Big fish was caught on 6000-series spinning reel
The folks at Chasin Tails Outdoors Bait & Tackle in Atlantic Beach have been weighing in plenty of big fish this spring, including wahoo. And on May 3, Brad Kimrey of New Bern, N.C. and Brandon DeLong of Raleigh brought in a whopper. Their wahoo weighed 92 pounds.
Bottom fishing out of Atlantic Beach, Kimrey and DeLong noticed a big fish coming up alongside their boat. When they realized it was a huge wahoo, they began dropping chunks of menhaden into the water. They hit the water that day looking for bottom fish, so they didn’t have the proper gear for tussling with this beast. But after watching the fish eat every menhaden chunk they tossed to it, they decided to give it a try with the beefiest gear they had onboard.
Their biggest reel was a 6000-series Shimano Saragossa spinning reel. They rigged it up with some 60-pound leader and a 3/0 J-hook. The two anglers figured the fish would get the best of them, but who wouldn’t give it a try?
Hookup leads to 30-minute fight
They put a piece of menhaden on the hook and dropped it to the fish. The wahoo took it immediately, and all of a sudden, the drag was screaming.
Kimrey and DeLong had to leave their anchor behind, tying it off to a float to retrieve later. This fish wasn’t going to give up to a stationary platform. Doing their best to keep the line tight and the fish hooked up, the two fully expected to lose the fish at any moment. But DeLong said it was their lucky day, and after a 30 minute fight, they gaffed the big fish and brought it aboard.
Later that day, they stopped by Chasin Tails to weigh the fish. It’s one of the biggest wahoos they’ve weighed recently, but definitely not the only one. Lots of anglers are catching them on a variety of lures available at Chasin Tails. These include Custom Islander lures, Full Box Seawitches, Dinner Bells from Big Nic Fishing, and Nomad Design Tackle’s DTX Minnows.
Chasin Tails Outdoors Bait & Tackle (252-240-3474) is located at 709 Atlantic Beach Causeway in Atlantic Beach. It’s a great place to buy fishing supplies and to get your catch weighed. They are also a great source for finding out what’s biting, and what they’re biting on.
