Drew salvaged 3 anchors for his boat Well the bite turned off and we decided to move to another wreck a few miles away.  I jumped on it first and tied the boat into the wreck.  Went to the bottom, looked around and didn't see much worth shooting just a big turtle and some smallish snapper.  I come back up to around 100 feet and the biggest amberjack I have ever seen in my life charges right in on me and turns broadside not 5 feet away from me.  I don't know what I was thinking, but I didn't hesitate and slammed all 3 bands of my woody magnum's steel about 3 inches behind his eye.  The shaft didn't even go halfway through his head at full power and close range!!! The fish is stunned, I knew I put a good shot on him my the way he kind of rolled, but he doesn't hesistate to take me to 130 feet like a rag doll in tow!  About this time reality kicks in and I realize what I may have gotten myslef into.  I wrestle him on the sand and repeatly slam my knife into his head, trying to kill him off.  I tried ripping his gills out ( they REALLY HATE that! ) and finally get him somewhat subdued.  All the while the shaft is getting looser and looser and I know I have to hurry.  I finally get him up to the downline I tied off (about 90 ft.) and feel much more comfortable I have some leverage if he tries to run on me again. 

About this time I feel calm  he kicks and knocks my regulator out of my mouth, knocking the mouthpiece off the reg.  My first stage is free flowing like crazy and I grab my octo and keep moving up.  About this time the cudas start moving in.  I'm jabbing at them wildy with my knife (actually hit one!) and holding the downline and the shaft and this dinosaur sized AJ and trying not to ascend too fast.  Needless to say I decided the 15 ft. stop was not in my best interest at this point and hit the surface saying "Drew I need your help NOW!!" He looks over the side of the boat and says "HOLY COW!!"  He manages some kind of superman muscle ninja lift and picks up the fish and shaft and singlehandedly slings them into the boat.  Fish goes nuts, proceeds to destroy everything in the boat for next 3 minutes.  I'm still in the water half in shock when Drew says there is a shark coming in on me.  Screw this, I'm gettin in the boat!!  Step in the boat and realize that I truly have shot the fish of a lifetime.  Thank God for keeping me safe as so many things could have went wrong on this dive, but everything went just perfect.  Thanks Drew, it was a blast as always.  Just what I needed to recharge my batteries to get me through another month in hell see ya'll again in august!

final weight at outcast, 93 lbs 15 oz!!!!

Straining to lift him!

both AJs

Drew with him

big ol head!

filled that box and then some!

half as big as me

drew workin on him

16 ft. Avalon "Flat Bottom Girl"

Team Chunky Love member

Glad you made it back ok with a fish like that

‘‘Laws that forbid the carrying of arms... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.’’

 
2007 "Unofficial PFF Fall Shark Tounament" Winners

PRFA Member

 

"I'm konztipated....I just can't give a sh!t"

 

Pics!

http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com/gallery.asp?gallery=1159

I was at the gas station right there and saw yalls boat there this afternoon, wish I would have stopped in while you where there.

You are my hero

I keep looking at that fish and thinking if you didn't shoot him he might have eaten you.

Truly an amazing feat.  Great job!

Death From Above

      It was fun while it lasted.”

Hitler on WWII

LATERALINE FISHING TEAM              

Mako 284 w/ twin 250 verados:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpmWGjaEjkw

If you're not afraid to shoot it, its not big enough!!!

Thanks Bob.  School is going great, I'm making all A's and enjoying it... Morgan City/Louisiana sucks though!  Ha ha I can't wait to graduate and move back asap.  I can honestly say I have never known the true feeling of happiness til I pointed my truck east on highway 90 thursday headed this way.  Pensacola truly is paradise I love it here.  Anyways we have a 2 week semester break starting July 30 so that will be the next time I'm in town.  Defintly we'll have to hook up with Drew and Emmanuel and go.  Tell him to give me a call when he gets back in.  Oh and we were about 25 miles offshore.

16 ft. Avalon "Flat Bottom Girl"

Team Chunky Love member

you are my idol!!!!!! Balls of steel!!!!!!

Cant wait for you to send some pics for the website!!!

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UNDERWATER HELMET-CAM VIDEOS SPEARFISHING, USS ORISKANY, SHARKS, AND PICS!

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26' Pro-Cat Center Console w/ twin 140HP's   _{^{PFF FORUM MEMBER SINCE 1/2/06}}

_{^{~2007 Outcast Mega Shark Tournament "Beautiful Losers"~}}

^{~2007 "Unofficial PFF Fall Shark Tounament" Winners!~}

^{~13th Annual Orange Beach Spearfishing Tounament 4 Time Placers!~}

Team Chunky Love Mid-Pacific/Wake Island Chapter

Growing Old Not Up, One is mandatory the other is optional!

Still in Knoxville,TN but working on it.

Thanks for all the info. Lets go fishing! Can't wait to meet more of you folks.             Hal, you owe me a beer!

http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com/pictureprocessor/galleries/usergallery.asp?gallery=1156

     http://www.nra.org/home.aspx

Was the AJ 5 feet from you or the tip of your spear?  I believe the reason your spear did not penetrate any deeper is that the AJ was so close that the spear struck it before it cleared the speargun's muzzle.  If the spear strikes a target before it completely clears the muzzle, it will not have reached maximum acceleration, i.e. maximum penetrating power.  In any case, you did a great job bringing the AJ in.  Congratulations.  Too bad you bagged the AJ on July 4th vice July 19th.  You would have been the winner.

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     http://www.nra.org/home.aspx

David Ridenour (7/5/2008)

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Fantastic fish! Did you just say you blew a safety stop after being at 130? It's just a fish man! Keep your head so you can go again.

Thanks for the compliments everyone, I truly feel blessed to have taken such a fish.  It really was a lot of right place and the right time situation.  I am fortunate to have stayed calm throughout the ordeal though.

  David to answer your questiion, yes, according to my computer I did blow my safety stop but on my way up I realized that I was only at 130 for 2 minutes max, and that the US Navy Tables I dive by give me 5 minutes at 130 and still fall into the no deco limits. It had been about 6 hours SI since the previous dive which was a short one, so at worst I prob should have done 2 or 3 minutes at 10 ft. in water deco.  I had plenty of air to do it, but with the fish about to shake loose and cudas all around, I made the decision to come on up.  No excuse for bad behavior, as I normally stick strictly by the rules, but given the situation I felt confident I would not get bent.  It would have been a shame to see a fish like that wasted by the cudas.  I know my life is much more important than a fish, and had he initially swam UP instead of DOWN when I shot him, I would have cut the line immediatley.  No fish is worth getting killed over.  Thanks and dive safe.

16 ft. Avalon "Flat Bottom Girl"

Team Chunky Love member

He was probably 3 to 4 feet from the end of my spear.  Looking at the pictures you can see the line just behind and below his eye where the tip went in and the wings spread out.  It was probably one of the hardest spots on his body I could have hit him, a few inches back would have been better.  I do not exxagerate when I say his head was a solid 10 to 12 inches wide though.  When he opened his mouth fully, he could have swallowed a human baby.  No lie! I don't think I could have landed him with a smaller gun.

16 ft. Avalon "Flat Bottom Girl"

Team Chunky Love member

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