Bad start great Day!
 

Got to La Jolla @ 4:30 am 5-7-11, 20 other of our fellow plastic friends already at the launch. Wow couldn't believe how many people were already there.

1. Head lamp is not working
2. Bait tank battery wire breaks
3. Fish Finder is not powering on

Pack my stuff up because im frustrated and over it. Call my buddy he makes me sack up and go back to basics (rod,reel,bait and local knowledge). Launch the Yak at my local spot and no one out. Grab a few green backs , see some birds and bait diving 200 yards past the kelp line. On my way to the spot zzzzzzzzzzz. Straight down then straight up the the yak. I touch the tail of the thresher and ignition. Thing jumps like a florida sailfish. 30 minutes later land my first thresher.

I must say its important to read post on do's and don'ts of landing bigger fish from your Yak. You can definitely see how easily things could go wrong if you aren't prepared when the fish gets to the boat.

Here is a few crappy iphone pics. I love BBQ thresher but i felt a release of my first would bring me better luck in the future. Circle hooks are great...

Congratulations! Those fish are so awesome. Nice CPR.

What line/leader did you land it on? The one and only time I hit a thresher my line snapped within two minutes

Nice C&R! Bait tank and fish finder are nice to have, but not neccessary, as you have shown. Sometimes simple is better.

I had this happen a few times to. Because of my amateur status thought i should be going heavier. I loaded 85 pound braided red power pro with a 6 foot 50lb floro leader. This may have been over kill but It got the job done. Also other fish didn't seem to mind that day. I had quite a few takers.

:cheers1:

Nothing crappy about that second picture. First released thresher on the yak...the picture is very cool. Congrats!

I don't know if you realize it but I'd say from your pics that is actually a bigeye thresher, probably the single rarest big game fish you can catch off So. Cal. I only know personally of one other caught here, as Steve Mras got one a few years back. Though some others may have been caught from boats, I'm almost certain no-one has ever caught one off a kayak before.

I could be wrong but the white under the eye and the location of the dorsal fin suggests it could be a BigeyeT.

Good thing you released it. Unlike Common Threshers Bigeye threshers are supposed to be lousy eating, but just the fact you caught it, if it's actually a Bigeye is just absolutely amazing.


Congratulations. Incredibly cool catch. I would of loved to seen that one first hand.

Jim

Jim, I did a google search on that after reading your post and I think you're right. That's pretty cool.

Yeah I'd say it's a Bigeye. It's harder to tell with smaller ones, but it definitely looks like one. The size of the eye was the first thing I noticed but also bigeyes also have this mark or indention over the gills that common threshers do not have and that shark has that marking in both pics.

Common:
http://www.pelagic.org/montereybay/p..._Maddalena.jpg

Bigeye:
http://www.pelagic.org/montereybay/p..._Maddalena.jpg

Those drawings are of adults and they look more alike when small but just from his pics I'd say there is a pretty fair chance it is a bigeye T.

At any rate I emailed same of my shark buddies who study these things and I'll see what they think.

Jim

Big eye T-sharks are pretty rare inshore! In fact they are extremely rare in general! I doubt it was a big eye... the picture does look like it could be a big eye, but it is doubtful, and without better pictures its hard to say... either way beautiful fish and nice job on the release.

I recommend breaking the next one off early into the fight unless you plan on harvesting it. Many threshers that are fought to exhaustion die after being released...

How did you release it? Cut the line or were you able to reach in and get the hook out?

Interesting. Too bad I took crappy pictures. I happen to bring my Iphone and wanted proof of my catch. Being alone that day i knew my wife and buddies wouldnt beleive.

I do have a couple other photos but they suck too. I'll post them later.

The shark was released and swam off pretty quick after removing the hook.

That's a good point. One of my shark buddies called and we talked about it and came up with the same thing, that essentually it's just really really unlikely. He's caught and tagged a shitload of Ts, and seen some bigeyes up close, and that was his take. He also pointed out that the Bigeyes that have been caught local usually have more of a bronze or brown tint to them. One of these days some kayaker is going to catch one as they do come through here, and it will probably happen at La Jolla, but without good pics it's hard to make the claim that that is in fact what it is.

Jim

Big eye, little eye, 4 eyes, or no eyes its a nice catch, anytime I hookup a T I cut it off. My cajones are not big enough to winch in a shark. :notworthy:

Way to suck it up and go out. Often times it's worth the effort.