An Epic Battle
Written by Tony a/k/a "NIB"   

I was out pluggin’ after work in early June last year - like I had been the last 18 days prior. I had encountered some quality fish on bait in May but they had been missing for a few weeks. If they where gonna’ show up again I was gonna’ be there. I picked a jetty by its relative proximity to the job i was working on.

It was warm so I just donned the short boots korkers and bibs. I have a few gaff's I use; one is a 7 footer that is on a surgical tube I wear like a quiver -  it lets me be mobile -  and a longer one I will usually bring when I might fish with someone else. Well I was by myself so I opted for the short one. There was a good 18 knot late afternoon south east wind, one of my favorites here in NJ... So I get to the front, low tide building, I pull out a Big MAC Pikie he had made for me a few years ago. It sat around in my vast collection ‘till last year when I broke it out an fell in love with its action. I love to throw wooden plugs! The bigger the better! I tailor my gear for this kind of fishing. I like to use a 11 ft rod so I use lures to match my gear. It may not be the most productive way to fish but I don't really care. It's just the way I like to fish.

I was just out to keep them honest and have some fun... I proceeded to pick a few fish out of the usual spots. When I noticed something different on one corner of the rock pile I had not noticed while fishing it in the many nights I had been there. Perhaps it was laid out by the wind which is unusual in the evenings… So I scraped my way down a few rocks to have a better angle to present my offering. I made my cast an got tight on the line and the plug was just holding in the backwash of water that was coming off the rocks. I was making my usual painfully slow retrieve enjoying the see/saw action of the plug when the water erupted.

The fish did not take the plug it was more like a warning shot. I had been down this street before though. My heart started pumping. The other fish I had landed barely jumped my pulse but this one had the same effect as someone layin’ on a gurney when they yell "CLEAR"… I remember like it was in slow motion. I dropped my rod some to stop the action of the plug an as I got tight on the line, the plug just started to move, and WHAMMMM! I was in! And she was off... I don't really fish a tight drag - I prefer a loose one and will either tighten up or hold the spool when I have to. This fish was hot! And she did not like the 4/0 trebles in her maw. I could tell by the way she was pulling line it was a decent fish. She was going east and that was fine with me. I knew that if she turned south I would be in trouble where I was so I had to scamper my way back to the top of the jetty an sure enough she turned into the windblown current.

I played the fish out after a few runs and she was close. I knew I would have to go down on the rough side of the jetty to land her. Well the fish and I decided on a little cut in between some boulders. The waves would wash the fish up in the cut I figured, let’s hope I can reach it with the gaff as it was a ways down. The rough waves kind of kept me at bay as I was getting a good dose of salt in this process. I got my quiver-like gaff around my shoulders and put it between my legs as it was now or never. I timed it right as the fish slid up into the cut. She was a beauty now on her side in the thin water and rocks. I was really getting excited… I reached down to hit her with the gaff and sure enough I was short... GREAT... I had to let her back out. I was not happy about this. It was impossible to hold her in the cut with the water pumping in and out.

With how braided line and hooks the way they are these days - I knew i wouldn't have many other chances… A quick assessment of the situation left me 2 options. The first was to get on my butt in slickers, this is not always a good choice as u will slide like you’re at Water World. The other option was to take the leap of faith into the cut an hope I don't twist a ankle or knee or something even worse - battle the water and hope I don't end up getting sucked out.

Well I am not 25 years old anymore and if I get hurt I can't work so I opted for door number one. So, I get down and there is this one rock on my left that I can sort of get a foothold on and I'm kinda’ sliding into the cut on my right but I'm really struggling. I slide the fish into the cut on my right and I can reach her but in the whitewater and all of my excitement - I miss! Like a novice golfer installing a new sprinkler system on the links one whack at a time....

Damn I never miss! I let out a few French words, trying to stay calm, and gave it another try knowing this cat only had one life left... One more shot, on my back, waves splashing water up on me, I was soaked.  11 ft rod bent up over my head I slid her in again, timed it perfect and nailed her.

Now that I had her, I took a short break to catch my breath and revel in my accomplishment. I lifted the fish up an out of harm’s way - she was heavy. I removed the hooks, one of which was bent like a pretzel but still in her lip - and thought to myself this is what it’s all about..

It was just about dusk, I gave a quick look around to be sure no one was watching. Cool no one watching. Put the fish on a rope and hid her. Changed out the plug and made a few more casts but I was shot. So I packed it up for the night. She went 37 lbs - not giant - but my biggest on a wooden swimmer. It was an epic battle and one I'll always remember…

Tony a/k/a NIB

 

Secrets of Surf Fishing at Night

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Speaking of Winter Reading...

Re-released for 2010 - Secrets of Surf Fishing at Night

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