A report from SteveL for mikescatchreport.com
I went out at the crack dawn to try my “luck” out on the flats. It was a nasty morning, overcast and very windy with sporadic showers, but I had a “feeling” that only a fisherman could understand and I had to be out there.
I packed my fly rod too but decided to go bait when I got there because the coconut trees were bending in the wind.
After catching one eel and numerous nibbles on some long distance casts, I decided to flip my bait just 20 yards in front of me. The bite came about five minutes later and the fish went on this long long run.
I could see it splashing the water over 180 yards out. This was no small fish. It had my 14 foot rod bending to the max. I didn’t think it was going to stop and I kept looking at my spinning spool to see if there was enough line left.
I started to follow the fish when it slowed a bit, I cranked the drag down, started reel and pump the rod to turn it.
I fought it within 30 yards and decided not to net it to minimize the trauma. I walked it several hundred yards to shore. Earlier that morning, I bumped into a friend who lives along the beach and hoped he might be still around to take my picture. As it was, I took some self portraits and then found a lady walking her dogs and had her shoot a couple of shots. Then I walked the fish back out and we watched it tailing off in the distance and disappear.
Some dream of catching bonefish this big, I dream of catching one bigger.