# CA USA: Eets Naht Uh Tunah



## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

Its been 3weeks since I was on the water. At that time things were looking so good. Warming water and lots of bait meant Spring was on the way. Then the wind blew. I had high hopes for this morning. Air temps are the hottest of the year nearing 30c at the coast. The weather is calm, and hot. The signs are there for good fishing.

Checking my local weather station/cam left me confused: Wind 0.0 Waves 2-3ft W and SW Temp(air/Sea) 14c/14c Choppy ocean surface.
Since it was dark I couldn't see the cam, but no wind and choppy was interesting, and the water had not warmed much.

Water at the launch was 13. Water outside was 15. And I trunked it w/ no booties based on yesterdays weather. The toes were cold! Out in the zone there was a good downhill current and there was some bump. Nothing was cresting, but the chop was steep and mixed up a bit. The wind was pretty calm so it was nice and glassy. Made a couple green macks early and towed them around until 0730 then set up a drift while throwing plastics. My dad was still a mile or so S of me working up the line. A friend, Steveooo, showed up and stopped to chat. We pretty much agreed it was due to pop very soon, and w the conditions of the last couple days it could be today.

As we were talking my dropper looped mack gets edgy, and the rod starts bobbing. I ripped it out of the holder and gave some slack as halibut sometimes play w their food. They'll grab a bait and slowly swim away w it just in their teeth, not it the mouth so a little patience gives a chance for a hookset. Nothing more happened w/ the rod, but I wound down and felt some pressure and set the hook. It felt like I hooked land. All that happened was drag slipping, and then a brutal violent run. The next 45min were spent in a bulldog fight where I was getting a crank here and there, but the fish would take it back. Steveooo and my dad were circling around marking the fish, saying, "Oh you got some back hes off the bottom. He's at 90ft."
"How deep is it?"
"100ft."
And then it would take 10yds of line.

It was just not coming. I put the wood to it, horseshoeing the rod and testing the line (65# powerpro to 40lb mono to 3way swivel to 40#flouro leader w/ 10oz lead) but it would flick its tail and I'd be left w the Zzzz of braid leaving. I was starting to think I would not be seeing this fish. I just would never know. But I kept the pressure on and spent the calories from the 2 donuts I had w coffee for brekky. Finally it just gave up and I made up some line. I called out, "I got leader!" and what surfaced was the biggest finfish I have ever caught in my entire life. It was a black sea bass about 5ft long and easy twice my girth. The hook in its lip looked like a #24 trout hook. I was startled by it, it was so big. I didn't want to get my hand near its mouth cause it could just grab on and swim me away like nothing.

It flopped over, belly up from the pressure, and my dad and I went into revival mode. Black sea bass are protected, and no take, so it was important to get it back down. On the other hand I needed some pix of this sea monster. Well once righted it wanted to leave and w its mass it almost took out me and my dad, but it would pop right back up. I wanted to get hold of its tail and spear its head down but I could not get both hands around the caudal. It was as big as my thigh! Finally on the third attempt at righting it, it got its head down and made way, slamming the side of my dads yak and almost sending him in. After some "Yeah babys!" we paddled back the 3/4mile lost in the fight and started again.

About an hour later, a fog bank came in w/ about 7kts of wind on top of the current making the drift at 2-3mph, and the air was wet w the mist. We called it by 1000 and paddled back and just as quickly the fog left, but the wind picked up more so it was alright. Hauled out and packed up by 1115.

The pix are credited to my dad rossman, steveooo, and myself, but none are showing the full mass of this fish. The pix are all belly up, as it didn't want to stick around once righted.









































































Awesome experience; no food on the table.


----------



## scater (Nov 24, 2007)

Awesome fish mate, and well done on the release!


----------



## BIGKEV (Aug 18, 2007)

Wouldn't worry about food on the table under those circumstances, very cool....


----------



## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

tasmaniac said:


> Wowsers!
> Awesome effort Zed. Guesstimate on weight?


So hard to say. Initially I was thinking 50+kg. My dad emailed me and estimated 70+kg.
Relatively huge.


----------



## carnster (May 27, 2008)

Yeah that's a big fish, congrats.


----------



## paulo (Nov 1, 2007)

Woohoo Zed, snodger of a fish!


----------



## Sprocket (Nov 19, 2008)

Nice way to celebrate the "thaw" Zed, good on you Mate.
Looks a bit like this belly up boy

__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content


----------



## RhubarbTheYeti (Oct 28, 2013)

:lol:


----------



## Junglefisher (Jun 2, 2008)

Take that Zed's dad!
70kg? I'd have thought heavier based on the pics.
Certainly one of the biggest fish I've ever seen pics of landed from a kayak.


----------



## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

Sprocket said:


> Nice way to celebrate the "thaw" Zed, good on you Mate.
> Looks a bit like this belly up boy


FIFY

Well done Zed
you the man


----------



## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

Sprocket said:


> Nice way to celebrate the "thaw" Zed, good on you Mate.
> Looks a bit like this belly up boy


lol I see the resemblance.

Indie it was about an hour and a half from hookup to fishing again. I only checked my watch at the 45min mark though.

Man was I sore getting out of bed this morning.


----------



## dru (Dec 13, 2008)

:shock: :shock: :shock:

Just awesome.


----------



## paulsod (Dec 28, 2008)

First words out of my mouth when I saw the fish...."Holy [email protected]!"
It's a monster alright, well done.
Cheers
Paul
p.s I just looked up Black sea Bass and Wiki has it at a max of 500mm.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_sea_bass


----------



## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

paulsod said:


> First words out of my mouth when I saw the fish...."Holy [email protected]!"
> It's a monster alright, well done.
> Cheers
> Paul
> ...


Yeah that's an East coast fish.

This is the West coast version:
http://www.nps.gov/chis/naturescience/g ... eabass.htm


> They are capable of growing to lengths of over 7 feet and weighing 750 pounds


Holy $#!+!

Edit: This is a baby one from another one of my reports.


----------



## BIGKEV (Aug 18, 2007)

Zed, if 7ft and 750pds is achievable I would think you may have short changed yourself a little with your estimated weight. If the length of your fish was 5ft I would assume based on the max ratios that it should easily be pushing 250-300pds well above your 70kg estimate.

Make it bigger man! Your a fisherman FFS, you are allowed if not expected to exaggerate.


----------



## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

What can I say? I have no idea, and legally I'd have no way to be accurate. Sitting next to it in the water, it scared the "Holy [email protected]!" out of me. I talked myself out of thinking it was 100kg. "There's no way that's 200lbs. I didn't just catch a 200lb fish on my yak. No way." Like I said, relatively huge. They get bigger, so I'll try and get better data next time.


----------



## Geoffw (Jan 23, 2011)

Nice one Zed....monster. Bet it was the best sore arms you ever had.


----------



## badmotorfinger (Mar 15, 2010)

Wow. Great fish in what looked like beautiful conditions.


----------



## Beekeeper (Aug 20, 2011)

Hey Zed! Each time I hook up to a turtle, (hooked another today, buggerit!) I hope it's a big cod in the size range that your bass slots into... but as yet, it has always been a turtle... some of them huge in size.

One of these days........ maybe....

Well done, Zed!

Jimbo


----------



## mrwalker (Feb 23, 2009)

Wow,Zed. Thats very impressive, must have been nice to see it swim away. Well done, cheers, Dave.


----------



## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

That may be an all time record weight fish on AKFF Troy. Maybe Shep (not on the forum) from southern NSW, or Grant Ashwell have caught something that big (Marlin), but that is seriously a contender. Respect for your knot tying ability (curious) and the gear to bring such a monster yakside.


----------



## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Onya Zed, a nice memory for you to have, and be able to re-live many times.


----------



## mangajack (Jul 23, 2007)

Hold the bloody thing up for a photo next time huh? 
Geez some ppl will just want to brag by showing their belly off.....


----------



## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

Trev the connection braid to mono is whats called here a 7-11 knot.
Take a bight of mono w about 3in tag and hold that in your right hand.
Through the loop made thread thw braid and wrap loosley toward your R hand 11 times then back toward the loop 7 times then back out the loop the way it went in initially. Wet and draw tight. Cut the tags close. This knot winds on and casts out well.

All other connections are uni knots. I like unis cause I can tie them eyes closed on a pitching deck and they retain line strength.

Rod Calstar 700MH 25-60lb
Reel Shimano Trinidad14

Mangajack youre right. I have a method for threshers where I hold the tail and lever my foot under the belly behind the pec fin. It works and if things go crazy I can let go. They dont swim backwards so all motion will be away from me. I was just too flustered to try something like that w my leg as there wasnt any redymade handlea on the BSB. Now thinking back I might have done more. Next one will be better!


----------



## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

Thanks Troy. Sure is a strong knot, and not hard to tie at all, as demonstrated in this clear video.


----------



## sunshiner (Feb 22, 2006)

Star-tling, Troy. Yep, I reckon that's the biggest fin fish I've seen as a yak capture on AKFF. I've been close to several live groper about that size and they are truly spectacular fish. It's great to hear that they are categorised as no-take and we applaud your ultimately successful efforts to send it back where it belongs.

Thanks. Great TR.


----------



## billpatt (Apr 12, 2010)

Nice fish, don't think the 4lb line I use for snapper would have been up to the task :lol: .

Looks like a relative to our groper and potato cod, absolutely beasts of fish.


----------



## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

Wow, I've been skipping past this post thinking it's just another mackeral or something....what a monster fish!

Best part of it is that the fish still lives and could give someone else that same pleasure!


----------

