A great day on the water with my father and my son. It was the last day of Zacks summer vacation before starting the 6th grade, so I took the day off and headed for the Scarp. My father joined us, along with my brother in law, my 13 year old nephew, our childhood friend, and capt Jay.
Off to the Scarp at daybreak. With the seas and winds in our favor, we made quick time (well, after my dad told me to slow down, and the bath room breaks, we managed to get lines in at 8.30).
The bite was HOT, friend Neil was anxious to catch a Wahoo, and he had his chance after the first 5 minutes. A nice HOO in the 40s. A few minutes later, my dad tag teams with Brother In law to land a smaller hop. I was up for the third HOO in the 30s. And then it S L O W E D down.
Lots of weeds, way too many short strikes, so short the riggers never popped or the planar didnt pop. Strange. Just the tails, or just behind the hook?
More weeds, some frustration as a CUDA causes a three line tangle.
Then the day maker - SMOKES the way back- REALLY SMOKES the way back. Neil mans the rod, and has a tough time making progress. The fish never shows himself. We are all anxious to see what it is - after 25 minutes, he passes over the rod. I took a turn. WOW - not sure what we had - two handed pulling on the rod, tight drag, looking for a flash of color, and then the fish decides to make a run to the deep - and I did everything I could to hold on to the rod. I was defeated after 5 minutes. I passed the rod to Jay, and then he passed it back to Neil. Finally, after 35 minutes, we realized the man in the blue suit was on the other end of the line! A PainKiller first!
Jay leadered the fish 6 times. It was as wide as the back of the boat excluding the bill (over 9 feet). I was able to snap a few photos, and then the line snapped ensuring a safe release as the fish swam off. A spiritual moment for all on board.
Hows that for the “How I spent the last day of my summer vacation” for when the boy starts school in the mo
