I thought I snagged the bottom

[goofiefoot]

...then the "bottom" began to move!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q12fwsq6-FI

[Rob R]

I have the casting version of that rod. They are nice rods considering the relatively low price.

[goofiefoot]

I have the casting version of that rod. They are nice rods considering the relatively low price.

I have 2 of them, and love them. A HUGE upgrade over the Ugly Stiks I used to use.

[lagavulin62]

Beautiful overhead sky.

[goofiefoot]

Beautiful overhead sky.

It was nice to have a morning with low winds and not much sun.

[mwatson71]

At what point during the unhooking/release did you start to regret bringing it aboard? Nice release, but at some point you had to start second guessing yourself, right?

[goofiefoot]

At what point during the unhooking/release did you start to regret bringing it aboard? Nice release, but at some point you had to start second guessing yourself, right?

Totally valid question, but to be frank, I was mesmerized by this thing. I wanted to ensure that I could get it back in the water uninjured, so I did wish I had a larger net, since he kept getting hung up in mine. Right about 4:18 in the video, he made some sort of loud barking sound as I tried to lift him, and I about jumped out of the kayak then. Other than that, I enjoyed the time I had with him, and was glad to see him swim off so well.

The thing that surprised me the most was how heavy he was - I guessed about 20-30 pounds, so they must be really dense for their size. I mentioned it in the video - I have heard they're good to eat, so I may have to keep the next one.

[mwatson71]

My 14 yr old son caught one last year on his kayak one night at Sea Isle and I just got as close to the hook as I could and cut the line. Had it been daylight I may have played it differently, but I wasn’t taking any chances. In addition to being “poor man’s scallops” I hear they can be tasty when fried. They are also great shark bait.