Okay, well it ain't jigging, but its the closest thing to exhilirating fishing we have locally.

On a last minute decision, I hit a local northshore spot near Port Jeff with a friend this evening. This was my first time out on the surf since Spring, and it was his first time surf fishing EVER. He, an avid freshwater angler, was excited at the prospect of fighting big fish in the salt.

I told him no guarantees, but it seemed like a fishy night. But, there was drama. He drove out nearly an hour to fish with me tonight, and suddenly thunderstorms came sooner than expected.

We packed the car. First, I drove around contemplating where to fish - away from the lightning and away from the rain. Maybe somewhere west in case the storm rolls through early? Maybe somewhere east under the cover of a bridge?

We finally decided to make a phone call to someone living out west to ask if the rain stopped. He said it did, and we decided to hit a rocky beach out east, assuming it would clear up by us in short order. With live eels in hand, we were armed to fish before another t-storm could come roaring through. I brought along some steel (blues) and flouro (bass) leaders because we were headed to a big fish spot.

It was the right call. Fish were everywhere. Classic cloudy, low pressure night. Big bruiser blues and some bass hits. After a few casts, I sat back and made sure my friend got the best licks at these quality fish. Soon enough, he got a nice 11lb bluefish. His biggest saltwater fish ever (bigger than the 2.0 lb striped bass he caught by himself last weekend).

Then, more drama.... One of his last strikes came back with no cutmarks on the eel --> BASS? Next cast --> chopper. We're now down to the last eel. As some oncoming rains and lightning threatened from a distance, the tide pouring in, he casts out the last eel. BANG! His rod doubles over RIDICULOUSLY. This fish was a SLOB, and unfortunately, we stood no chance. It took him straight into some structure and straightened out his wire leader, popping off the hook. I know bass are leader shy, but this was definitely not a blue. We made short work of 10-12 lbers all night, but this one was different, a real beast....

Well, anyhow, suffice it to say, I think we have another surf angler on a quest for big bass in my friend. Just look at that smile!

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