Long Key Bridge epic trip Dec 16-17-08 w pics

Well after anxiously waiting 10 months for the upgrades on our favorite bridge in the keys to be complete we finally got word that the bridge was opened for fishing once again.Nick's(flasharkhunter) friend Mike spent the weekend fishing on the bridge and had been nearly spooled by a big shark on his 80 wide with 80 lb test, and yet another friend did real well with the eating fish as well.My buddy Lui and I we were excited to get back out there,like two kids going on summer vacation.So we set our alarm clocks for 4 am and agreed to meet at Jack's bait and tackle at the entrance to the Florida keys.We meet at Jack's stop in Key Largo for a quick breakfast and quickly get back on A1A south.We stop one more time to buy live shrimp and continue on. The weather is exceptionally nice with temps in the high 70s-low 80s, and a slight overcast sky to keep us cool.We get there and set up our camp site and i put out a chunk of amberjack i took out of my freezer on my 16/0 .I drop the bait straight down below me because i can see the tide is slowing down and will be coming in the opposite direction shortly. Half an hour later right before the tide was slack the rod gets a hit and it's taking out line and cutting to the left so i make the adjustments and run right to avoid a cut off on the telephone poles .I manage to turn the shark after a few more short runs and again we see it's a female bull shark about 8 foot and 250-275 lbs (est).After a quick few pictures taken by Lui we cut the line and release her.Gus(baitwetter) and Paul (paulieboy)from boatlessfishing were fishing right next to where we set up our camp and they gave us a hand with the release.

The FDOT crew finishing last minute touch ups on the bridge

Fighting the bull on the 16/0.You can see the menacing telephone poles in the background.When we hook real big sharks those poles and the lobster trap bouys in the water are a danger to our fishing line

Getting her in close for a picture.Notice Gus (baitwetter)in the background


The bull shark on top of the water
So after we take a water break we are hard at it fishing like two mad man and it's paying off because we are catching yellowtails,mutton snappers,yellow jacks,mangrove snapper,moonfish and every other kind of fish that swims under the bridge . We got chunk baits on the bottom ,we got live shrimp next to the pilings and we're working the jigs for the yellow jacks.I have to say that the 10 months that the bridge was closed for repairs has given the fish a chance to rebound.The fishing was off the chain as the young ones say now a days.

Lui with a keeper yellow tail snapper

Lui with a barracuda caught on a freelined moonfish(lookdown)

My barracuda about 17 lbs and fresh shark bait for the night time

Gus ,Lui and i with my 30 lb Jewfish caught on a whole live grunt and quickly released

So we continue fishing hard throughout the day and we are freelining live baits down the bridge on the shallow flats to entice a barracuda or two for shark bait.Lui misses two while i watch the rods and then he finally gets one about 12 pounds.I later try my hand at the cudas and land a nice big one that is gaffed by a nice gentleman we meet on the bridge.Steve a retired contractor from Conneticut who owns a summer home nearby has stayed next to us and is trying to learn all he can. We don't mind teaching and he don't mind lending us a helping hand.After the bull shark we get the incoming tide so we fish in between the bridges catching muttons,mangroves,yellowtails and an assortment of jacks.

Yellow jack caught on a jig head tipped with a live shrimp
Most of the people that we see on the bridge are catching fish of one type or another and i think to myself i wonder how long it will stay this good.
Later in the afternoon while we are awaiting the outgoing tide to float out our shark baits
out, i fillet some fish and saute it in lemon juice,salt and garlic powder for our dinner.The night is fast approaching and while i am working on preparing the fish Lui cuts up his barracuda in three sections and baits his hooks with the head on his Penn 16/0.Down the bridge Gus and Paul who have been on the bridge since the previous night are
preparing to go home.After another 10 minutes the tide is starting to flow out to the Atlantic and Lui has his shark bait out first on a balloon 50 yards away from the bridge.Lui's 16/0 starts screaming and he lets it run ,then sets up and King Kong has come for dinner.I'm looking at the reel spinning and line is screaming off so i think to myself i have to get this on film and i run over and grab my video camera.Gus and Paul are immidiately next to us and helping out with the harness,the video camera,the gloves
and with the water for the reel that is SMOKING.

Lui is hooked up and hangin on for dear life.

The shark starts going left and i help Lui go to the right to keep the line off the light poles.Gus is in the background with the video camera recording the action.

Lui tries to turn the handle but the reel has momentarily locked up from the heat of the drag washers burning.Paul is on Lui's right side and pouring water on the sideplate and washers.

I'm freaking out because this is incredible Lui's got a freshly rebuilt 16/0 with new drag washers and i am seeing smoke come out of the side where the washers are.We help Lui with the harness while the shark continues ripping out hundreds of yards of line
we can only watch in amazement at the power of the beast on the end of the line.The shark now is so far away (maybe 600 yards) from the bridge that the line from the tip of the rod is almost horizontal pointing in the direction of the open water.Lui is calm but he's had this helpless feeling before on this bridge many times with these beast that are literrally unstopable from a bridge.We run to the cooler to get bottled water to pour on the reel that continues smoking and the smell is like when an 18 wheeler semi locks up his brakes on the highway.After five minutes of this, the shark has wrapped the line around a lobster pot rope and is no longer.What a disappointment,,,,it has happened again.We keep the line tight and secure the rod to the bridge with a rope in the hopes that the shark is still stuck on the rope and we can retrieve it with a rented boat in the morning.

The 16/0 and rod tied off to the bridge with a rag under the rod to protect it.
One hour after the big shark has wrapped us up Lui catches a blacktip that we decide to harvest to serve at our Annual shark club Awards banquet on Dec 27th.That night we fish with my cousin Will and his wife Irma,then Jimbo his two sons Johnny and Jimmy and Capt Kevin Pagan show up to fish next to us,and much later Shannon(seaweed)and Jonathan also join us.Now Lui and i are tired from a long day of non stop fishing and everyone else is ready to start the fishing .We tried slleeping while the rest of the group fished hard.No more shark hits that night but the next morning a lemon ate half of my cuda chunk which only had one hook in it.In the morning i went looking for a boat to rent to go out and hopefully retrieve the shark but on my way south Lui calls me to tell me to forgetr about the boat because a lobster boat has just cut his line off.Bummer. At about 11 am In the morning Lui and i left satisfied that long key bridge is back.

Lui with his 6 foot blacktip which we kept to serve at our Annual Shark Club Awards Party December 27 th.

The whole group fishes the incoming tide in the morning.

Lui is ready for a shower and some sleep.

We will have the video of the 16/0 getting smoked on here shortly.