# 10 to 1 Catch from GSSP ~~ Estimated ~~



## Garbo (Oct 2, 2007)

Last Wednesday afternoon about 6pm or so I headed to the State Park Pier in Gulf Shores and planned to stay until Sundown. I had part of a bag of Ballyhoo in the freezer and wanted to use them up. So off to the pier with 8 Ballyhoo, a Snooble Rod with 706 spooled with IGFA 10lb mono, and a couple of king leaders. 

Got to the end of the pier and the sharks were well out of hand, and something else to have to deal with. I pulled the snobbled Ballyhoo away from a huge number of toothy guys, and tried to keep each one of the Ballyhoo I was snoobling close enough to the surface to be able to see the approach of a shark, with the idea that I would pull the Ballyhoo away as a shark approached it. 

Later but before sunset a guy that I had been talking to while I waited for a hopeful king mackerel, and I got involved in talking about something more interesting than watching my dead Ballyhoo friend swim just below the surface, and I looked over to my fishing buddy to reply to a statement he had made and in the few seconds that I was not focused on the helpless Ballyhoo a very large Blacktip decided that he was tired of me teasing him and he took the Ballyhoo for his own. Feeling the take on my right index finger I turned to only see a very large boil where the shark was leaving with his prize. 

I freespooled for just a second or two, and then engaged the roller with the 10lb mono and came tight on my foe, only to have him start what would be a good long run away from the light pressure that he felt from me giving him literally all I could give him with the light tackle. 

Knowing it was a shark I handed the rod off to a little girl that came out onto the pier to see the sights so she could have the chance to enjoy something much more exciting than watching me do what I would have done with the unwanted customer of my Ballyhoo. She took the rod as I just simply handed it to her. Her eyes wide open and mouth wider open she just stood in amazement that something swimming could be so strong. After a minute or so, she handed the rod off to her older looking brother as Mama and Daddy looked on taking a steady stream of pictures. 

The big fish now swimming east and off the east side of the very end of the pier, the older brother is just as amazed as his little sister was as she held the light snooble rod, that was really made to suit the speedy king mackerel, and not as good of a tool to pull on the brut strength of a large and powerul shark. The shark turns inshore and heads toward the beach, but with a lightpole every other section of pier the young pier angler needed help to get around lightpoles, fishing poles and other pier anlgers, so he asked if I would help him catch the great fish. 

I would have normally broke a shark off after hooking up, but my two new young friends wanted to see the catch they had become aquainted with and wanted me to help them to the end of the fight. I took the rod back and navigated my way toward the beach avoiding lightpoles and fishing poles all the way. The Large Shark swam to within 20yards of the beach before turning to go back to return to from where it had came. 

After following the Great Foe, which was in far more control than I, I was now almost back to the very end of the pier where this all started as a Gallery of people followed with the Two, Young, New to Pier Fishing Anglers lead the way. 

The fight was now well past 30 minutes and I have to anounce I was getting wore down, and almost tired, but it was very easy to revive myself, by simply turning around and seeing the excitement in the eyes of my two young friends, and their mother and father being as much of the event as the young ones were. 

Finally the Great Shark's spirit had became weak enough that I was able to bring him to the surface of the water for the Gallery to see and take still photos of the end of something that was only great because of two young children. 

After all the hoopla, pictures, Uhhhhs and Ahhhhs, I broke the Great Fish off and allowed him to return to what he was doing before it was interupted by my selfish need to feed my addiction. 

I looked over the top rail at him after he was no longer attached to my Snooble Rod via 10lb Mono in order to get a size estimate, which as just over 100lbs, which would have made him 10 times heavier than the 10lb Mono that defeated him. But, that was not the most amazing part.......

As I looked at my now free swimming Foe, he turned a slight toward my direction and I watched as He winked at me, as if he knew the value he had brought to the two New Young Pier Anglers. 

There is a Greater Reward, if You Share all you have with the Young.






.


----------



## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

Very good read Garbo. Glad you were so rewarded for your thoughtfulness. The power of a smile!


----------



## mdrobe2 (Oct 12, 2007)

That was a cool move to let those kids fight that fish.


----------



## Matt09 (Jun 6, 2008)

Good stuff Curtis..


----------



## EODangler (Apr 7, 2011)

If you're not a writer, you should be.

Great read!


----------



## Baitcaster (Oct 4, 2007)

two new anglers have been created sounds like .

good job !


----------



## Domtasc (Sep 18, 2009)

Great story man. Those kids will never forget that.


----------



## Croaker Chris (Feb 22, 2009)

Awesome story man.... It should be published in a magazine somewhere ....


----------



## Nopierpressure (Jul 27, 2010)

Awesome story... sounds like something out of Field and Stream!


----------



## Garbo (Oct 2, 2007)

Now this is Way Way Cool. 

I ran into the same family while buying Gas yesterday. They were down for the weekend and were getting ready to leave and while gassing up their little girl pointed me out and that I was the guy that helped her land the Big Shark. 



.


----------



## TailRazor (Apr 25, 2011)

Good deal man, hopefully they ask for some rods for Christmas...


----------

