Report submitted by 'Oz'

PINS Long 'n Epic Surf Report Padre Island National Seashore, TX July 8-10th, 2008 Tweet

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A couple of weeks ago while still in Florida, the conditions had lightened up and produced several pristine days on our coast. All the duration large quantities of sharks with caught by anglers with several individuals getting lucky with some really nice fish. That particular window had closed shut for the last 2 weeks with wind, endless weed, and deep tropical moisture all providing the inability to fish the beach. With other EC guys duking it out on the Chandelier Islands, I decided to weld up and build a new platform for the 'EC-burban'. I had acquired most of the materials already and with Curtis's tools it made it easier than expected, but also taking longer than expected. Dodging rain, a few days later I finally had it welded and painted. Only remaining tasks were to put in the floor and mount the lights.

Within one week the entire platform was finished and up on the truck. The weather was still looking like crap. The guys soon got back from Louisianna and Kip instantly wanted to hit the beach before he had to fly back out. Weather was still looking less than optimal and the mid moon-phase had little tidal movement. Regardless, we thought we would hit it anyway and test out the rack. By Tuesday night we were packed and ready to roll down the beach. Around midnight we are cruising down and we blow a bearing on Kips trailer for the zodiac. Our options were limited but it came down to either going back to town and come back a day or two later with the proper items to fix it or throw the inflatable on the truck and rock down and get it on the way back. Well ofcourse we chose to fish since we were already down. An hour or so of re-arranging we get it to where everything is a tight fit and continue on down the beach. Not the best start to the trip but we never gave up.

We get down south and after sunrise we find a place with the least amount weed even though it was still everywhere. We get all unpacked and we were not going to load everything back up to relocate so where we would land up is where we were for good. Not long and we already have several baits rigged up and blast them out. However, the sargassum would choose the destiny of these baits as they would be quickly weeded out. We duked it out for a couple hours but it was pure pointless. We bring in the long rods then hop in the boat and fish outside the 3rd bar hoping for some bait. Since we couldn't fish in close, we try for Whiting and wind up with some granders along with large Butter Perch and a few other fish. We were right on the color change and saw a Tarpon come up and cruise around the boat. Kip grabs his rod and switches to Top waters and tries to lure the silver king. He attracts a different King though.. the King Mac. Mackerel were slicing through and interested but wouldn't eat it. After a while we decide to go after Kings with Ribbonfish but only ended up with small sharks terrorizing us. We come back in for a late lunch.

By now the tide had sucked some of the weed out. I throw out some shrimp hoping for bait and allowing it to drift in the weed/current. Instantly we began to hammer the grander Whiting and I get 2 Reds back to back.

We wind up rigging 3 big baits and get them out right before dark.

A couple hours pass and a wide-6 gets absolutely blasted by something fast and scales the entire fish, no teeth marks. We're thinking large Tarpon. A couple hours later Kips Avet with a half Jack gets picked up and starts moving slowly. It only stayed on for a mere couple minutes. Shortly after I get cut off on my Jack. The fish were there but we would not end up with any that night.

Come sunrise came the weed again. I did get another healthy 28" Red but the bite quickly shut off. Like clockwork it was unfishable during the day time. Once again we try anyway and rig up some baits. Kip blasts them out in the zodiac and and bam!... instant weed again. It was just not happening. We battle the mess for a couple hours then bring everything in and contemplate what our next move was. Well it was pretty relaxing just resting underneath Kips canopy so thats what we did for a couple hours. Then after a while we get some minor bit of motivation and begin rigging baits hoping the weed will move out again at dark. I rig two big baits rigged and let them get ripe in the sun for a few hours not to get soggy in the ice chest (ancient PINS secret). Kip also has two killer baits ready for deployment.

After the baits were rigged we sat and waited and waited for the tide to change. Meanwhile, we filleted our Whiting and Reds so we could make fish tacos for dinner that night. While filleting up one of the Reds, I found what they been eating... crabs. This Red had 4 in its stomach.

It took us a while but had a good stash of fish. About an hour or so and we were about ready to get baits out. Four primo baits went out and appeared to hold for the time being.

After dark, we get organized and despite all the hardships we feel some sort of mojo around the camp. We chow down on killer Whiting tacos and rest enjoying the nice weather which was originally predicted to be quite the opposite. Right before 10pm my super-6, deployed about 500yds, gets picked up. It runs then drops it. I wait and after a couple minutes it picks it up again... runs, and once again drops the bait. I wait a couple more minutes and it gets picked up... this time for good. I get a good hook-set and the fight is on... big fish!

The shark had picked up the whole ray. A slow... powerful... beast. I knew exactly what it was. This was going to be a LONG night. The fish took maybe 150yds before it turned and got him close to the 3rd bar again. It turned and went back out offshore for another 200yds. This seemed to be the norm with this fish. I hope I just had enough leverage on the rack to keep the lines high enough and off the bars.

(Shameless Spam)

Around the 2 hour mark my jack bait gets cut off. The shark is around the 3rd bar again and a while later the other line mysteriously wraps up into the current leader. I knew I was wrapped up and I knew the fish was on, but acting very weird. It would move very slow and not far in any given directing for very long. We could see the reflective tape on the leader floats just past the 3rd bar and knew they were binded up. They floats would disappear into the abyss as line would go back out. For the next 30 minutes it was a slow awkward battle. It finally got to a point where I could gain a few inches at a time by putting a very heavy load of pressure on it. After a few more minutes we can see both the floats once again. It seems like a stale mate on the 3rd bar. Then suddenly slack in the line. I thought NO!! We look and the 2nd float begins tearing through the water in the opposite direction.. very quickly.

Not sure what had happened, I reel in slack and don't feel anything. Then finally I feel the fish once again. It is headed north and the float that was tangled and broke off again was rocking south. Basically I was fighting two big sharks at once... on a super-6. Two big sharks traveling together..hmmm... wonder what this is. Anyway, now the shark I have been hooked on since the get go gets its rest and keeps running offshore. A tug of war battle continues.... the shark would run and I would stop it and get line back.. back and forth it went. The runs would decrease in time and distance and I would make up for by being able to turn its head and lure him back in. Nearly 3 hours into the fight and we FINALLY get the shark on this side of the 3rd bar. Hang in there Oz... it's all down hill from here.

The shark would come to the 2rd bar and turn around several times swim back and forth in the gut. Then finally I got the fish over the 2nd bar. This fish is ours! With several expected minutes left, the racks spot lights go on for good and Kip preps for the leadering.

The fish comes close to the first bar and freaks out... we see our first glimpse of it in the waves... not a great view but we see the dorsal and tail.. with a good separation meaning good size fish. I am still confident in my prediction of what I think it is. Several more minutes of it running up and down the gut and with help from the high-tide I am able to get the fish over the first bar and into the deep wade gut. The spot lights get directed about 15yds up the beach north of the truck for our official landing zone. Kip walks out and gets the leader... the shark still with energy, resists and thrashes. I jump down to help Kip land the shark and as I start towards him I hear him yell "TIGER!". YES! I knew it! ..I friggin knew it.... about time! Kip gets the tail rope around the shark and with every bit of energy we get the fish beached! A fight lasting over 3-hours on a Black Marlin/Newell converted 6/0 (aka Terminator reel), my Tiger curse is finally over.

The bait of choice was a whole freshly caught sun-baked stingray placed 500yds out, rigged with two 14/0 hooks - one being set perfectly in the corner of the jaw.

The head of one of the greatest apex predators of the ocean.

Nature's oldest and most exceptional eating machine.

Looking head on with the Toad

With my tags buried in one of my bags, Kip has his handy and happily tags the shark.

The faded stripes of the great Tiger.

A fat female Tiger Shark, taping out at 10' 6" with a slightly nubbed tail

A Tiger for Team Rockstar

Kip takes one last photo before helping release a Tiger formulated at around 550lbs

The shark is released and still containing energy to swim off without hesitation. A fat healthy female Tiger, true breed stock for the future existence of this species. It was a balls to the wall battle from the first minute. Strapped in, the drag was cranked down the entire fight and washers will likely be replaced before the next trip. I felt like a heavy load was lifted off my shoulders and the shark gods have finally granted me with their seal of approval. Although Kip was probably more nervous than I was the entire fight, this shark could not have been landed solo. Special thanks to Kip for keeping his cool when leadering and handling the shark with me. It was definitely a team effort.

After the release further inspection of the leader makes things even more clearer. The line from the previous cut off line had tangled and wrapped around the weight of this leader.

Whether a fish was on it at the time is hard to tell but quite possible. What is certain is when it broke free from the main line/leader in the battle it did have a fish on it that picked up a large bait. My personal prediction from logic and other peoples past experience was it was the male Tiger associated with the female, which commonly roam together in pairs. While this will never truly be known, as much as I hate having to lose that other shark I do feel it was this Tiger's mate. But for sanitiy's sake, how could one comprehend having to battle two Tigers on a 6/0 class reel for how ever long. But regardless, my Tiger curse has finally been lifted with the release of a healthy 10-1/2' beauty.

I slept good until sun up. Come sunrise we began to look for the other float(s)... never to be found. Kip and I drove miles in the boat and never found anything. While bodies were sore and gas was nearly out of the zodiac, we decided to call the trip early. Under normal conditions we probably would have duked it out longer. I didn't want to lift the damn boat back on the truck but Kip assured his new trailer should be done anytime and it would be the final time we would have to lift it up on the rack. Finally, we get all packed up after a couple final hours of enjoying our trip that went from doubtful at first and concluding in epic fashion. We begin to head off just as the wind and surf began to pick up anyway.

Fishing, shark-fishing in particular, has always been a personal yet spiritual part of the last decade of my life. Just as Chris Sessions has always said... majority of all shark fishermen come and go in just several years and in their due time... however, those that stick around have that little extra natural and appreciative adventurism for the water and its great predators that inhabit it. Many people fish quite a bit, but not many have it on their minds 24/7. When you live your life day by day glued to the weather, moon phases, wave heights, tides, barometric readings, and countless seasonal and other patterns, you know something is wrong with you. For me my desire was fed by the Tiger Shark. Thousands of hours on that beach while encountering several yet landing none. Night after night after night of my adult life was infested by dreams of sharks... catching sharks on the beach, from a boat, in the kayak, off the rocks, in drainage ditches... heck even ice fishing style in a water puddle on the living room carpet. These were the twisted dreams that makes ones sanity go out the door and all logic of day to day living go bye-bye. For myself, this shark had cost me thousands of dollars I didn't have, thousands of hours on the beach, a couple girlfriends and who knows what else. But with all the duties I had to pay, I gained an incredible amount of knowledge and the observance of how and why fish do what they do and when they do it. And now, I finally have my Tiger.

What to do now? I already have a hellacious Mako, Epic Lemon, and now a decent Tiger all from the Texas surf when much of our stocks have been depleted to nothing. Anyone who knows me will tell you..."he's going back.. for a bigger one". And you know what?? They are absolutely right. One would think that a fish landed that has been pursued for so long could conquer the thirst... I think it only amplified it.

Thanks to Kip for duking it out when things looked gloomy at first. After the 2nd day he turned quite optimistic and got me feeling it. It goes to show, if you put in enough effort, you will be rewarded. The beach can have your outlook on her go either way... despite the massive amounts of sargassum weed rolling in.. I am loving her right now. Another great trip in the books.

See you on the sand, its Hammer Time!

-Oz

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