# Last Minute Sunday Afternoon Pier Trip.....25ish King on 10lb Mono



## Garbo (Oct 2, 2007)

Clay, my oldest son, and I went out on the GSSP Pier late Sunday. We got onto the pier around 3:30pm. On the way out we stopped just before the bathhouse and tied a leader each, and while tying neither of us seen much going on close to the beach, so we went on out toward the end. 

Clay threw a Gotcha about half way between the bathhouse and the end of the peir and got into the Spanish pretty good. I walked out to the end of the pier with a small bag of small Ballyhoo. I broke the bill on the first ballyhoo and on the second cast snobbled it less than 20ft before it got picked off, and now I am looking at 1/2 a ballyhoo slow sinking just below the surface, but only seconds pass before a very large Spanish had to have the cut down version and I was on. After setting up on the Spanish I look up and the first person I see is John G, I said "Hey John" as I walked toward him with a bowed rod, and he just smiles making it obvious that he knows all too well what I was feeling. The net goes down and get this, Two Spanish come up.......... 

I break the bill on several more Ballyhoo and wash them out before I get anything excited about trying to take them from me. It's now just before 6pm and Clay has walked out to the end of the pier with his limit of Spanish in the box, and he hangs out with me while I try to motivate a kingfish to play with me. We talk while I am snobbling a long time dead frozen Ballyhoo in an effort to make him look as if he has never seen the inside of a plastic bag and cold temperture, but it seems the that on this day the Kings just don't want to play with me. As I reel up my ballyhoo from the water playground, Clay asks, "Are you ready to go?, and says "I'm getting hungry". Knowing we are going to grill steaks tonight and knowing we are both looking forward to it, I said sure, but let me make one more cast............. 

I cast my now worn ballyhoo straight off the end of the pier and allow it to sink, while Clay and I talk about his upcoming trip to Panama City for Spring Break. After a moment of sink time, I make yet another effort to bring the ballyhoo back to life by swimming it back toward me until it reaches just below the waters surface, and I allow it to sink again. After the second sinking, I do my best to keep my hope alive, but the distance between me and the ballyhoo that is getting closer to me that also signifies the end of our fishing trip is closing in. As I make my dead friend swim toward me a light green shape follows it up from deeper water, and my heart changes 3 gears. I stop the ballyhoo from it's swim, but the kingfish doesn't take, I swim the bait a short distance again, and it proves all too much movement for the kingfish and he turns a tight circle and takes the ballyhoo. I set up on the fish I just watched eat and he very quickly runs directly south pulling along with him a light tug from the 10lb mono that connected us. After several trips around the end and the west side of the pier, the kingfish comes into view and I follow him as he is in more control of what I am doing than I am, but I am gaining progress on him......... Eventually after a very long close in battle between he and I, a very well mannered and seasoned gaff man, lowers his hook and promptly connects to the prize and just as promptly retrieves the spent kingfish from the water playground below. 

I most often fish with lighter than normal tackle, and today was no different, but I must thank my fellow anglers as there were no issues in the longer and less controlled fight between me and that kingfish, as my fellow anglers were a well trained team that made my play better than it would have been alone. 

Clay and I took the kingfish, and limit of spanish to a friend that is in a tough time with hopes that the kingfish provides some form of relief and a good meal or two. 

Thanks to all that took the time to read my ramble, and I hope that each of you get to feel what I felt this afternoon. 

We are truly Blessed to live in an area that something like this could be done late in the afternoon without planning.............


Great Afternoon, Great Event, Great Fish, and Great Steak. 




.


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## bigrick (Sep 29, 2010)

Nice, I plan on lightening up my tackle for kings this year. I'm going to be pissed when I get spooled but I enjoy a challenge and a long fight. Puling one in on #40 conv. reels isn't much of a challenge


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## mcbig1 (Sep 25, 2008)

good read garbo,hope your friend enjoys the fish!my brothers,nephew, and i take our dad down to pensacola beach every fall and we have a blast,he,s 79 this year and thankfully still in pretty good shape so we really are looking forward to it,hope your son remembers to be careful on spring break so he can take you when you,re 79! mike


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## Emerald Ghost (Mar 11, 2008)

Curtis,

I think that you should change your name to "Da Fishing Machine" !


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## JoeZ (Sep 30, 2007)

"make my dead friend swim"

Now there's a band name for you.

Great story C.


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## REDFISH KING (May 9, 2009)

Good story.....congrats on the fish


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## Matt09 (Jun 6, 2008)

Great post Curtis.


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## 85okhai (Mar 15, 2010)

great story. fishing light tackle for kings sure is fun and challenging


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## fishinknots (Feb 26, 2010)

Great story...... Light tackle vs big fish is always exciting.


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## jack2 (Mar 19, 2010)

hey, curtis,
you must have a little bit of a hemingway gene in you. that was an awesome read and enhanced details made it exciting to see the fish as you pulled it in. btw.......
the fly rod and reel work great. thanks alot for the deal.
hope to see down there this week
shoot me a pm.
jack


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## driver (Sep 24, 2009)

good story


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## Fisherdad1 (Oct 4, 2007)

JoeZ said:


> "make my dead friend swim"
> 
> Now there's a band name for you.
> 
> Great story C.


or a viagra commerical


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## Garbo (Oct 2, 2007)

JoeZ said:


> "make my dead friend swim"
> 
> Now there's a band name for you.
> 
> Great story C.


 
*Funny Stuff right there. *

*Joe your wit always amazes me. What was your major in college? *


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## OU812 (May 8, 2011)

Great read, I agree with Jack2. There's a writer in you trying to get out!


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