in the mid 90's after the net ban, we started to see sharks starting to come back...we had plenty of bait on our beaches again, bonitas daily in the wash cruzing and zipping around at many beaches, spawning snook in huge schools that looked like bait pods...you name it and we started to catch big lemons again, big bulls, hammers and our summer time spinner action was better than the wintertime we now have....
Our fishing partner and our hidden oldskool member...jeff aka sharkman jeff, ...the olsenator as others called him got tired of the spinners taking baits set out imitatly getting instant bites and ventured down into the south of where we were and started fishing the inlet around jupiter and the famous A1A bridge for a night time spot, our nighttime spots had gotten dangerous with riff raff it still is that way to this very day,and became unfishible with all the dredging that went on exposing rumble and rocks to lose fish on, it got to expensive to fish there as well.....he was armed with his 9/0....later that night i got a call and him from a payphone asking to borrow my 12/0 or 16/0....the water was gin clear back then, schools of snook every where and these giant bulls sharks that would cruise with athority in the light and shadow lines off the bridges... he did see 3 big bulls at once a pair he said that were 300 plus and one that dwarfed the other too....with the 9/0 he hooked 4 that night only to be spooled...the 9/0 was no match for these fish in a current....
i was working at Griggs bros at the time in riveria beach and the next day i brought down my 16/0 for him on a long 10' stick....he fished again and caught 3 off those 300 class bulls and losing a few more.... he said he need a shorter stick and a 12/0 so we could fish in a harrness, to put preasure on these giant bulls....that was the begining off the most awesome era in our fishing history...we made great strides in tackle inovation, with our harrnesses our rods and reels even terminal tackle on whipping these massive fish, that used the current against us with there massive size and strenght...we had to use the best strongest quality stuff avalible...
night after night he went down alone trying to tame these beasts...reels would spool tweek on us or break under the load, handles would ring off of the big senators, lines would break or just get spooled, something each night would happen diffrent and unexpected...but the bite was incredible!...word got out fast about it, zac ventured down with jeff, i would show up when i could but i had a long work schedule and driving a long distance to work down there made it tuff but i keep the guys in fresh bait daily....the origial "PierRat" aka Bobby Wummer become a regular, Mike Reese from lott bros, a guy who worked for me rich nicknamed" Bagman" and a few others bobby worked with on the police force like "Kevin the cop"....we were all determined to stop these beasts !.... conventional beach gear we used worked against us..with all our knollege combined toghter we had to all think diffrent...this place was like no other...we all had to learn the hidden secrets ,to untap and solve the mysterys and open pandora box in this new found fishery over comming the odds there were so many, we all studied the moon phases and the major bite times that was pretty dead on even with that many fish around combine them with the tides and the key bite times at night when they normaly would feed as well.... we learned we could catch a few fish here then move toghter and catch a few there untill the tide and currnet pushed us out to the inlet, following the fish at each location using diffrent techiques at each spot. traveling light and keep from being seen at a few places we went suposed to be there , so the signs said!...i cant count the fish we all caught...it was that amazing!..the average size of the bulls were 250-400 lbs, very big bulls...nothing smaller than what i quoted was caught!
Bobby Wummer fighting one of the big bulls on the Jupiter inlet
we were catching fish all of us nightly we had that many bites, it all seems a blur cause the action was that nonstop and full speed many mulitible hook ups the only rod that wasnt bent over was the one with no bait on it! since there was double and mulitibles fish on at any given time we had to release our own fish, we invented ways on that task and it was tuffs on a big green pissed off bull shark....but there was always few we seen and hooked that couldnt be stopped on any given night...just massive giant bull sharks that smoked us.. instead of just being and getting frustrated..we all put our heads toghter and each one of us brought new ideas to the table....mike reese was the one who brought out a wind on leader one night so we could use a shorter piece of wire so we could cast our bait out into the inlet, also letting us get the fish up closer and adding more control over it, putting the heat on with that header on the reel, but it was also dangerous as well....i ordered the smitty system belts and harrness that we still use today building a foundation then we built our rods around that allowing us to put maximum pressure on these giants stand up style a key factor on stopping them, i also ordered and built many diffrent blanks to try, we went down to a 4 1/2 foot stand up but the bahja bommer sieres was the majic stick! i was nextday airing pretty much every day on buying new blanks to try. so much money was spent during that time of trial and error but well worth the experiance...using simple wraps and fast drying epoxy to build and fish it that night !....Bobby had a old TTS 80w that had a better drag and held up better than the big senators so we had that figured out....we all bought 80w's of diffrent makes all single speed at the time, two speed models wasnt that popular back then.....but on the tackle end i supplied or ordered it....i had tackle companys saying what are you guys doing down there!...just trying to stop a few fish!... BTW we need it like tonight!....
we caught big lemons up to 400 lbs as well that were weighed, jeff caught 3 big hammers one night at the inlet by himself, in that current that was a feat beacause they fight just as hard as a bull... the spinnersharks were a nusance at times hitting baits as soon as the hit the water....then the tackle buster bulls they were so amazing we had alotta broken hearts back then....like i said we never took pictures back then the action was non stop when we hit it just right , with every one who had a bait out hooked up so it was hard to snap pics.....bobby did take some video of the action at times, i have the footage but i want to get his permission before i put it on youtube on even a web site...it shows some awesome epic battles with these giant bulls that used to come in that inlet we learned to beat these unstopible sharks in mear matter of minutes,that was quite a feat in its self from when we started.....we do have jeff catching and releasing that big one that every one tryed to catch and seen in the shadow lines ....it was estamated at 600-700 lbs.....it was a monster!...it did spool him from the place he was fishing, some snook guys seen what was happening and brought there boat over and they jumped in and fought it from there....caught all on tape with bobbys unique comedy sence of hummor!.. a epic battle..the guys were drinking and taking some still shots but jeff said they were of there sneakers and some else they were pretty drunk snapping stills of every thing besides the fish!....when that fish popped up at the surface it looked like a blob...it was as big around as it was long!...he caught and released the urban myth shark.....thats definatly a legend!...he earned that by fishing as hard as he did thinking of new methods on his pursuit or quest for it...i was happy for him, he desirved it more than anyone .....
i can go on and on about that era of that spot, word got out and spread and it becamed packed with all sorts of fisherman and it was unfishible at times....they were there with spinning rods with beach balls as a floats drifting out baits ....there was some guys one time from okeechobee who showed up with rope and a dead raccoons road kill for bait....we had the prime of it and nothing good ever lasts it seems....but if you ever hear storys about that place it was all true.....we were there, jeff should take most credit he caught more than all of us, but he was there more than us.....every night if the tide and cond were right.....he figured things out to the minute on how much time we could spend here and there.....he was a taskmaster and he always read the water very well thats a big key to fishing, but he credits he always got butteryflys in in his stomache .....if he got that feeling....they wear there ....we are unique in finding fish..... that gut feeling says alot, zac and i rely on that as well.....he still wanders down there time to time, but he says we had the best of it....but they are still fish caught, but not like back then, or even the size of them mainly the river bulls, the water cond is awefull the bait doesnt come in like it once did ect a lotta key factors, but the big bulls stay out on the jupiter ledge nowadays dont move in like they did...., but he is happy he caught the biggest one that lurked there!. that one every one seen and talked about even to this day...he accomplished his personal goal, and spent many of nights and years back then fullfilling his vision quest.... now he likes to chases tarpon on the beach, hes very good at that and very fined tuned, as well....a great sportsman and will always be one of the original TOS members, ....mike 
great story mike 
WOW!!! Great story Mike.Few have had the expierience and background in land-based shark fishing to tell a story of a by gone era with fish of that size like Mike Palmer.Sounds like you guys spent much time there perfecting your gear and techniques with a consistent stream of big sharks to keep you going back,,,,it also sounds like you guys made it a point to learn all you could about the conditions that would guarantee you the fish were there. Thats a sign of an accomplished bunch of shark fisherman working hard to catch the big fish.I've heard many stories about that inlet and the big bulls on the causeways inside but have never fished there.Hey Mike do those guys still fish?What's become of them ?Can we bring them back into the sport?I for one love to meet the older shark fisherman who have alot of old stories of amazing shark fishing -back in the day.It is one of my personal goals to talk to these men,welcome them back,let them know they were part of something valuable,and let them know that we are working hard at reviving this sport and shedding positive light on it like never before,,,,,,thanks to the internet and the work of some very dedicated shark fisherman-visionaries who have never turned there backs on the sport they love.
SOUTH FLORIDA SHARK CLUB -President SFSC-Founding Member est 1983 SFSC-Website Administrator BIG HAMMER SHARK TOURNAMENT -Founder Rene Memorial Sharkathon -Founder NMFS Shark Tagger
thanks will !....jeff is a lot like me, in our off time from fishing... we play guitar , something we cant ever master but always learn something new atleast,but always keep our eye on whats happening on our beaches daily...he still play around with the sharks in the wintertime mostly live baiting with bluefish, when they are thick and bites come quickly...but he looks foward to the mullet runs chasing tarpon up and down the beach....he still fishes from his kayak from the beach fishing the bait pods, spring and summer.....he likes doing that the most now...hes a unsung hero in that deptment his catches range from tounament winning kingfish, blackfin tuna, cobia and sailfish and big tarpon hes a big catch and release advocate, but he has always liked targeting the harder to catch spieces doing things the hard way....the only big sharks he encounters now are the big bulls that still tries to eat his catches out there boatside in the kayak.....ive tryed to talk him to go out there with us and catch a tiger, but he likes doing what he does and realy enjoys it now just fine....ill ,try to scan in some of his catches thru out is carrer...i meet him when he first started sharkfishing in Augies b&t in jensen in 90...he was 0-99 on the blacktips with a spinning rod!....i gave him as a gift his first 9/0 and rod and a old harness and said here try this...and it changed his luck around, i always belived in kharma... sent him here and there he learned quickly and had a following of a very young surfer kid by the name of zac meyer...whom had the heart and desire to be just like him..... he idolized jeff.....zac is now reffered as "the machine". he was the last guy to wanted to earn his keep , pay his dues and worked his way up the latter and want to be like us, he never complaned or backtalked always listened and when he talked he usaly had a great idea he showed no fear at all either....thats the way it happened back then and is much diffrent today....zac felt honnored that he could follow us around and do things for us, he is still waiting for some young kid to come up and follow in his footsteps....in fact "were all still waiting for the next zac"....
Bobby Wummer last i seen and talked to him was fishing the SKA tornaments with his brother..... he had a monthly news letter called the "pier rat gazette", i belive jeff still has them it showed a lot of there catches....jeff was named the "olsenator" in there ...bobby was the OG pier rat on the new juno pier when it opened back up with his big permit catches and cobia as well.....he aslo like to snook fish alot with mike reese....he had a web page about that era and a few pics on it as well...it was a AOL homepage but as of oct31 , 2008 them homepages got shut down.....i just googled it...
Mike Reese started his own reel repair buisness last i heard anything about him that was a quite few years back if i recall.....he most likely is still catching snook...
Bagman..."rich" i belive works on the Blackdog charter fleet in jupiter, he has his own boat as well he charters.... if ya see him ask him about the "ole batmobile" boat he sharkfished out off...he would steer it with his toes fighting a big bull hanging on for dear life!...lol
ive mentioned all of them thru a few posts on diffrent forums....the "OG gang" as i reffered them, we took that experiance and later zac stumubled on to another area that was that good years latter, then we devoloped a new method to find the fish after that with great success a few years after that....we still think out side of the box still to this day, our fishing methods, tackle and where we fish is always changing... it keeps things fresh and pushing the limets....jeff and zac and i still have our little pow wows on whats next?...mike
MIKE EXCELLENT STORIE.ITS GREAT TO KNOW HOW YOUR TEAM MEMBERS STARTED FISHING. AND WHERE THEY ARE NOW. TEAM OLD SCHOOL HAS AMASS A GROUP OF EXCELLENT SHARK FISHERMAN THATS YOU GUYS WHEN SO MANY TURNNYS. THANKS FOR THE STORIES
Bobby Wummer is the man. That dude fished Juno when it first opened and taught many of us how to fish Juno the right way. If it wasnt for him cutting line after line I would have never landed my first permit off Juno. Kevin is the man when it comes to Permit. When the new Juno Pier opened Bobby and Kevin along with Steve Hart set the tone for Permit fishing.
The Bull that Bobby landed off the coast guard dock is legendary around my area. Also inside the Palm Beach Inlet Kevin got a 60 pound Cobia on 12 pd test and thats a story and picture I will never forget.
A1A is a place that many of us first got owned by big Bulls and learned that we were way under matched. It still holds Bulls at the right time, and we take the boat on the inside of that inlet at the right times and get on some of those Bulls. It isnt like it was but they are still there if you read it right and have the time to put in.
great story
i love that a1a bridge i fish there every year
an i still do pretty damn good last year i landed 2 shark each one was around the 400 mark
i love that place during the mullet run
Kind of a late reply but never knew that these guys did that since my dad knows most of them. I've heard stories of bulls that Mike Reist caught from Donnie Richards who works with me at lotts bros who snook fished a lot with mike when he still worked there. Last time I saw mike was probably about 6months ago when he stopped in at lotts to say hi, he's now living in port st lucie and pretty much just snook fishes and bowhunts. Bobby comes in to lotts every now and then and is still fishing ska tournaments. A1A Is still infamous for it bulls but I can't imagine how good it must've been back then tried it one time this year with no luck, had one of the younger kids we've got hooked on shark fishing get burnt there, now that they won't let you fish off the span it ain't as easy to fish anymore, chris has told me of the coast guard docks and a few other spots inside that hold big bulls that we hope to try out in 2011 sadly some aren't as acessable as they were back in the day.
nice story Mike