BY VANCE FREEMAN
DANA POINT – After a solid fight, the fish got tangled up in a giant kelp about 30 to 40 yards off the stern, and it was so tired it just laid out just above the surface wrapped up. At the time we thought it was maybe 20 pounds and the size of a skateboard.
The current was ripping and the kelp was pulling drag on my Trinidad 14, so I could barely hold it in place. Luckily, I was laced up on 40-pound and a solid #4 circle hook. I opened the bail thinking maybe he’d swim out, but the 1,000-pound kelp just started taking off and I was about out of line. We grabbed another rod with an iron and managed to snag the kelp and tag teamed it with the homie Carlos to gain some line back while the crew gave us some slack on the anchor to drift us closer.
Captain Sam stuck the gaff and somehow managed to muscle this slug on board with over 100 pounds of kelp attached, and we realized it was solid one. If it was a private boat it wouldn’t have been as dramatic, but with a boat full of other anglers to think about, it made the challenge and teamwork that much more rewarding. It was a pretty cool way to end the year on the last charter with the Fury boys.
