Slammed by a Jack...

They said, look for the birds.  The fish will be there.

Ok, no birds.  Now what?

You can watch Running Down the Man and think you have a clue but really, it's a whole new ballgame for this steelhead junkie

Being the eternal optimist, I figured something would be swimming along and if time, opportunity and luck came together, I'd find pay dirt

But seriously, when you're standing on the beach getting pounded by waves for a couple days, blind casting up and down the sand, you begin to doubt the effectiveness of what you're doing.

Couple that with the long stares you get from the other fisherman with their gigantic surf rods, I felt a bit  under-gunned

Each time I'd come back to the condo the family would ask things like "nothing again?" and I'd utter some stupid fishing maxim like "it's fun just trying".   Really though, I was getting frustrated.  Each wave came slamming in taking my line all around my feet and legs, making casting a bitch.  Next trip I now know that stripping baskets are a full on must.  MUST HAVE.

On the 4th day of the trip, I woke up before everyone and contemplated not going out for the morning session.    The bed was really comfy and last night's beers and tequila shots were still buzzing around my head.

Oh hell, get yourself up.  You're only in Mexico so long

I began the routine of the previous mornings.  Stare out into open sea, guess a spot and start casting.

On the second cast, no more than 30 feet out, I got dumptrucked by this ocean thug of a Jack

I yelled and hollered so much the neighbors and the rest of my family thought I was in trouble.  The 10 weight was to the cork and even with the reel dead set to the nuts, this fish was doing anything it wanted to do.  Clearly I was hanging on for dear life

After about 15 minutes of slugging it out and not knowing up till that point what I had on, a wave crested and in the brief moment when you can look into the window of the wave, the massive jack swam by.  At that point, my brother in law was there to help land the fish and we both uttered

HOLY SHIT...

Somehow the 20lb leader and fly held in the corner of the mouth and as the fish breached one more wave, my brother in law pounced on it.

My mind was telling me 25 pounds, but it's probably more like 15.  I didnt care, a rabbit was pulled out of the ocean's hat

I think that this surf fishing's going to have a spot on my roster of things to do for a long, long time.