Nov 7/2008 - First winter of 2008 beach dive

    Huge bug, did a nurse shark give that jack some trouble?


    Who caught the squid? Freeze it before cooking it.

    Davie Peguero

    Davie you're good! I shot the Jack and it ended up on the line. His friends kept circling around. I reloaded fast leaving him on the line and didn't wind up the line. I shot another Jack which stayed on the shaft. They were both very much alive so you can imagine the tangle of shooting line and then the nurse shark arrived. I could tell from his attitude he was going to come up in the water column. I grabbed the spear with the fish on it and poked him a few times which didn't deter him. Since the fish was on the spear I guess it was like I was offering him the fish LOL. I swear after a couple of pokes he was looking at me like he's thinking about taking care of me then going back to the fish. Anyways I couldn't control everything and he latched on to the fish. I don't know if that was his preferred spot to bite but he thrashed a little and the bite took all the guts out. Then he went away. Not so bad overall as I don't eat that part anyways and now didn't have to clean the fish.


    The bug was 4lb and would not die. I felt sorry for the brute he was still moving up to one hour ago. I really wish they'd let us dispatch these animals. It was so big my snare wouldn't go around its tail so I tickled him out and pinned him down with my hand. I think because of his size he was reluctant to squeeze himself into the back of the crevice like they tend to do. He was so strong that I needed both hands to secure him. Makes me wonder what those 10 pounders are like.


    I shot the squid and it's in the freezer. Usually they're skittish but this one was all alone and didn't take off too fast. Why freeze before cooking? Does the skin come off easier that way? I found that mild heat will have the same effect.

    Thanks.


    Vis was poor on the way to the first reef, around 5-10'. Then a hazy 15' on the reef. Cleared up a little on the 2nd reef to maybe 20-25'. There was a stiff SE to NW current which made making headway a tiresome affair. The current died down a little around 11am. Water was chilly but with the two piece 3mm wetsuit I didn't feel cold at all and didn't feel too hot either with the hood down. There was lots of fish movement. Lots of baby grouper where there were none before. Lots of mackerel moving through. I saw a big hog fish with a forehead like a bull but it took off fast as soon as it saw me, not all hogs are easy pickings. Also missed on a good mutton. Saw many small muttons too.


    At home having weighed the lobster, which was my biggest one yet, I felt a surge of pride having dominated this beast. This overwhelming sensation made me gaze into the distance, and just as I did Larry snapped a picture :tool3:


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