Oy va voy, habibi! Eze dag! Eze mazal!
Im ani zocher nachon, hyu "dagim acherim" b'tel baruch, pa'am, vsameach lilmod sh'adein yesh masahu tov byam bazor.
General translation (especially for Kurt):
"Oye Vey, my friend! What a fish! What luck!
If I remember correctly, once there were "fish of another sort" at Tel Baruch (you'd know what I mean if familiar w/ the area), and glad to learn that there's still something good in the area's water."
Yours is the second
great kayak fishing tale from Israel, w/ the last being from Menash and about the huge amberjack he caught off one of the wrecks down south. Since its been awhile, your report may be the first time many of the folks out here (Pacific West Coast) get an idea as to the size of the Spanish Mackeral that comb Israel's Mediterranean coast, not to mention learn that the Med and Israel could/should be on the kayak fishing map.
Having lived in - and fished - the area near Netanya for years, I know the fish you caught used to be common, but given the unregulated, almost daily netting by local seiners, the big fish that once roamed the area are almost totally depleted.
A huge congratulations on a great fish and great story, and thanks for posting it in this forum.
D'ash ham l'col hayedidim shali' b'aretz,
Avery Ellisman