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09-04-2014, 02:56 PM | #1 |
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Santa Barbara
Posts: 331
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51 and 65 lb White Seabass
This summer hasn’t been the most productive summer in terms of fish but when it has they have been fish of a lifetime. A couple months ago I headed out with two buddy’s that have been extremely generous taking me out on their inflatable. After some time in the water this is the usual routine: I feel a tug on my float line, I turn around and I see one of them holding a big ol’ fish. I don’t know how this guy seems to make fish appear out of nowhere but he always does. He told me where he shot his fish and how they were behaving and sure enough on my third dive I was hanging out about half way down and four fish slowly appeared from the haze. The first one in the school gave me a perfect broadside shot but it twitched right as I was about to pull the trigger so I swung the gun on the to the next closest fish and pulled the trigger. The fish actually didn’t take off too crazy. In the video you can see the school slowly swim off into the distance. But eventually this fish did wake up and did tear off runnin (not tear off the shaft). I thought the fish had tied up so I dove down on it but it was still kicking and wasn’t ready to give up. The fish eventually wrapped up around a kelp string. Here’s where I learned a valuable lesson. My adrenaline was flowing and I didn’t make the proper interval on the surface before I dove down the second time so by the time I got to the fish I was already feeling slightly uncomfortable. As I was pulling the fish up the float line and shooting line didn’t easily come free from the tangle in the kelp so it was tough to get to the surface. I was close to the surface but still kicking hard to try to pull the line through the kelp. Letting everything go crossed my mind and I was about to but I had made it. Never again would I let the excitement of getting a fish get in the way of safety. The fish went 51 lbs and was my personal best!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j0Q...VUikit6RHBpv6g UNTIL! Yesterday morning my dad and I took the kayaks out to the same area. We got to our spot and bait was splashing the surface, we couldn’t see any seals working the area so we weren’t sure what was pushing all the bait up but I was eager to find out. I jumped in the water and 15 minutes later I saw a nice sized barracuda fly by after a school of bait passed. I figured that was the perfect area to be in so I hung out for a couple minutes and then, ghost like, three figures appear from the haze. Once I saw all three fish I knew the one I wanted. The fish in back was a TANKER. The other two fish cruzed by but this but this one seemed to just sit there. I lined up the shot and pulled the trigger. The fish gave a little shake trying to free the shaft but then it took off. It never let up always pulling more line but I kept a constant pressure on the fish to try to make it tie up. It went left and right and up and down through the kelp and eventually got tired near the surface. I swam over to the fish but remembered my last encounter and told myself I would take my time. I probably could have grabbed the fish as it was just sitting there near the surface but I gave myself a few more minutes just to make sure I was all right. The fish then gave it one last push and suck down to the bottom and tied up around a kelp string. I knew this fish was an absolute beast so I handed my dad my gun (breakaway set up) so I can have both my hands available to try to tackle this beast. I gave myself a good breathe up and then I dove down and brought it to the surface. We were both hootin’ and halterin’ when we got our first real look at this fish. We decided that one was plenty so we packed up and paddled home. The fish went 65 lbs and is my personal best. I know I would be extremely lucky to ever see a fish that big again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb63...VUikit6RHBpv6g |
09-04-2014, 03:10 PM | #2 |
Registered User
Join Date: May 2009
Location: San Pedro/ La Jolla
Age: 30
Posts: 75
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Re: 51 and 65 lb White Seabass
Thanks for the post. Congrats!
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09-04-2014, 03:16 PM | #3 |
Sean
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Redondo Beach
Posts: 476
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Re: 51 and 65 lb White Seabass
Awesome man! Congrats!
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09-04-2014, 03:19 PM | #4 |
Adrian
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 195
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Re: 51 and 65 lb White Seabass
Awesome slug! my year has been incredible as well!
- Adrian |
09-04-2014, 03:27 PM | #5 |
PB 66Lbs WSB
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Thousand Oaks, CA
Posts: 2,122
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Re: 51 and 65 lb White Seabass
Nice fish
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09-04-2014, 03:28 PM | #6 |
><>
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: the Bay Area
Posts: 1,462
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Re: 51 and 65 lb White Seabass
awesome footage.
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09-04-2014, 04:03 PM | #7 |
Max
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Oregon
Age: 68
Posts: 6,272
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Re: 51 and 65 lb White Seabass
Wow! Congratulations!
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nec timor nec temeritas (neither fear nor foolhardiness.) |
09-04-2014, 04:16 PM | #8 |
Beau
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Posts: 661
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Re: 51 and 65 lb White Seabass
You prick! Way to go on a pig of a WSB!
Last edited by SpearS0CAL; 09-04-2014 at 04:34 PM. |
09-04-2014, 04:52 PM | #9 |
Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: San Diego
Posts: 1,337
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Re: 51 and 65 lb White Seabass
Wow great video. Congrats. You did the right thing. It's very important not to fight a hot fish.
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09-04-2014, 05:44 PM | #10 |
Errin
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Age: 49
Posts: 3,508
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Re: 51 and 65 lb White Seabass
Way to go Zaque! Those are some epic fish man, so stoked that you have been able to land such slobs.
Maybe you can tug on my floatline next time and return the favor??? Ha!
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09-04-2014, 05:45 PM | #11 |
BOOM!!!
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Age: 50
Posts: 353
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Re: 51 and 65 lb White Seabass
Sword fight !!!
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J. Ritterbeck - 2015-2016 President, Santa Barbara Freedivers Last edited by J(dot); 09-05-2014 at 04:24 AM. |
09-04-2014, 07:29 PM | #12 |
Registered User
Join Date: May 2014
Location: North Mustang Island, TX
Posts: 620
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Re: 51 and 65 lb White Seabass
Quality write up and quality feesh.
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A bad day of fishing is better than a good day of work. |
09-04-2014, 09:35 PM | #13 |
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: mixed county
Posts: 186
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Re: 51 and 65 lb White Seabass
Good work. Very motivating and well deserved!
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09-04-2014, 11:13 PM | #14 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Your so called secret spots and places your momma wont let you go to!
Age: 47
Posts: 1,749
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Re: 51 and 65 lb White Seabass
Nice fish and vid man.
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09-05-2014, 12:33 AM | #15 |
Errin
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Age: 49
Posts: 3,508
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Re: 51 and 65 lb White Seabass
Such an epic write up Z
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