HACKED BY CYBER-ATTACK - ALPERENBTN

[SportFisher]

Newly hooked PINS fisherman Tommy and I headed down at 3 am Sat, hitting the sand at 6:45am. Surf was looking good, not too rough. I was expecting a little rougher surf with the wind that was forecast.

Headed south with excellent driving, Charlie Golla had reported terrible driving the week before and that’s what I was expecting. After making it to the 22mm, we found little weed and set the rods out. Not 5 minutes in and I landed a 30” Bonnethead, went to take a pic and the batteries were dead. Got the little fella back in the water and changed batteries in the camera.

About 10 minutes later I hooked up with a nice 21” Red.



Tyler's twin (I really don't know who it was) LOL , passed us and his crew set up about a half mile south of us. After a quick start, things slowed down to a crawl. Only a Whiting here and there, we decided to move south. Tyler's look alike and many other fishermen reported tough fishing; even Whiting was hard to come by.

Stopped about the 42mm and I quickly hooked with a 15in Sheephead on my 6lb test micro rod and reel. After a safe release, Tommy hooked up with an even bigger Sheephead, he practiced the ultimate release of not even having to touch the fish.

Tommy then landed this nice 21” Red.



I was able to bring in this fat Pompano.



After boxing some Whiting, things slowed down and we decided to move north for the evening, stopping at the 36 for the evening. We made camp about 150ft from the high tide line and about 50ft from the edge of the road that was made during the day. After enjoying a nice meal and a couple of hours feeding the fire, we decided to call it a night.

About 6:30am I heard the turtle patrol driving by on my left, the road by the surf was on my right and I knew something wasn’t right. I looked out the tent and saw the surf had invaded our camp. It had made it about half way past the tent, but had only washed up past the too front tires of my truck. I quickly backed my truck up and we quickly packed up the camp. If I had parked the truck in the front of the tent instead of on the side, I may have been another victim of the surf. I wonder how many others were surprised by the high surf surge. I know we passed camps on the way south that were closer to the surf.

After getting packed up, we decided to fish our way off. Weed was picking up, surf was rough and things were about to get rougher. Not getting anything at the 36mm, we decided to head north. Driving now was on the high road and driving was tough. About the 25mm, my truck decided to lose the clip to my power steering hose. Unknowingly, my hose worked its way off and dumped all my power steering fluid. Making it back to the visitor’s center, we hooked the hose back up, but had to make it to the gas station for some fluid. I guess by then my pump had burned up. I can’t complain about my Ford dealer, they came to my house to pick up my truck and will deliver it back as good as new.

We had a great first half of the trip and learned a few lessons: Be careful, plan for changing conditions and ensure all hoses and clips are securely fastened. I now will have a few more items in my emergency kit.

Not a bad looking mess of fish for a day’s fishing.



I am already looking forward to my next trip to PINS with my Dad and my Daughter. This will be the first time we have three generations fishing together. I know I will have a lot of pictures from that trip.

Can’t wait to post another report and hope to see ya on the sand,
SportFisher
_________________
See ya on the sand! Just look for a gray Ford F150 FX4, a raggedy Atlanta Braves hat and ya found me.....add a yellow Malibu II to that.

[tyler]

It wasn't me this past Saturday as I have not been for a couple of weeks and I would have recognized you at least I think if were paying attention anyway! Glad you all got a few fish. That surf can scare you sometimes, usually you get surprised on NE winds and low pressure.

Tyler

[SportFisher]

Sorry Tyler, thought it was you....I have edited my story. Even yelled your name and the person slowed and looked back. You don't have a brother out there do you?

Sorry for the mix up.

We'll hook up sometime.

SportFisher
_________________
See ya on the sand! Just look for a gray Ford F150 FX4, a raggedy Atlanta Braves hat and ya found me.....add a yellow Malibu II to that.

[Rob]

Good report guys. Sorry about the tide and power steering. Had vehicle trouble on the beach before, it's no fun, glad you made it off ok. Hopefully the turtle guy made sure you guys were up before he or she moved on.

I'm like Tommy, Tyler introduced me to a few intracacies of surf fishing a couple years ago, fascinating to me, can't get enough of it. Lots to learn, wish I would have started a long time ago. I still love the bay, but being able to find fish in the surf (sometimes) and the unknown factor of what you may see or bite your lure is really cool to me. I get skunked all the time in the surf but am fortunate to live nearby. Driving from San Antonio to get skunked or have truck problems wouldn't be fun. Glad you guys made it off the beach ok and with fish to boot.

Rob

[Hec fish]

Why does it seem like lots of auto trouble happeneds on PINS?
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Live to fish.Fish to live!

[Big John at work]

Why are there more vehicle problems on PINS?

Because driving PINS is a test on both the driver and the vehicle when the conditions are tough.

If the high road is the only option, you not only have soft sand to deal with, but there are numerous obstacles and rough driving areas as well that will bounce everything around in your vehicle. Many of the bumps look harmless enough until after you drive over them, and your ice box, tackle, and everything else loose in your truck jumps a foot or two, and your head hits the roof. You can be sure the hoses and wires under the hood get a good shaking too.

The long patches of soft sand strain your engine as more torgue is needed to push the tires through it, and at the same time, the sand gets everywhere and coats everything, reducing the airflow to the engine and reducing your vehicles ability to cool as well. More force is applied to all working parts of your truck or SUV, and anything that moves becomes vulnerable.

Also, there is alot of debree out there, and frequently, boards wash up with nails in them. Don't run over any wood out there if you can avoid it. Some times the sand blows over the wood and other debree, hiding it. Tire puncture is the number one problem for vehicles out there. Carry 4 cans of fix-o-flat for large vehicles (its a bigger can) when you go. There have been several cases where someone punctures three or even all four tires at one time.

The best protection is careful driving. Slow down and look where you are going. Next is maintence. Thoroughly cleaning your vehicle to remove loose sand and shells is important to prevent corrossion. Check your air filter for sand (after a trip with lots of loose sand flying it could be clogged), and change it regularly. Change the fluids on a regular basis, and make sure that all fluid levels are what they are suppossed to be. Remember that overfilled fluid levels are just as bad as underfilled.

With regular maintence, and careful driving, and planning ahead, you can enjoy the beach and the drive alot more without worrying, as much.

Tight lines, and enjoy the sand!

[SportFisher]

this is only the second problem I have encountered on the sand in this truck, the other one was two flat tires. I didn't carry any fix a flat at that time and was lucky there were several folks with air compressors on the beach. I then ran into a fellow SFCCI member who had a plug kit and commercial air compressor and he hooked me up. You now know what I carry in my emergancy kit.

Even if your truck is in top condition, you can still run into some trouble as I did this past weekend. You just never know! It can happen to you on the highway, but it seems a lot worse on the sand because there is no gas station around the corner and a tow will cost you some major bucks if you don't have a towing plan. I checked with my Ford dealer and they said I'm covered (even on the beach) at least for the next 3.5 years when my warranty runs out.

Like Big John said, never run over any boards or wood and take the bumps slow. Be polite to other driver's, not only because it's the right thing to do, but because you may depend on them one day.

I try to plan my trips to drive during low tide, but I also don't drive at night (that was another story). Common sense goes a long way on the sand and if your not sure about something, post it up here and someone has probably already experienced it.

Be careful out there and I'll see ya on the sand,
SportFisher
_________________
See ya on the sand! Just look for a gray Ford F150 FX4, a raggedy Atlanta Braves hat and ya found me.....add a yellow Malibu II to that.

[Big John at work]