# Spearfishing Report 8/4



## Telum Pisces (Sep 27, 2007)

Long story, but that's to make up for the lack of pictures.

Set out yesterday with Dave (naclh2odave) and a bubble watcher on the boat. We headed out of theSherman Covearound 0730. Hit the pass and were met with great seas of less than a foot. Saw a thunderstorm to the east and as we got closer the seas/chop picked up a little. But we plowed on to our destination.

Got to our first location about 20 miles to the SW and was met with very blue water on top. This was also a new spot that we had not dove before. So it was like Christmas time. The fish finder blew up nicely. We go to gear up and I find that I (bonehead) walked out of the house without my wetsuit. :banghead Oh well, time to tough it out. We head down to find nice snapper everywhere. Nothing huge, but many in the 10 lb range. We getone shortof our red snapper and I shoot a trigger as well. We come up to find our bubble watcher catching fish 100 feet off the smallspot. The vis at this spot was great. I would estimate it at 75 feet or so in 100 feet of water. It was nice. 

We head to our second spot and get geared up. We head down to a some worse vis of about 20-25 feet. And it got worse as the dive went on.:banghead But I notice some flounder laying around and I go to stab one and it just takes off before I could get him poked with the gun. Second try at founder results in the same thing.:banghead I findmy last snapper of the day and put him on the stringer. I come swimming back at Dave when I see him on the AJ rodeo ride with a nice 40" (estimated)AJ. This fish proceeds to whoop his butt. I look at the fish and I can tell it is about to rip off of his shaft. I try to line up for a shot while it is taking Dave on a ride in loops and can never line up a safe shot. All the while Davehas his legs wrapped around part of the wreck and Iam kind of laughing a bit at his rodeo ride. SorryDave. Right as I am about to take a shot, the fish tears off and disappears.:banghead We poke around a bit more only to start our accent. As we start heading up the anchor line, I see a 7' bull shark cruise by below us.:doh At this time, I point it out to Dave and the shark dissappears. Next thing we know the shark is heading up the anchor line in a straight B-line for us with the pectoral fins in the down position. I start to go into protect mode and Dave pokes the shark and he bugs out. I think "great now it's gone." Well I look up and hear comes the shark right at me pretty fast making a line at my snapper between my legs:doh. I had to jab him and actually push him away with my gun. He totally ignored the poke of the pointed tip right on his nogginand actually kept swimming at me enough that I had to hold on to the anchor line while pushing him away. I look atDave and we get into recon mode and scan everywhere while we make our accent. But we never see the shark again after that, thank God.

We come up to find ourbubble watcher is catching fish. He puts his limit of red snapper in the boat and catches a legal mangrove as well while me and Dave build up a surface interval.

Head a few miles away to our 3rd spot only to dive down to nice vis with no fish to shoot. We went there hoping to find something other than red snapper. But that's all that was there.:banghead I shoot a big Spade to eat. If I see a big enough spade I'll shoot it. They taste great when you can find a big enough one to get some meat off of. We head up and head home getting back to the dock at 1400 or so. The ride back was great. Seas less than 1' till we hit the pass and the outgoing tide kicked it up just a bit. But not bad at all.

No pics. Just a bunch of Snappers (all in the 9-10 lb range), one trigger, one spade, and one mangrove.


----------



## FelixH (Sep 28, 2007)

Nice report, Jon. Glad you guys had a good trip... but, man, you are a shark magnet!!!

We're going to give it a shot tomorrow (8/6).


----------



## naclh2oDave (Apr 8, 2008)

It was a good trip Jon, thanks again. That bull was definately one of the more agressive, and determined, sharks I have ever encountered. It got poked and jabbed 3 or 4 times before we hit the thermocline, then the viz was down to nothing. My sences were on full alert. I had visions of it coming from underneath fast enough to just see the eyes roll back and mouth open as it ripped my prize and my limbs away from me. But, luckily it never got close enough to see again :banghead.

You manned up pretty good for 3 dives without a wetsuit. There was some chilly therms there man. Now I have to figure out what is wrong with my computer. It was like bitchy wife, it just screamed at me all day, stupid computer. I don't want to have to buy another one, I was just getting used to it.

Snapper was yummy, hopefully we can get some commercial fishman out on the water after the 15th to clear out the excesss of snapper so we can start seeing a different species for a change. I swear those freaking reef bullies are eating all the grouper, they probably gang up on the big grouper and beat them up and chase them off. That or justeat them alive taking any chance of breeding away. Stupid snapper.


----------



## Telum Pisces (Sep 27, 2007)

> *FelixH (8/5/2009)*Glad you guys had a good trip... but, man, you are a shark magnet!!!
> 
> (8/6).


Felix, that is the first shark I have seen in a long time. But it definately made up for not seeing one in a while. This one made the top spot for most aggressive shark in my diving career.


----------



## countryjwh (Nov 20, 2007)

nice report. i wish we could ins other fish than snapper to.


----------



## sniper (Oct 3, 2007)

Damn the sharks are feeling the recession too! 

Least you got out. Thanks for posting. I am living vicariously through the forum for a while I think. No break till December :banghead


----------



## Ocean Man (Sep 27, 2007)

Good report Jon, thats wild. I can't imagine what it must be like to have a large predator fired up in a feeding frenzy heading right at you. I get a rush when we lure the big Hammerheads to the boat chasing a bait. I don't want to see that while I'm in the water.


----------



## Sniper Spear-It (Jan 16, 2008)

damn jon you are the shark magnet. i told you it wasnt me. glad to here you guys are still shooting plenty up there. i havent made the 40 mile run out to gert any ARS but i have been shooting a ton of hogs ans almaco.

SSI


----------



## lobsterman (Sep 30, 2007)

good job Jon, have you foundany shovelnose yet?


----------



## Telum Pisces (Sep 27, 2007)

> *Sniper Spear-It (8/6/2009)*damn jon you are the shark magnet. i told you it wasnt me. glad to here you guys are still shooting plenty up there. i havent made the 40 mile run out to gert any ARS but i have been shooting a ton of hogs ans almaco.
> 
> SSI


Glad to hear from you Jeff. Plenty of ARS up hear. We were moving and trying to pick sights that would hold something other than snapper. No luck with that though. Every sight was covered in 9+ lb red snappers.:banghead:banghead

Lobsterman,

No such luck with the lobsters yet. I told Dave to point them out to me. But he looked high and low and didn't see any either on this trip. But the sites were not really lobster holding sites either.


----------



## lobsterman (Sep 30, 2007)

I always did better with small cracks and tight small rocks and tires and steel wrecks for shovelnose. Car bodies used to hold tons.


----------

