It's been a while since I reported in. I went to my of favorite spot, the Oceanside Artifishables Friday. I went in the afternoon, cuz I figured that would give the fish some time to recover after the all-night full moon party. I hooked this thresher while trolling a Rapala over one of the rock piles. After a half hour of looking at this,
I remembered I had a camera so I got it out to document this fish if I was lucky enough to get him up. Here is first color. He was tail-hooked. The only way I gained line for a while was by chasing him down with my Hobie when he came up near the surface.
I could see by my GPS trail that he was heading directly for one of the rock piles. If he went in there, I would lose him for sure, so I tightened down my drag a bit, and he eventually turned away. Here he is after 45 minutes next to my boat. I couldn't get his head up for a photo and my arms were too tired to lift him out, so this is the best shot I could get on my own.
Here is my ad for Rapala lures. Great for Threshers. Moments after this photo, He thrashed a bit more and embedded the front lure hook into my paddle bungie! Now my boat is attached to an angry thresher shark! I was able to hold his tail up with my left hand and wrench the hook free with my pliers before he was able to turn me over. Close call! He swam away fine and I went on to catch 20 assorted bass. All released.
Overall, a fun and beautiful afternoon on the water. I suggest afternoon/evening fishing after a clear night and a full moon. Wayne