Great Weekend/Big Reds

Went out Friday evening with the intention of getting my wife her first big redfish. Since moving here almost 3 years ago redfish have become her favorite fish to catch, but hasn’t yet caught one over the slot. With good weather and some big mullet to cut up we were able to change that. She hooked up and fought this one all on her own. I’ve been fishing my whole life and have never been as excited for one of my own fish as I was when I netted this red for her. 38" 19.7 lbs. I caught one right after, not nearly as big, but wouldn’t have had it any other way

With our Friday success we decided to try and repeat on Saturday. We each got another nice red, about the same size as my wife’s fish from the previous night. She hooked up with a second and after making some REALLY hard runs we thought it might be a new record for her. I’m certain it would have beat the previous night’s 19 lb fish, but unfortunately we never got to see it whole. The shark left us 17.5 lbs of it. Sure would have liked to see the shark that did it.

That’s a nice one! Fish is pretty good too :smiley:

I rather put somebody else on a good fish and watching their faces than I would catching it myself :sunglasses: I’ve caught enough fish.

Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper

sucks losing a big breeder red like that to a shark

2014 Key West 203DFS
1987 Landau

GREAT REPORT and congrats to both of you, there’s no better feeling than putting a rook on their first bull.

By the way she’s holding that fish in the last picture, there’s no way it survived that gill damage from her hand :smiley::smiley::smiley:.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist. In all seriousness your handling technique is just fine.

2000 Aquasport Osprey 175 CC

PM sent nice fice!

-Wishes Charlotte was 3 hours closer to the ocean…-

Those are some nice looking Reds

“Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education”

18’ CC SeaFox

btshipp lol… yea the trauma that fish felt because of the way it was held :smiley:

Do you have any issues getting anchored? Seems like I am always drifting and THAT is just freaking scary with those rocks.

What time of the day were you fishing and where in the tide?

Thanks
Charleston

Maybe the senior members here could comment. What is the regulations now with the shark attacked Red. It is essentially a goner. Most likely not trimmed enough to “fit” the slot size. LOL.

Would you still get hammered if you brought it back?

Charleston.

quote:
Originally posted by Charleston

Maybe the senior members here could comment. What is the regulations now with the shark attacked Red. It is essentially a goner. Most likely not trimmed enough to “fit” the slot size. LOL.

Would you still get hammered if you brought it back?

Charleston.


.

We threw it right back in the water after taking some pics. Fish with a length limit must be kept with head and tail intact while on the water. Even though it was dead it most certainly didn’t go to waste. It sounds ridiculous, but if you were allowed to keep a shark attacked fish I believe the instances of this happening would coincidentally increase.

RE anchoring: we’ve been lucky I suppose. I’ve heard about losing anchors, or having trouble anchoring at the jetties, but we’ve been able to anchor quickly every time we go and retrieve the anchor without issue. Fishing in the evening with the water moving in one direction or the other. Even if the fishing isn’t productive it sure is pretty out there at sunset.

Nice fish y’all and yes the fish has to have head and tail naturally attached. lol By the way Brandon, the only fish she has her fingers in the gills is the half fish. I don’t think it is “feeling any pain” from the fingers in the gills.

2005 Sea Hunt 212 Triton
“Head East”

The breeder reds are healthy, and I’m hearing of good catches of slot fish north of Charleston. Maybe that will calm some of the negative nellies. Sounds like a few bad spawning years.