Big rooster fish from kayak in Costa Rica!

Surfingringo

Surfingringo

Joined
May 25, 2013
Messages
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Hi all, just wanted to share a couple of pics of the rooster fish I caught this morning off my kayak. 4 1/2 feet long and 60lbs. Had a bad moment after I got a gaff in him where he flopped around and hooked the leader in a dangerous position. I was able to pop open the mini grip and remedy the situation before any damage was done. I am eagerly awaiting my new spyderco salt which should be arriving Saturday. I'm going to retire the benchmade from its ocean duty!

E26152D4-4AE9-459F-B570-85F33DAA5B6A-8391-00000B0D13C302E5_zps59577c17.jpg


D6E993F4-FAD0-4BB7-B199-DCDC82E8FCFC-8391-00000B0D03EE1836_zpscaf72257.jpg
 
Yeah, he whipped my ass for the first ten minutes or so! :-). I was fishing one of the outer reefs and caught a two pound amberjack on a rapala. threw a hook on real quick and dropped him back down. about three minutes later this guy ate him! I was really hoping I had a big snapper on! I know there are some 50lb+ snapper on this reef because we freedive there too and we have speared some monsters! unfortunately it was a rooster. the tourists love catching them for "sport" but roosters aren't the tastiest fish in the world. I eat it on occasion, but I keep the freezer pretty full of mackerel grouper and snapper. Typically I would throw him back but he swallowed that aj whole and he was badly gut-hooked. By the time I finally landed him he was toast. Anyway, I gave him to some of the local neighbors. They don't seem to have any problem with the meat cuz they were grinning pretty big!
 
Nice fish makes the one I got in costa rica look like a guppy.

one question.
I was in puntaranes and was using a kayak and I got my ass handed to me by the waves trying to get it past the surf, what is the trick to not getting beat up by the boat?(i got it out there but got some good bruises)
 
FarmerJohn said:
Nice fish makes the one I got in costa rica look like a guppy.

one question.
I was in puntaranes and was using a kayak and I got my ass handed to me by the waves trying to get it past the surf, what is the trick to not getting beat up by the boat?(i got it out there but got some good bruises)
Click to expand...

Rip tides, but I'm just guessing, not much for rip tides here in MN.;)
 
Hi John, there's no real trick... its just familiarity with the ocean. I've been surfing forever so it is kind of just instinct with me. Launching in a good spot and timing is key. Walk the kayak out as far as you can and just stand there pulling it through the waves until you get a break in the waves, then jump on and haul ass! I would say that 98% of the time I never have to paddle through a breaking wave. Sometimes you might have to wait 5-10 minutes for that break in the waves, but it is definitely the easier softer way! ;-). Depending on the beach where you are it is usually way easier at a certain point in the tide cycle. Some spots are easier at low tide, some easier at high. Ultimately it's just about time in the water. The more time you spend out there, the easier it gets. We all got bruises in the beginning. Keep at it and you will get more! It's called learning through negative reinforcement! Hehe.
 
Honey!!!...I found a new hobby! Are you prepared to move closer to the water?
 
Feeding the whole town! Must have been as strong as a bull. :thumbup:
 
Yup, got really lucky on the snapper. Hooked him on a long cast into shallow water. He could have run whichever way he wanted and 3 out of 4 times a big snappers gonna rock u up in that scenario! Lucky for me he swam straight to me for 10-12 seconds and I was able to take a ton of line back and get him into deeper water before he realized what was up and started to fight! THEN he turned the juice on, but he had lost his advantage. Now he's in my belly and my freezer. Bless him! :-).
 
Nice catch! Reminds me of when I hooked a 7' ray while fishing for shark in my zodiac, boy that sucker took me for a ride!


-X
 
great fish :thumbup: ain't nothing like setting the hook and having your kayak take off faster than you can paddle :D 30# blue cat is the biggest I have landed on my yak
Roy
 
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