Finally, my turn.... WSB 4/19

[seaquinn]

Headed out last Thursday 4/19. I didn't launch until after 9:00am. One guy was coming in with about a 15 pound WSB. Only two power boats, and about 6-7 kayaks. overcast and some decent sized waves crashing. I took out my 10+ year old Cobra Tandem, just for fun. First drop, 5 nice macs, perfect size.

I only took one trolling rod, no weight. Just pinned on one mac, trolled about a half hour, three times he got caught in kelp. Then after a little while, sure enough, a solid bite, stopped, ran again, twice, and then after the count to seven, line getting low, put in gear and fish on.

I knew it was big, and figured it wasn't a YT, due to the strike.

Fought awhile, a couple seals :mad: came around and I was scared to lose whatever it was. Then it got tied up in kelp. Wow, looooooong time pulling on kelp, with no headway, but I kept feeling it pull now and then. One guy came by, and said, "patience". I had 50lb braid and 25" flourocarbon, and that braid is strong! I ended up after about an hour, literally, of tugging on kelp, just about as hard as I could. I even spent time reading the brand of my rod, praying to spirits, hoping the kelp would eventually break, and sure enough, after about an hour some line came in, and I pulled up a whole stringer of kelp, with this guy attached.

My personal best WSB before was only about 15 pounds, (only two before in my life), and the last one was about 7 years ago! (Heads go to Hubbs SeaWorld)

This guy was driven down to Dana Landing and weighed in at 60.2 pounds! Oh my god.... it feels good to FINALLY land a big one! And a month ago my biggest halibut ever, at only 11 pounds, but the year is starting out nice. And limits of rockfish two weeks ago with my two sons..... 30 nice ones. Yee-hah! :luxhello:
https://csis132.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/clifwsb2012-2-small1.jpg

[seaquinn]

oh yes, 57" long.

[Limits]

WTG!!! That's a beast!

Nice job on being patient too. I know a lot of folks would have said screw it after 15 minutes to get another bait back out there!

[dorado50]

Bitchen!! Good thing u didn't weigh it on ur scale...it would have broken the spring!:D

[blitzburgh]

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: HO - LEEE CRAP!!!! THAT IS A MONSTER!!!! :luxhello: :luxhello: :luxhello:

[Gigafish]

Holy smokes that's a cow. The stars are shining bright on you. Serious poundage on the board. Congrats.:luxhello:

[driftwood]

WOW!! the HEAVYWEIGHT match is next!!
Thats a Mike Tyson look alike! GEEEEZE!! :eek:
What kind of bird did you say were??



http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2193/1759052430_3fdaf382d5.jpg

[deepdvr]

What a toad!!!! Welcome to the 60lb. club :cheers1:

[StinkyMatt]

Holy cow!


I guess you are a.......

Condor or some other bad ass bird like that!




Incredible day for you sir.:cheers1:

[Caffeind]

Excellent, sir! Much congrats and very well deserved for sticking with that one!
Oh wait, a bird metaphor is necessary I think.
You are...
http://theoatmeal.com/pterodactyl_video

[bluesquids]

NICE! Cliff. Joe was just telling me about it over some beers and YT Poke that I brought over.
See.. if I was along I would of swam down and grabbed it for you in all of 30 seconds. :p Congrats!

[NextBite]

WTG! Cliff

Nice :wsb:

[Tman]

https://csis132.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/clifwsb2012-2-small1.jpg

:wsb:Huge!

Way to go, congrats...:notworthy:

[bigbarrels]

congrats!! Awesome fish and new PB:D

[Regor]

SWEET HOG !!! :luxhello:

Nice battle.... arms a little sore now? :)

:stickyman:

[WahooUSMA]

That is a freaking beast...nice job!

[mtnbykr2]

Wow, and I thought I was doin good with a bunch of sandies this weekend...that is a wall hanger right there congrats on the month worth of meat:reel:

[lbsurf2ca]

Great fish man. Maybe we will see a 70lber this year. They seem to be getting fatter every year. The past two years they have been gorging on incredible amounts of market squid.

[NEEFFF]

WTGG:luxhello::luxhello::luxhello:

[lowprofile]

monster!

so trolling with no weight, i tried that a few times and unless i go super slow it flops on the surface, how much line do you let out?

[seriola_killer]

Outstanding job on the tanker!

[roby]

Congrats on the beast.....

:luxhello:

[jorluivil]

What a beast!!! If 60 pounders are being caught now I can't imagine what the next few weeks will bring

[seaquinn]

I let out about 30 or so yards of line, maybe 40. I let out a lot of line, just so i can be as quiet as possible.

Funny, of my 3 total SB in my life, one at exactly high noon, and one at around 11:00 am, and the third early, but in super-thick, scary fog.

The two at noon and 11:00am were with almost no other boats in site, so super-quiet. And I know most seem to be caught either in the dark, or pre-sunrise, but that's too early for me lately.

[Aaron&Julie]

Toad, toad, toad!!! Congratulations.
You're only showing 11 posts, but I believe I loaned you my gaff on one of your very first yellows off of LJ, some 6 years ago. You use to list your home town as Spring Valley, correct?

[ashmoz]

holy cheeeeersss :cheers1:

[seaquinn]

Hi Aaron and Julie..... I've live in La Mesa for 11 years, and that must have been another on the gaff lending. What I want to learn from you was how did you land that 40+ pound halibut?!? I still wonder how to bring in a really BIG halibut on a yak. I hear they go ballistic. And the one 32" I caught, even after having slit it's neck (on a power boat), still, 15 minutes later it jumped out of the tank! and that was only 11 pounds! I am scared at what a 40 pounder can do!!!

[seriola_killer]

Yeah, halibut and ballslapper dorado I would imagine are not too fun to deal with.