Abusing the elderly

The kids are picking on me again.

I headed out yesterday with Dam Nguyen and Miguel Tesoro. The water looked clear, it was glassy calm, and things looked propitious.

I think I had only made about 6 or 8 dives when Miguel called that he had one and could use some help. As I swam over to him, Dam was about 50 yards beyond him and said he had one too. Miguel and I spent about 30 minutes cutting his fish out, and meanwhile Dam retrieved his own and swam to the boat.

After Miguel was on the way to the boat, I resumed hunting for my own, but never saw a one. I think the commotion of their two fish fighting must have cleared out the bed. Of course there is always the possibility that I suck, but Dam went back out with his camera and didn't see any either.

I felt bad for the guys just waiting for me, so we went to another spot where I thought it would be more likely that they could see a yellowtail while I hunted my white, but that didn't work either, so we came in early. I got a guest slip and am going back today, but maybe I won't let my buddies enter the water until I shoot one.

Dam said his fish was in a school of 6 or 7 and had a bigger one behind it, but he settled for the 48 pounder nearest to him. Miguel said his was a single, and it weighed 46. Or at least I think that's what they said. All the weighing and picture taking went on while I was in the water.

Dam was using his 50" Wong GR hybrid with 9/32" shaft, Mori tip, and a reel, while Miguel was using a 55" Wong magnum hybrid with the same setup. It didn't matter what I was using.

Dam took some nice photos.

It looks like Dam shot my fish. He was on another boat diving in the same corner of the same kelp bed, and shot this 65 pounder. He called me and I met them at the harbor. I guess I overestimated the size, but it would still have been a PB for me by 4 pounds.

I feel pretty sure that this is the fish I shot. It has a large wound on the right side, and a very small one on the left side where the tip didn't exit. I was shooting at the right side of the fish.

I guess I feel good that I didn't blow the shot, but on the other hand I can't figure out why the Mori tip didn't detach and toggle inside the fish. I've toggled tips inside a lot of fish.

Dam's shot entered right at the base of the right pectoral fin, so that you have to pick up the fin to see it, and exited through the gill plate.

He was using a 50" hybrid and I was using a 55", so he must have been closer.

Sorry if I confused anyone. I guess I didn't post the thread in which I told about having an easy shot at a big fish and wondering how it was that I missed. Its hard to singlehandedly support the CA forum, and I posted that thread elsewhere, but forgot to post it here.

Anyway, I'm almost positive that I shot this 65 pound fish two days ago, and now Dam shot it again. The difference is that his slip tip worked and he landed it.