head down to little captiva with the girlfriend and her family for laborday weekend set up camp and walk the flats for rays. never seen one. the first nite i didnt fish. the next day im up early throwin my topwatter into the surf for a big jack and couldnt keep the snook off it.(27caught that weekend.) i desided no matter what i was going to fish 2 that night i get out the mullet net and net some big i mean bigg mullet like 30iners fat its an onshore wind on the gulf side,so it was rough we were runnin baits out in a 20ft mako and backing into the beach jumping out and walkin 2 shore so the boat wouldnt get swamped. set my bait out about 200yrds off the beach on th 14/0 and about 150 on the 9/0 after i get the baits out i walk over 2 the camp to get some watter 2 rinse my reels due to the waves they got a lil saltwatter on them while my girlfriend and her brother (who was fishing my 9/0) watch the rods. while im getting the water i hear my girl yelling and runnin up the beach saying its going out, its going out!!!! i runn down the beach about 200yrds to the rods and its still screamming like a bat outa hell i freespool the reel lock the drag walk 2 the waters edge and do the runin man up the beach, meanwhile her whole family and there frinds showed up just in time to see the runnin man. the fish is big, spins me around and starts to burn me fast on locked drag 
,down to the sand i go like a fighting chair rod butt in the sand and hes strippin me, i start to feel bouncing in the rod like the belly of it is on bottom the fish is still going hard not showing any signs of stopping and the bouncing gets worse, the line goes limp, cut off and lost a bigg fish and about 150yrds of line. i was bumbed 
and couldnt get a bait out (9/0 never got touched
2009 Team Hammer N The Phenoms
Go BIG or go home
Sounds like you lost a nice shark .Next time when you feel that line hitting bottom try and get up on a sand dune or on top of a lifeguard stand,,,,,anything to get your line up as high as possible.I know in the heat of battle we get mesmorized but always try and think what your next step is gonna be when doing battle with a big shark,,,,try and anticipate different scenarios and how you are gonna react to solve any potential problem,,,,that's some special forces training for ya!!!Usually the west coast is pretty clear of rock bottom like we have over here on the east coast and in the keys.
i thought of that but i was already as high as i could be unless i climbed a tree. lil captiva has nothing on it you have to get there by boat so no lifegarurd stands. i norm there isnt much on the bottom but there was a hurricane that came rite threw the island so maybe a tree or something?
2009 Team Hammer N The Phenoms
Go BIG or go home