Corpusfishing.com

SADONALD · Pony Mullet Joined: 30 Sep 2011 Posts: 57

OK, cancer may have me down but not out. Harvey may have Port A down, but they're not out either. And to prove both of these, my brother, a friend and I went out a week ago today. i couldn't escape San Antonio until that morning and so we didn't even hit the jetty boat until noon. The water was maybe as clear as i had ever seen it with Sheepshead galore of all sizes in plain sight on the walk down to our spot. The walk kicked my butt since i'm actively on chemo weekly right now and have no stamina. Once we got to our rocks, i cast netted some mullet and my bro put his long rod out. Then i put my first and second long rods out each with live mullet. Tired again, i took my time getting a leader on my next and setting up my perch rod to catch a bait for third long rod. After resting again for several minutes, i worked on catching another perch for my bro which took a few minutes and i turned to take it to him to see the rod baited with the live perch doubled over. And so began the longest fight I've ever had with a fish. it took all of 2 minutes for me to claim it as a ling since it came to the top of the water pretty fast. It looked BIG and i used all caps for a reason. I'm already long winded here so i'll give the shortest version possible from this point. This ling took us (i mean us because i couldn't handle the fight by myself in my condition so my bro and I handed the rod back and forth several times) up and down the jetties numerous times. it would not give up. There were two guys on jet skis trolling while we were there and they watched as this baby gave us a workout we weren't expecting. I was using a Jigmaster with 30 pound test that had only been used one other time. The drags weren't holding up so well.....and this was the smartest fish too. It would run right along the rocks and got the 30 pound test in the rocks at least 5 times which is when Mark Martinez (one of the jet ski guys) saved us by pulling the line out of the rock from the water side. If not for him and his buddy, we would have lost the fish each of those times......i want to say 10 times but i'm really not sure. With the drag not performing well and the line being frayed so much in the rocks, we couldn't put the pressure on the ling needed to get him in gaff range by the rocks, so Mark gaffed him from the jet ski once we walked the fish down as close to the beach as we could. It weighed in at 50 only --- we all thought it was much bigger as many times as we saw it during the fight.....which took over an hour and a half. There was another one swimming with it for part of the fight and we went out the next day as well and threw baits at another that was cruising the rocks but wouldn't bite.

Sorry for the long story and i do have pics but haven't ever put any on the site. i'll work on that on a reply. The story will have to do for now. Mark Martinez told me out there he didn't have a Corpusfhishing username but does come on and read so, sign up Mark when you read this so everyone can acknowledge you for being a true fisherman and lending the helping hand when it was desperately needed.

Here are the pictures!

maxthelab · Posted: Wed May 16, 2018 12:09 pm Post subject:

Sounds like a pretty dang good fellow fisherman, to bring his PWC that close to the rockpile. Congrats on your big ling, sounds like an epic battle, enjoy eating that tasty beast! Good luck in your treatment, reminds of when I took the Mrs. to the beach with her bald head and bandana covering it. If you're prescribed Zofran for nausea and it doesn't work, Emend worked like a charm for my wife. She's an RN that takes care of children in SA with Cancer and one of the doctors she works with recommended it when she was receiving chemo treatments and Zofran wasn't doing it. Emend worked like a charm. I admire your "stones" to walk out on that rockpile while undergoing chemo and bring in a big supple bum Ling! Look forwrd to MANY future posts from you, Sir.

Tyler · Site Admin Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 12864

Awesome fish story and glad to see you kicking the ling and cancer's butt at the same time!
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ziacatcher · Posted: Wed May 16, 2018 5:26 pm Post subject:

Loved reading your post. Very descriptive and I can almost see you going up and down the rocks. Way to go and fight that Big C

maxthelab · Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 11:11 am Post subject:

Sorry Tyler for violating the "supple bum" rule, but you gotta admit, that's a big supple bum ling!

Tyler · Site Admin Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 12864

Awesome job!
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O.B. · Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 7:12 am Post subject:

Congrats on that Ling! Awesome fish and great fishing story. Personally I enjoy reading detailed reports like this. Thanks and kudos to you for not letting that cancer keep you from fishing.
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Frederick dunphey · Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 10:56 am Post subject:

Sweet, nice report and pictures. TFS

BayFly · Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 3:34 pm Post subject:

Great story, and an even better catch by you and Mark! Keep up the good work!

SADONALD · Pony Mullet Joined: 30 Sep 2011 Posts: 57

My brother (surf54) deserves a big thanks for fighting the fish for probably more time than me. He is older and more out of shape than me (well, maybe not but only because of chemo) but he got just as worn out by this smart fish as I did.

And to think, 31 years ago i got another 50 pounder from the same spot on the same rod with a 209 and it only took 10 or 15 minutes to get it in. DARN JIGMASTER!!!! Or is is DARN 31 years of aging?

ratherbefishing · Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 9:49 pm Post subject:

DLHill61 · Joined: 19 May 2018 Posts: 1

Ling 31 years ago?? I hope you aren't talking about the one that I had to reel in for you because you were playing with your root beer trying to cool it off a 100 yards away. That goes down as my Ling! https://youtu.be/83it4ghCf_M

Tyler · Site Admin Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 12864

Wow neat story from 1987 Thanks Donald and DLHill61

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Yakima1 · Joined: 25 Sep 2007 Posts: 6

DLHill61..... dude you reeled in someone else's Cobia ???? You lived to come back on the jetty boat????

Someone reeled in my fish once...... once!

; - )
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landlocked beachbum · Posted: Sun May 20, 2018 7:45 pm Post subject:

That is VERY cool, congrats! Cool

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"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits". Albert Einstein