Verdigre Creek Journal | Sharkin’ in San Diego, Part VI

Sharkin’ in San Diego, Part VI – The Teaser, The Fight, The Release

Quickly, any thoughts of heeding nature’s call disappeared. I was back in the bow drawing line off my fly rod as Dave prepared the teaser. I felt the 30 lb, wire leader between my fingers as I grasped the hook that was attached to the red marlin tube fly. The eye of the fly looked at me excitedly through a thick strand of red super hair.

The shark circled below the boat, surfaced, and attacked a seagull. The seagull escaped but set down, rather nonchalantly, a few feet away.

He hooked the tuna’s belly underneath a long, red and purple, squid teaser. He tossed it out about 80 feet.

“When I give you the word, cast your fly out right by the teaser,” he said and began to retrieve the teaser in rapidly.

The shark, feeling no embarrassment for having whiffed on the seagull, followed the teaser, his nose right on the tuna’s belly.

“Now,” Dave barked as he accelerated his retrieve.

I tossed my fly out about 50.’ It landed right next to the teaser. Dave put his reel into overdrive and pulled the teaser out of the shark’s line of vision. The shark circled. He looked at my fly and rose but missed it by several feet.

Dave pulled the teaser all the way in, I retrieved my fly.

Dave tossed the teaser out again. The shark gave chase a second time.

“Now!”

I cast my fly out in the path of the teaser. Dave put the teaser into high retrieving it away from the shark.

Confused, but not shaken, the shark looked left and right wondering where the teaser had gone. He circled, spotted my fly, rose, and took it violently in the right side of his mouth.

I paused and returned the violence hitting him with a hard strip strike.

In order to keep tension on the line, I rushed to the stern as the shark ran away from the bow. I had not developed any sense of sea legs. Indeed, I had to hold on to something as I crawled from one end of the boat to other. In making my way to the stern, though, I surprised myself. I maneuvered around the deck like an old sea hand.

I came to the realization that I had driven the hook home when I looked at my reel and the shark already had me into the backing. He had made a run past the bow, dived down, and was now well past the stern. He was still taking line. It all happened quickly. I’ve had deja vu’s that have taken longer.

He took a deep dive and then shot up out of the water and jumped.

Twelve, thirteen feet? It was hard to measure. but magnificent in effect.

He made another run and another jump. Then, down to the depths. He was still taking line.

Dave, in the meantime, had started the engine and was motoring along at several knots.

The mako finally gave me some line. I took what I could but he made another run putting me well into arrears.

I worked him back and forth. My muscles trembled as I reeled him in.

As I got him close to the boat, Dave noticed that the line had wrapped around his tail. Dave grabbed the line as I give him some from the reel. He asked me to let some line out and let the shark take the slack when the fish was free. This would keep the shark from jumping into the boat.

I reminded myself of the safety procedures to follow in case a shark did jump into the boat.

Jump on the center console and get the fuck out of the way.

Dave quickly unwrapped the line from the tail. The shark took whatever slack remained and made another run.

As I drew the fish closer, Dave explained that a mako will run left, right, and down which is why one uses an eleven or twelve weight to battle them. Indeed, Jeff Patterson of the Abel Reel Company had caught a great white on a fifteen weight earlier in the summer.

I had finally pulled the shark up to the boat.

This shark was angry. He was downright pissed. He shook his head left and right violently. Had he been given the chance, he would have gladly taken a significant bite out of me or Dave.

Dave carefully slid the release tool down the line and popped the hook free. The mako swam away.

I collapsed on the seat, exhausted. Dave gave me a high five.