Tuesday morning. 29March; day off, been miserable at MIA airport where I work, with the fuel farm explosion screwing everything up. My frayed nerves decided some relaxation was in order. Hadn't been around my old fishin' haunts much so off I went. I like reading in here what is up, and don't want to post unless I've got something unusual or interesting, I don't get to fish that often. Tuesday proved to be just that...whew.
Stopped along US27, caught a couple small bass in the 2-3lbs range, but then attracted the attention of a too-large gator who just wouldn't leave me alone, so I moved on. Took the I-595 ramp and stopped, got myself a sandwich at Publix and decided to throw a few casts in the water along I595.
I had actually intended to go to the Holiday Park area but I stopped along I595 to clear some really bad tangles I had in two reels. I put a lure on each just to cast some distance, both surface plugs. One tangle, on my Penn spinning reel cleared right off; I noticed a large gar following it but no strike. I cast back and the gar took it, almost got him up but the line broke and he took the lure with him. Pretty good size for a gar, too, must have been 4-5lbs.
Surface was glassy calm, no rolling fish, no nothing. Lots of weeds floating; boring and calm. I now cast from the second reel with tangles; it went out a way then stopped at the first twisted loop. This one took a long time to work out the snarled line. So the lure had drifted in the current quite a bit, although it wasn't strong. I finally just started pulling it in, then thought what the hell, lets make some noise on the surface with it, which I did.
Then - I saw it, a large bulge came out from the SHORE, of all places, well away from my location, and headed at flank speed for the lure. It was still a good distance away from the fish; thinking it was a snook or giant bass, I collected some slack and braced myself. But the lure disappeared in a whirlpool. No splash, just gone. I yanked back HARD. A bronze-silver missile launched itself; a tarpon. Now, I've caught them in the canal before, but not on 12lb test meant for smaller creatures, and this sucker was big. They weren't rolling, or even evident, so I wasn't expecting him.
How big was he-don't know, I didn't catch him needless to say. I could guesstimate but don't trust my after the fact impression now. (godzilla?)
I will say what my immediate thought was right then -- even if I'd had the right tackle and he'd not broken the line, I would never have attempted to haul THAT thing on shore by myself. Not afraid of 'em, just the body mechanics wouldn't work, I'm skinny and about 5'5''. It could have pulled me in if the line had held, and even on land I'd be wary of this one flopping and struggling. They're strong as hell.
Anyhow, I had him for about 4 jumps, enough to entertain the I-595 traffic just from the flying water it left from it's leaps and splashes. Funny as hell, even after he broke the line, the lure still held and it jumped twice more before he threw it, furiously shaking its head. A state trooper even pulled off, stopped and asked me if I'd hooked a manatee... (??)..
I had to explain no manatee ever jumped like that. There was lots of a brake lights on I-595 though, some folks got entertained...guess that's why the cop stopped. Two brand new lures gone; one to the gar, the other to the 'poon,damn him. The gar surprised me, I thought the 15lb test on that one would have stood the teeth, but nope.
Gets expensive, geeez.
