# Sykes - 11/22 (Never Seen this Before)



## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

Been so busy with classes lately that we haven't been making any time for fishing, so we decided we needed a break. Taylor, Brandon & I headed out to Sykes last night around 9:30 or so, which is earlier than usual for us. Grunts were out in force. Couldn't find any trout. The reds seemed scarce too, & Taylor wanted to call it quits around only midnight. I told him that the bite was gonna heat up if we stayed later, so he agreed to stay a bit longer. Sure enough, around 12:45 I'm down the bridge throwing a topwater when I hear Brandon yelling that my C4 was screaming. I sprinted down to him & grabbed the rod, let it run a few more seconds, then engaged the reel. HOOKED UP! Something seemed odd about this red though. Knew it was a red right away because after the first run it began the tell-tale hard head shakes, but after the first run it just stayed deep & didn't really try to make any runs. It seemed almost lethargic, & we figured out why after only a three or so minute fight. When it got to the surface we all noticed something wrong with its head. Pulled it up in the drop net, measured it @ 39.5'', & then got some good pictures with it. Made sure to get a close-up of the head injury. It's hard to tell in the pictures but there were 2 very distinctive tooth marks that were a few inches away from the bulk of the injury. They were both about 1'' in length. Anyways, hooked up with a shark around 1:15 but broke off shortly after the hookup. Headed out around 1:30 to go get some food & then some well-deserved sleep. 

*Tally for the night*:
*Brandon*: Nada
*Taylor*: 1 missed hookup
*Me*: 39.5'' red

Tight lines everybody, & be sure to leave your thoughts on what you think that injury could be from! We all figured probably a shark, but it could be from something else. Either way, that red had a SHITTY day, cause that wound looked pretty fresh. Seems as though it had a close call with a shark or something yesterday morning & then got caught by us last night. That thing was a trooper! She even swam away strong.


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## Tobiwan (Apr 27, 2012)

Nessie!

Bless his heart


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

Tobiwan said:


> Nessie!
> 
> Bless his heart


Good guess. I wouldn't rule Nessie out. Haha.


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## Emerald Coast Fab (Oct 7, 2013)

Flesh eat in virus from dispersant????


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## Realtor (Oct 1, 2007)

looks like it got stuck behind a cement piling while hooked, I have seen that before after a fight and it was around a concrete piling....


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## Randall2point0 (Feb 11, 2011)

Wirelessly posted

My first guess is some dick dropped it off a bridge and it hit a piling. But who knows...


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

It is certainly an abrasion of some kind, not a bite. Probably from a run-in with structure, but it also looks similar to lesions that form on fish from certain bacterium and viruses. Some of these lesions do bleed, we've seen that on reds around Perdido Pass. Regardless, it looks nasty


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

Chris V said:


> It is certainly an abrasion of some kind, not a bite. Probably from a run-in with structure, but it also looks similar to lesions that form on fish from certain bacterium and viruses. Some of these lesions do bleed, we've seen that on reds around Perdido Pass. Regardless, it looks nasty


I'm gonna hope that it's not from some sort of virus/bacteria, because I took some teeth to the thumb while reaching the pliers down its mouth to unhook it.. . But yeah, definitely looks nasty.


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

Randall2point0 said:


> Wirelessly posted
> 
> My first guess is some dick dropped it off a bridge and it hit a piling. But who knows...


Very possible also. Didn't even think of that. It'd have to be one tough fish to survive a 20+ foot drop onto a piling off the side of Sykes, but I suppose those reds are pretty hardy fish. I don't get why people don't just lower them down w/ the dropnet.


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

Realtor said:


> looks like it got stuck behind a cement piling while hooked, I have seen that before after a fight and it was around a concrete piling....


That's very possible too. If it was from a piling though it seems as though it would have had to have been hauling a$$ when it hit it though, cause it sure didn't look like it just brushed up against one!


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## foreverfishing (Nov 30, 2012)

hey sawyer you know the button next to the quote option allows you to multi quote a message right? so you don't got to reply with 3 different posts? just click it, it lights up and then click it again on the next message you want to quote. when you get to the last reply you are quoting just hit the normal quote button


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

foreverfishing said:


> hey sawyer you know the button next to the quote option allows you to multi quote a message right? so you don't got to reply with 3 different posts? just click it, it lights up and then click it again on the next message you want to quote. when you get to the last reply you are quoting just hit the normal quote button


That's all you gotta say Matt??! Nothing about the fish in the post?! Haha. But thanks, didn't realize I could do that multi-quote thing.


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## MoganMan (Feb 24, 2013)

ThaFish said:


> That's all you gotta say Matt??! Nothing about the fish in the post?! Haha. But thanks, didn't realize I could do that multi-quote thing.


It ain't a shark,bait, or a record red so who gives!!!!!!! 







Just Kidding, nice fish man!


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## southern yakker (Jun 25, 2012)

It could be abrasion but I'd say some sort of virus or infection. I caught a few last year with some small spot that looked red and somewhat rotted. With how tough a red scales are it would of had to be dragged very hard and fast over something. Would be a really nice fish if it wasn't messed up.


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## Smarty (Nov 23, 2008)

Sawyer that looks to me like a self inflicted mechanical injury. Scrapes between the nares indicate that it was probably tail up and head down rooting for food in some kind of structure. Might have made it in then got hung up around the dorsal fin where those puncture marks are. Found it was hung up good and lashed around hard causing the scales then skin to be sheared until it was an open wound. With that wound bed there's no type of uniformity at all to indicate a predator attack. That is unless the Alien Cat Monster I released almost a year ago grew up and was getting hungry :blink:


:laughing:
http://s257.photobucket.com/user/Usernamehell/media/Sailcatvideo_zpsfb7ede2f.mp4.html


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## oneeyedhooker (Sep 8, 2013)

you let him go right, sad to see this kind of shit


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## foreverfishing (Nov 30, 2012)

oneeyedhooker said:


> you let him go right, sad to see this kind of shit


 
he said in the post it swam off strong.


and it is a nice fish..... but it's a trash fish... who gives a crap about catching little redfish... man up and go fish for something good... like hard heads...


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## Liki Tiki (Nov 22, 2013)

Looks like a meth head red to me.


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## HappyHourHero (Jan 31, 2012)

Looks like one of the Reds I read about on a 100% fact based blog. The gov't is releasing damaged stock so that the FWC will be able to impose more regulations and Obama can tax anyone who handles one of these fish. 100% true and completely irrefutable.


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## salt-life (Feb 20, 2012)

ThaFish said:


> That's very possible too. If it was from a piling though it seems as though it would have had to have been hauling a$$ when it hit it though, cause it sure didn't look like it just brushed up against one!


It could be from him rubbing up on the barnicles on the pilings right under the water surface while hooked. I've had sharks get cut up on those barnicle filled pilings while fishing off the piers, and shark skin is tough as hell! Not saying it was from you, possibly from some other idiot that hooked him recently. Btw good report!


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## benjarmouche (Sep 9, 2013)

HappyHourHero said:


> Looks like one of the Reds I read about on a 100% fact based blog. The gov't is releasing damaged stock so that the FWC will be able to impose more regulations and Obama can tax anyone who handles one of these fish. 100% true and completely irrefutable.


Hahahaha. Alex Jones, much?


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## benjarmouche (Sep 9, 2013)

I don't think fish, even big fish, survive shark attacks. I think flipper tried to bite off more than he could chew with this redfish.


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## MoganMan (Feb 24, 2013)

benjarmouche said:


> I don't think fish, even big fish, survive shark attacks. I think flipper tried to bite off more than he could chew with this redfish.


Not true! I have caught plenty of half fish that are still alive for a good 30 seconds!!!


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

benjarmouche said:


> I don't think fish, even big fish, survive shark attacks. I think flipper tried to bite off more than he could chew with this redfish.


Flipper could be another culprit. Didn't even think of that. There's been a ton of dolphins out there lately too..


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

oneeyedhooker said:


> you let him go right, sad to see this kind of shit


Yes, if you read the post, you'd notice that I mentioned that she swam off strong. I can't stand to see bull reds kept out there. Just a few weeks ago there was some idiot with a whole wagon full of them. He had a blanket over them & walked back to his truck to put them in his cooler then came back out on the bridge & kept fishing. No idea how many he'd already kept…


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## MoganMan (Feb 24, 2013)

ThaFish said:


> Yes, if you read the post, you'd notice that I mentioned that she swam off strong. I can't stand to see bull reds kept out there. Just a few weeks ago there was some idiot with a whole wagon full of them. He had a blanket over them & walked back to his truck to put them in his cooler then came back out on the bridge & kept fishing. No idea how many he'd already kept…


I remember that! Remember the tools who were proud of the 6 bull reds they caught? And the undersized gag? Some people.....


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

MoganMan said:


> I remember that! Remember the tools who were proud of the 6 bull reds they caught? And the undersized gag? Some people.....


Yup.. & that was only only, what? One out of a dozen groups who have told us they keep all their bulls? Sad...


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## gulfbreezetom (Jun 12, 2012)

My ex-wife did it. She could rub anything the wrong way.


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## MoganMan (Feb 24, 2013)

ThaFish said:


> Yup.. & that was only only, what? One out of a dozen groups who have told us they keep all their bulls? Sad...


Every trip I have made out to sykes recently I have seen at least one Bull Red carcass in the water by the parking lot.


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## foreverfishing (Nov 30, 2012)

ThaFish said:


> Yes, if you read the post, you'd notice that I mentioned that she swam off strong. I can't stand to see bull reds kept out there. Just a few weeks ago there was some idiot with a whole wagon full of them. He had a blanket over them & walked back to his truck to put them in his cooler then came back out on the bridge & kept fishing. No idea how many he'd already kept…


 
and I bet that this guy is one of those jackasses who complain about the bag and slot limit...


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## Butler879 (Jun 18, 2012)

A question out of ignorance, how do you release a fish you catch on the bridge??


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## benjarmouche (Sep 9, 2013)

(850) 265-3676 - Report that stuff when you see it.


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## MoganMan (Feb 24, 2013)

benjarmouche said:


> (850) 265-3676 - Report that stuff when you see it.


Have called the FWC 3 times on separate occasions, they always sound concerned on the phone and tell us an agent is in the area yet they have shown up exactly 0 times.


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## Butler879 (Jun 18, 2012)

MoganMan said:


> Have called the FWC 3 times on separate occasions, they always sound concerned on the phone and tell us an agent is in the area yet they have shown up exactly 0 times.


Yea, but the day you miss measure a fish by 1/2 inch they will show up and write ya ticket!


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## MoganMan (Feb 24, 2013)

Butler879 said:


> Yea, but the day you miss measure a fish by 1/2 inch they will show up and write ya ticket!


Exactly!!!


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

Butler879 said:


> A question out of ignorance, how do you release a fish you catch on the bridge??


Hey man, no worries, I've actually got that question a lot. We use a drop net to bring them up/lower them back down.


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## MoganMan (Feb 24, 2013)

Butler879 said:


> A question out of ignorance, how do you release a fish you catch on the bridge??


Hammer throw


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## Butler879 (Jun 18, 2012)

ThaFish said:


> Hey man, no worries, I've actually got that question a lot. We use a drop net to bring them up/lower them back down.


What do you do if they belly up? Seems like would be quite a bit of technique in the whole process. It's hard enough to land a big red boat side.


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## Butler879 (Jun 18, 2012)

MoganMan said:


> Hammer throw


Hold by the lips or by the tail????


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## benjarmouche (Sep 9, 2013)

Butler879 said:


> Yea, but the day you miss measure a fish by 1/2 inch they will show up and write ya ticket!


Don't miss-measure.


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## southern yakker (Jun 25, 2012)

Butler879 said:


> Hold by the lips or by the tail????


Grab by the gills and throw em as hard as you can...
I either lower them or throe them head first. Everyone says lower them but I have had more of them take off right away thrown head first then by lowering them. I think the rushing water over there gills helps them take off.


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

Butler879 said:


> What do you do if they belly up? Seems like would be quite a bit of technique in the whole process. It's hard enough to land a big red boat side.


For the past year that I've been fishing out at Sykes we've never ever had one go belly-up. We've always got them to swim away, granted some take longer to get going than others. Usually raising the net up & down in the water really fast spooks them & gets them going. If that doesn't work we just hold them in the net till they're ready to go, however long it takes.


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## MoganMan (Feb 24, 2013)

ThaFish said:


> For the past year that I've been fishing out at Sykes we've never ever had one go belly-up. We've always got them to swim away, granted some take longer to get going than others. Usually raising the net up & down in the water really fast spooks them & gets them going. If that doesn't work we just hold them in the net till they're ready to go, however long it takes.


When they are really stubborn dropping the net on their head normally pisses them off enough to make em swim off.


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## Smarty (Nov 23, 2008)

Butler879 said:


> What do you do if they belly up? Seems like would be quite a bit of technique in the whole process. It's hard enough to land a big red boat side.


Big reds are tough. Even after being out of the water for a little bit they can be revived with a bit of a workout. I'll sometimes use my bridge net to lower them down then if belly up I'll pull them up barely out of the water then drop them in over and over again until they swim off :thumbsup:
That is unless it's a slot red. Then it's swimming in some grease!


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

Smarty said:


> I'll sometimes use my bridge net to lower them down then if belly up I'll pull them up barely out of the water then drop them in over and over again until they swim off :thumbsup:


Yup, that's exactly what we do sometimes!


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## CrazedFisher (Mar 11, 2013)

Nathan, remember that time I called FWC on that guy that killed that manta(?) by jumping on it with a knife? FWC never responded and the guy had enough time to dig a really deep hole and bury it.


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