LJ 9/27: Fun Shark
 

Was a pretty slow day out there. Didn't see any YT action this time, but was trolling a mac on a carolina rig just off the bottom in about 60' when something started ripping line off my Speedmaster. Could tell right away it as not a yellow because the runs were WAY more powerful and about 10 times longer. Had my fingers crossed for a fat WSB, but when I finally got it to color, I could see it was a shark of some kind. Turns out it was a Soupfin shark. Knew it was too big to fit in the cooler in the truck, but I didn't really intend to harvest it. Got it to the side of the yak for a quick picture and was going to cut the line, but it made a hard turn and wrapped the line on the drive and almost submerged the bow of my kayak with a final run before it pulled the line. It was pretty gnarly feeling him slamming the bottom of the kayak like that... thought I was going under for a second. Also, had a flyline out when it was hooked and this guy spun me around so much it was a tangled mess on my main line. Tried a couple times to untangle it, but this was definitely a 2-hand fight and I couldn't safely reach over and grab the line at any time. So I just dealt with it and my buddy came over to grab the other rod and cut the tangles out. Was able to save the rest of that line plus my greenback too, so 100' of braid didn't get thrown into the drift!

Not what I was going for, but hey, that fight was fun as hell and I'd do that again any day of the week if I could!

They're thick @LJ. How do you like that speedmaster? I've been contemplating getting one.

You got a great picture! Sharks are lots of fun up to the point you get them at your yak. Lol.

-Keith

Sounds like some fun Salty with that occasional cluster f**k thrown in that we all get sometimes. At least it didn't launch you out of your yak or capsize you like I had happen recently. :notworthy:

Nice Work
 

I hooked one of those soup fins at LJ mid column using the same technique. He started peeling the clicker, then he did a 180 and ran straight to the kayak. I knew right then and there when line went slack it was no yellow. I could barely keep up while grinding on the handle. He made a few runs before finally chewing me off. Thanks for sharing you post. Picture came out well. By the way, seabass will not run like that shark. Unless he is 90 lb? They do have very stout broom tails, good for short powerful bursts to catch prey. Its actually kinda astonishing how hard the tail is. I was trying to saw or cut one off so I could fit fish in cooler. It didn't happen.

It tried to capsize him at the end. The front of the yak took a quick dive when the shark did one last pull.

I like the Speedmaster, but it definitely has a few issues in my opinion. It packs a ton of drag, line retrieval and other features into an affordable price point, so that's why I got in the first place and I'm definitely not mad at it. before this shark, I've had some good sized fish, including some decent black sea bass, and it got them in just fine. My 2 biggest issues: the drag is very sensitive. It goes from wide-open to very heavy in just a few clicks, even when I make other adjustments. I've figured out how to make manage that now, but it took a little getting used to(and a bird's nest or two). With that said, I'm still not comfortable casting on it and I use it mostly for deeper drops with live bait or heavier jigs. On the boat, I use this as my step-up reel if mid-size tuna are around that would outclass my Talica 10 setup. The second issue is mostly cosmetic. Though it functions similarly to my Talica, some of the components are not as high quality and you can definitely feel it. Like the side plate and the drag lever for example. But this was a sacrifice I was willing to make considering I could get the reel plus the Phoenix rod and a full spool of 60lb braid for about the cost of a comparable Talica. If I run into you on the water in LJ or DP, you're more then welcome to mess around with it!

Thanks! And that was EXACTLY the thought that went through my mind. After a good fight, I was excited to see color. When I saw the shark circling under me and saw the size of it, there was definitely an "Oh shit. Now what?" moment lol. Fortunately it wasn't something angrier with even bigger teeth!


Gotta love the clusterf**ks! And there were several times when that shark came close to the side of the kayak and at about 90 degrees from the bow, to a sharp dive. No joke, I was thinking about your earlier post at that point! I was keeping a constant eye on the shark when it would move off to the side and had my fingers ready on the drag. As soon as I felt enough pressure on the rod to start pulling me, I'd pop the drag open a tiny bit. Once the run was over, I'd tighten it and regain some line. Repeated that over and over until I got it next to me. But like Gnarwal said, it took a sideways run at the end, wrapped the line around my mirage drive and dove. He was next to me watching as it was strong enough to almost pull the entire bow down under the water. It was definitely fun!

This shark did the exact same thing. HUGE run, then did a complete 180. Line went totally slack for a second and I had to reel like crazy just to keep up with it. Then it caught again and spun me like a top and started pulling me. Knew then it was definitely NOT a yellow... And thanks for the WSB info. I have yet to land a significant ghost yet, so I don't have an idea how they "feel" on the rod yet. I've had BSB before and they honestly took my bait the same way a Calico would. Laziest hookup ever, sat there and chewed it a bit, until it finally realized it was hooked... A good WSB is currently at the top of my kayaking bucket list!

Hooked a small thresher the other day on 30lb in the rod holder, thought it was a yellow until it started to go aerial like a mako.

Nice! I watched (and filmed) my buddy fight a thresher from his old Ocean Kayak in Dana Point and the jumps were so awesome to watch! Once that tail got to the side of the kayak... less awesome. lol

These soupfins are a big pain-in-the-halibutt and can clean up your inventory in no time. Unless - 1) you can bring them to the surface 2) the size is manageable, then you are up for treat! Sooo good marinated as kebabs on the grill - few other fish can compete for that taste.