Yeah, I’ll be soaking big pinfish in hopes of a repeat performance. I think a big net will work, but the fish will need to be tired, the net will need to be in the water, and the fish will need to be steered with it’s head up, directly into the net. Then hope the net handle doesn’t break… Gaff would work to. Or a .380….

That cobia was something and certainly the largest thing I have ever tangled with from a pier. It was very cool the way everyone on the dock mobilized to give me room to keep up the good fight; pulling lines out of the water, moving tackle boxes, bait buckets, etc. I looked back a few times to see our little gallery moving right along with things, no one really in the way, just wanting to be a bit involved in the action. Unfortunately the odds on a fight like this happening again soon are slim but I am still most hopeful of another. I’ll try to catch you this weekend. Hey, you never know…

I am still wondering the best way to land a big fish like that when you do get it right up to the dock. A large net is quite tricky, I am leaning towards a gaff. Any thoughts or experiences from anyone?

Tim

Excellent question. Tim and I have been threatening to don scuba gear and find out for sure, but…

There are several areas of rocks. One is located about 80 feet directly North of the NE corner of the Pier. There are several scattered rock piles between 20 and 60 feet East of the NE corner, ranging from parallel to the corner to maybe 20 feet south.

There are several other bits of structure around the Pier, including rocks directly underneath, as well as an old shopping cart, a washing machine, a small sunken boat by the Miss Pass-A-Grille, and (allegedly) a VW. Who knows?

Trial and error is the best approach here. If you’re not losing tackle, you’re not on the rocks!

Steve