shewhorn Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 40", a hair under 17 pounds and one helluva ride. Thanks to Brad for the assist, by myself I'm not sure if I'd have been able to keep it (it's a story for the books and involved me towing Brad to Devereax whilst he was holding the fish AND still trolling (his line was still in the water as there was not time to pull it up in all the excitement)). Very very tasty! Cheers, Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Allen Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Man Joe, that be a big fish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spuglisi Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 40", a hair under 17 pounds and one helluva ride. Thanks to Brad for the assist, by myself I'm not sure if I'd have been able to keep it (it's a story for the books and involved me towing Brad to Devereax whilst he was holding the fish AND still trolling (his line was still in the water as there was not time to pull it up in all the excitement)). Very very tasty! Cheers, Joe Now that's a freakin fish....way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shewhorn Posted June 9, 2008 Author Share Posted June 9, 2008 Now that's a freakin fish....way to go. Thanks... it's tiny compared to some of the pics I've seen Leon post but it was still a workout (mostly the towing part). It was quite a surprise too as we'd radioed each other to say "OK... time to go home". A few minutes after that, I hooked it. The highlight of the whole story had to be the fish capsizing Brad after he landed it on his deck and Brad (who is now under water with a 40" fish that's in its native environment) not letting go of it while I maneuvered in close enough for him to grab my boat... which almost capsized me but since I didn't have a fish in my hands, was able to plant a couple of really hard low braces and a skull to keep me up (fish apparently, can not be used for low bracing). It was definitely entertaining! We ate well last night. I left half of it with him. I'm going to grill the other half tonight (it's been marinating in salad dressing). Cheers, Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 WHAT A BEAST................ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traction Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 When I saw Joe paddling hard and not really moving I knew he had a keeper! I have since realized that my fish scale is way off... The fish was probably closer to 30 Lbs. I weighed a 30 pound barbell this evening and the scale read 15 pounds. I must say I will NEVER forget being upside down in a kayak holding on to the mouth of a large fish like that. I have the image permanently etched into my mind of looking at this fish while upside down in my boat and thinking DAM this thing could swallow a fence post and meanwhile flailing for the surface with my free hand, since i had chucked the paddle to handle the fish. I was really happy when I felt the bow of Joe's boat. Seeing my gut in that pic makes me realise i really gotta go on a diet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shewhorn Posted June 10, 2008 Author Share Posted June 10, 2008 I have since realized that my fish scale is way off... The fish was probably closer to 30 Lbs. I weighed a 30 pound barbell this evening and the scale read 15 pounds. Woohoo... I know have about zero upper body strength but I didn't think it was that bad. 30 pounds sounds much better than 15. Definitely felt heavier than 15. Also, thinking about it... on the paddle back my boat definitely took on some rather unusual characteristics. 15 pounds of weight in the bow wouldn't have explained it but 30 pounds would. I must say I will NEVER forget being upside down in a kayak holding on to the mouth of a large fish like that. I think that's the 4th (and definitely the most memorable) time I've seen you capsize. Each time seems to get slightly more amusing. Seeing my gut in that pic makes me realise i really gotta go on a diet! Yeah... like that's gonna happen with all the yummy food swimming around this time of year. I gotta charge up my point and shoot and keep it handy for the next time. I really need one of those waterproof jobbies. What I learned: 1) On Brad's list of immediate priorities, dinner takes precedence over breathing. 2) Next time don't forget the short tow in the bath tub (having it to use as a stringer would have been preferable to towing 300 pounds of boat, gear, human, and fish... although hindsight is 20/20, it just occurred to me that we could have used my TOW LINE as a stringer. DUH. 3) You can't low brace with a fish 4) You can fit a 30 pound, 40" fish into the front hatch of a Pintail 5) Simple Green helps to get the fish smell out of a Pintail 6) I'm not a huge fan of fried food but I have to concede, fried striper is better than grilled striper... or at least it's better than the way I grill it (how do you grill it so the outside is crisp but the inside is light and flaky??? take a blow torch to it for a few seconds after cooking it???) 7) Fish scales are a lot tougher than I imagined them being (that was the first time I cleaned a fish). 8) If I ever catch something bigger than that... I'm going to need to think about how the heck I'm going to get it back because that thing just barely fit. I certainly don't want it in the cockpit with me flopping around my jiblee bits with those sharp fins. Leon, any tips? Cheers, Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathyfoley Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 40", a hair under 17 pounds and one helluva ride. Thanks to Brad for the assist, by myself I'm not sure if I'd have been able to keep it (it's a story for the books and involved me towing Brad to Devereax whilst he was holding the fish AND still trolling (his line was still in the water as there was not time to pull it up in all the excitement)). Very very tasty! Cheers, Joe Congrats.....what were you trolling with for bait? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eneumeier Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 6) I'm not a huge fan of fried food but I have to concede, fried striper is better than grilled striper... or at least it's better than the way I grill it (how do you grill it so the outside is crisp but the inside is light and flaky??? take a blow torch to it for a few seconds after cooking it???) I have found success in leaving the scales on to grill. I cut the two filets off the backbone, heat the grill so it is REALLY hot, then put the scale side down (oil it first) on the grill. Close the top or cover with aluminum foil. Don't eat the skin. The scales provide protection from the heat while the meat cooks just right. Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Millar Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Holy Magoly, that's one of the biggest stripers I've ever seen!!! Congratulations on landing it while in a kayak -- and a Pintail yet. As for cooking, I can't advise you there as I'm not a big striper fan (or any fish, for that matter.) If you catch another Giant Fish and have to transport it, I'd advise maybe cutting the fins off while in your boat so you don't have to worry about hurting yourself. I don't know if this is advisable, though, for keeping the fish fresh. Deb M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolonsky Adam Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 What was in the stomach? Were you trolling a tube and worm or some other sort of swimmer? KUDOS! More sea kayakers should fish...those that don't don't know what they're missing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leong Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Thanks... it's tiny compared to some of the pics I've seen Leon post but it was still a workout (mostly the towing part). It was quite a surprise too as we'd radioed each other to say "OK... time to go home". A few minutes after that, I hooked it. The highlight of the whole story had to be the fish capsizing Brad after he landed it on his deck and Brad (who is now under water with a 40" fish that's in its native environment) not letting go of it while I maneuvered in close enough for him to grab my boat... which almost capsized me but since I didn't have a fish in my hands, was able to plant a couple of really hard low braces and a skull to keep me up (fish apparently, can not be used for low bracing). It was definitely entertaining! We ate well last night. I left half of it with him. I'm going to grill the other half tonight (it's been marinating in salad dressing). Cheers, Joe It's a beauty Joe. Don't be modest. I only caught one striper larger than yours (42 inches). This year I haven't caught my first keeper yet (at least 28 inches). http://www.creativefeathers.com/KayakFishBags.cfm is a link to an insulated kayak fishing bag. But it's probably not too good for a very large striper as the boat will be too top heavy. I usually tow my fish on a stringer. Won't do it again in Florida though ... a shark attacked two fish on my stringer ... I lucked out, the stringer broke loose as I capsized and I successfully rolled up without a scratch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Fournier Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 40", a hair under 17 pounds and one helluva ride. Thanks to Brad for the assist, by myself I'm not sure if I'd have been able to keep it (it's a story for the books and involved me towing Brad to Devereax whilst he was holding the fish AND still trolling (his line was still in the water as there was not time to pull it up in all the excitement)). Very very tasty! Cheers, Joe WHEW....big belly....the fish is good sized too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shewhorn Posted June 22, 2008 Author Share Posted June 22, 2008 What was in the stomach? Were you trolling a tube and worm or some other sort of swimmer? It was a bright orange Santini tube with a sea worm. The Santini definitely "swims" in fact... I was skeptical that I'd catch anything with it as it moves around so much but I guess when you have a mouth that big it's hard to miss. To my surprise even the schoolies have no problem grabbin' it. I seem to catch an average of 3 to 4 fish with it on a 3 hour paddle. That one in the photo has been the only keeper so far. The rest have been throw backs. I came close last Monday with 25" but alas... 3" too short. Back in the drink. It (the Santini lure) came highly recommended by one of the folks I spoke to the last time I stopped by Kittery Trading Post. I gotta say, it's not just a gimmick. Brad (until recently) was using a black tube and not having any luck. He switched to an orange tube and has been getting more attention from the stripers. I still have to wonder why that color seems to work so well? I'm pretty sure there's no fluorescent orange eels swimming around down there... or perhaps stripers don't see in color and that particular color catches the light in a certain way that makes it look like something else to the visible spectrum they can see? Or perhaps it's just motion of this particular lure? I don't know, but it seems to work well. Cheers, Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shewhorn Posted June 22, 2008 Author Share Posted June 22, 2008 The lure pictured on the front page is exactly the one I've been using: http://www.fishfinatic.com/ More specifically.. "Santini Tube Lure - Orange" http://www.fishfinatic.com/Store.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shewhorn Posted June 22, 2008 Author Share Posted June 22, 2008 It's a beauty Joe. Don't be modest. I only caught one striper larger than yours (42 inches). This year I haven't caught my first keeper yet (at least 28 inches). Thanks. That one is the only keeper I've had this year. The rest have been around 24". Close but not quite. http://www.creativefeathers.com/KayakFishBags.cfm is a link to an insulated kayak fishing bag. Cool bag. I was looking for something like that. Do you think it will mount on the back deck OK? But it's probably not too good for a very large striper as the boat will be too top heavy. I usually tow my fish on a stringer. Won't do it again in Florida though ... a shark attacked two fish on my stringer ... I lucked out, the stringer broke loose as I capsized and I successfully rolled up without a scratch. Wow... I've often wondered about that when pulling fish in. I've seen a shark in Penobscott Bay and when crossing Vineyard Sound. I figure at the point I hook a fish is the same point at which I start trolling for shark. I know there's some pretty white ones in the Martha's Vineyard area. Are you in the area now? Cheers, Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hal Boudreau Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Wow, great fish tail..... Sorry I missed that trip, and the PPPO that followed!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.