass on, or I had hooked into a striped bass that a seal had also decided to eat, or I had hooked into one of the 400 to 500 pound seals that were just off the beach. After about 40 to 50 seconds and several huge/strong head shakes, several drag adjustments, this seal comes up about 500 feet out from the beach. My braid extended from the tip of my rod right to this seals mouth completely out of the water except for a few feet just before where the seal surfaced and stopped pulling. I cranked down on the drag, because I didn't want to lose all this line. But in retrospect it was up to the seal at this point. Another few seconds and what I thought was line separation had occured or some other failure such as my knots coming apart happened. When I reeled everything back in I found that the gami hook broke right where the back of the hook starts its curve into the shank. Snapped right off. All my knots worked just fine. I couldn't believe how powerful the head shakes were trying to jettison the hook. Sitting here after the fact writing about this I don't suppose thier was anything I could do to have beached the seal. And if I did I think I would have had huge problems, legal and otherwise. As it is there is a one in piece of Gami hook stuck in the seals jaw.

MAC · 10-15-2007, 01:03 PM

They sure can pull can't they. Nice getting the line all back too.

tattoobob · 10-15-2007, 04:05 PM

Great story, maybe he will get lock jaw now

nightfighter · 10-15-2007, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAC

Nice getting the line all back too.

Yeah! You did better than I did against a goose!

stripersnipr · 10-15-2007, 06:39 PM

Hopefully a contagious infection sets in.

Rappin Mikey · 10-15-2007, 06:41 PM

Squid kids Dad · 10-15-2007, 06:41 PM

Watching Swimmer do battle with the seal was pretty funny..I thought it was going to pull him in the water a couple of times..

And oh ask him about the duck he caught also..

RickBomba · 10-15-2007, 07:03 PM

I come from a long line of seal fishermen.
Used to be we were just fishermen.
I think I'm buying myself a silencer for Xmas this year!

Rick

Slipknot · 10-15-2007, 07:04 PM

Condolences on the loss of your gami hook

baldwin · 10-15-2007, 07:40 PM

[QUOTE=Swimmer;531997And if I did I think I would have had huge problems, legal and otherwise. .[/QUOTE]

Like deciding between rare and medium-rare.

Swimmer · 10-16-2007, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baldwin

Like deciding between rare and medium-rare.

Too funny. I started thinking about the Vietnamese guy in Ca. that alledgedly stabbed a seal to get his bait back. What the hell would I have done if the seal swam towards me and it beached itself?

Yah, I hooked the web of a ducks foot with a deadlky #^&#^&#^&#^&. Several people were kind enough to come over and help extricate the hook form the webbing.

Grampy · 10-16-2007, 02:08 PM

and you did better than with when a seagull spooled me last week.

Parker650 · 10-16-2007, 02:20 PM

You couldn't cross the seagulls eyes??

Pete_G · 10-16-2007, 06:06 PM

I have to admit I am mystified as to how you guys are getting beaten down by the birds. Talk about light tackle.

Well told story there Swimmer.

Slingah · 10-16-2007, 06:56 PM

thats funny frank

sounds like a goodtime right there...
did you catch any fish??? or just other wildlife??

BigFish · 10-16-2007, 07:03 PM

Frank.....would you have mounted it to hang it on your wall?

justplugit · 10-16-2007, 07:12 PM

Swimmer, being your brother is a li'l hard of hearing
he prolly didn't hear ya yellin Yo Yo Ma i got a #60.

Great story.

Pete_G · 10-16-2007, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Karl F

Well.. sounds like you had enuf rod to get him in!!.. just not enuf hook!
Great Story!

Good point. Not counting a defect in the hook that's some incredible drag pressure. It's tough to break a Live Bait Gamakatsu.

Swimmer · 10-17-2007, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete_G

Good point. Not counting a defect in the hook that's some incredible drag pressure. It's tough to break a Live Bait Gamakatsu.

I saved the hook as a keepsake. It's in my truck.

Swimmer · 10-17-2007, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigFish

Frank.....would you have mounted it to hang it on your wall?

Dry mount Larry, absolutely. Right over the friekin fireplace, or the opposite wall.