I'm back, here is a bit of a recap of the time I was gone.

[cwillis85]

I ended up getting overly busy over the last year, we renovated our house out in the country and my family finished building our new home just a few miles from Tampa bay in Apollo beach earlier this year. We have spent a ton of time making this new house our home, you don't appreciate the little things like cabinet pulls, blinds, or toilet paper holders until you don't have any. I have given up working for the man and started my own business and have been hard at work building it.

Luckily I have found some time for fishing and a tiny bit for reel repair. The highlight of the year was my 48" cobia I hooked just a few miles from home out of my hobie. I had just bought a new akios that I was working on learning to cast, I got a bit of a birds nest on one of my cast. I got everything cleared up and started reeling in the slack, as soon as my lure came off the bottom, bam, my line started screaming off the reel. This went on for about ten minutes until the fish lost some steam, after that I basically got pull around in the kayak for a little less than an hour.

Finally the fish was at the boat, I tried to net it but the fish would not fit, I was able to tell that it was a keeper so I grabbed the fish by the jaw with my fish grips, trying to avoid a hook in the hand or any of the spikes on the fishes back. I grabbed my dull bait knife and started cutting the fishes spine, I finally had control of the fish and barely enough strength to pull it into the boat. I then spent about 30 minutes more kneeing on my seat, facing the back of the boat holding on to the fish grips and regaining some strength so I could head back to shore. Needless to say it was a long haul getting my hobie, and the fish through the sand and up to my truck, but it was a great fish and definitely my go to fish tale.

I also attached some pics of other fish that were worth a good pic but not as story worthy as the Cobia

[Crow]

Good ones !!

[thorhammer]

jinx! I was just talking to Nick an hour ago and was going to text you to see what was up...nice cobe! They may be my favorite on the grill. Good stuff.

[Bill B]

Good fish and better fish story.....welcome back....Bill

[conchydong]

Very nice. Fortunately you fought the fish for a long enough time to tire him somewhat to be able to boat and subdue him because a green Cobia can tear even a big boat to pieces. I can only imagine what can happen in a kayak. Great job.

Scott

[oldmanjoe]

Very nice. Fortunately you fought the fish for a long enough time to tire him somewhat to be able to boat and subdue him because a green Cobia can tear even a big boat to pieces. I can only imagine what can happen in a kayak. Great job.

Scott

  I was thinking the same thing while reading this .   That would have been fun to watch from another boat .

[Donnyboat]

Nice pics, quite an avent, thanks for taking us along, love the smile on that little girl, cute, yes the cogia, are very strong fish, would be quite a balancing act on a cobie, cheers Don.

[Dominick]

Welcome back and good luck with the business.  Lucky in fishing, lucky in business.  Dominick

[Shark Hunter]

Good to see you around Brother.
We all have our challenges in life to face, and it gets in the way.
The Ohana is always here.
Nice fish!