2020 Halloween Ghost Story: My First WSB

TLDR:
 
Early Halloween Ghost Story:
 
Many frightening full moons ago, while diving in some eerie, murky water I came across a school of ghosts. Surprisingly enough I didn’t get scared, and they didn’t spook, and I didn’t miss, and I stoned one.
 
A first for me, and at ~40 pounds my biggest speared fish in California so far that wasn’t a BFT. Time in water and exploring as many different areas as possible sometimes pays off...
 
Once I finally got home safe and sound I took my time processing her and shared the delicious meat with multiple good friends.
 
 
Longer version:
 
2020 has been a shit show of epic proportions…for the whole world it seems like.
 
My personal 2020 saga has been very challenging in many ways…I’ve really struggled to keep it together, and one of the few things that has helped me get by is diving as much as I possibly can…whenever and wherever I can.
 
Quite a few fish have been killed along the way, but I’ve been more focused on just being in the water, and getting a fish in the cooler has almost been an afterthought…
 
One day I found myself exploring some new ground and wasn’t finding much…
 
Viz was bad on the surface, and not that great down deeper either…
 
At one point I got that spooky sharky feeling you sometimes get…especially when you are alone in the middle of nowhere and can’t make out your fins clearly…
 
I kept diving and exploring though after calming down…
 
I took a drop and as I fell through the murk and got near the bottom I saw a school of BIG fish cruising along.
 
My first thought was Stripers since I have come across schools of Stripers before…but then I realized there are no stripes…and the fins are yellowish…
 
I had never seen a White Seabass alive in person, but had seen plenty of pics and vids, so I decided that’s what they were and just extended my gun at the one closest to me and pulled the trigger.
 
I’ve been using a Meandros 85 with a reel, and it’s done really well for all the Nor/CenCal fish I usually come across…but…I had been putting off replacing my bands for too long, and all day long I had been looking at the white inside of one of the bands and knew it only had probably one shot left in it…maybe  ….and this was a MUCH bigger and thicker fish than the lingcod, rockfish, sheephead, halibut etc that I usually come across.
 
As soon as I pulled the trigger I saw the fish veer off and down with some flicks of its tail…but it’s not running fast and by the time I get to the surface it’s not even taking line off the reel anymore…
 
As I breath on the surface I am waiting for it to wake up and start ripping line…but it’s not…I can feel the weight on the line, and wonder if I might have stoned it, or if it tore off and my spear is snagged on a bunch of kelp, or ?!?
 
My heart is pounding as I float there holding the reel line and I think back on all the reports and stories I have heard of how these fish are very strong and that you should give them time to calm down before trying to retrieve them to avoid getting wrapped up in shooting/reel line if they start fighting…
 
I get my knife ready and am waiting and waiting for the fish to wake up but there is no movement…I lift the line slowly and the weight gradually comes up…I keep pulling the line in carefully and gently and the weight keeps coming up…
 
I get to the end of the reel line and into the shooting line and I still can’t see anything through the murk…
 
Finally when I’m almost to the shaft I see the fish appear below…
 
I grab the shaft and get my legs around the fish, get my knife in the head and hand in throat as quick as I can, and then let out a squeal of joy once I realize I got her…
 
The shaft went in the shoulder, through her spine and out the gill plate.
 
I bleed the fish asap, and spend some time petting and admiring her…and then realize I am out here all alone with this big dead bleeding fish, so I get her on my belt stringer and start heading to shore as quick as I can before any sharks or seals come around.
 
Back at my truck I take a few pics and try and fit her in my 85 quart cooler (not happening), so I drive to the nearest store to get some more ice and pack it all around her with a towel.
 
Fish was 49 inches long and at ~40 pounds my biggest speared fish in California so far that wasn’t a BFT. Special thanks to SinCoast for helping me get a weight and some pics and for sharing in my stoke. 

http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/leader_board/3826/show
 
Once home I show off the fish to the wifey, get all the guts and gills out, cut off the tail and head/collars and put the body away in my dedicated fish fridge to let it rest overnight.
 
The next day I take my time cutting her up, and enjoy the process immensely...such cool thick slabs of meat...after I’m done I drop some off with Amadeo, and then head over to give some to sharkbait/e2g, and set aside chunks to gift to multiple other friends.
 
Fuzz comes by later on to get some meat and to help me get some prints of the tail before I froze it to hopefully one day figure out how to preserve/mount it.
 
Every bit was devoured fresh, using a bunch of different recipes...one of my favorites was cutting up the big individual ribs and broiling them in the oven with BBQ sauce.
 
I know how fortunate I was to come across this fish, and that I was lucky to able to take her with such a small gun and single flopper and reel setup.
 
I am beyond grateful for the experience, and it is one I will never forget…especially in a year full of so much heartbreak and sadness and personal struggle.
 
Moral of the story for me is…Time in water and exploring as many different areas as possible sometimes pays off...
 
Here are some of my favorite pics and a little video clip of this amazing fish…vid quality isn’t great due to darkness of the water, and it is mostly just me petting her on the surface  but I think it gives you a feel for the experience.



 

Sincerely,

Jim

Thank you for the harrowing tale of what it takes to get this fish the “BigJim” way.  I am stoked for you!   

I’m so happy for you Jim. And a masterful shot when the pressure was on.

Cookie yeah!  Grats!  So awesome ....

Awesome job Jim!

Congrats Jim.  I'm always stoked for you and rooting for you to get any PB, fish or in life.  You did a heck of a lot better with your first WSB then I did.  Hope this is the first of many.

Nate

A very scary writeup definitely will be one of my favorite ghost stories.

Clutch shot, stone cold killa! Congrats on becoming a ghost buster.

Way to go!!!!!!  Now change those bands😁😁

I told Jimmy he got totally lucky in stumbling across this school of fish... but as the old saying goes:
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”


As much time as Jim spends on/in/under the water, he created his own opportunity.  Anything can happen while diving, but by constantly hustling, he put the odds in his favor and made this happen.  Metaphorical in a lot of ways; all those hours of “work” led to an amazing opportunity.


I’m still super stoked for you & that was such a great way to shoot a beautiful fish!   

Thanks to all for the kind words and stoke...means a lot to me. 

Miss seeing you guys, and hope you are all doing well.

 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

vote for fish and report of the year

huge congrats and amazing story.

Living vicariously through your stories.
Thanks for sharing.
Super stoked for ya bro.

Awesome report and awesomer fish.

I got a good laugh from this line:

"…and then realize I am out here all alone with this big dead bleeding fish"

Big Congrats    That's my preferred kind of ghosts    What's next specie on your list?