Florida Surprise by Ed Valitutto

Posted on February 8, 2019 by VHFC

Today we decided to stop at a small inlet feeding the bay area around Pine Island FL. I bought a dozen shrimp for bait and threaded a half shrimp on a small hook with a few split shots for weight. With all the small fish around, I was constantly rebaiting my hook. My wife Pat settled into a beach chair with her latest book and enjoyed the 80 degree temps.

After about 20 minutes, I felt a solid pickup and set the hook. Immediately line screamed from my reel heading downstream. I was using a light fluke bay rod so I couldnt put too much pressure on the fish. After a fun battle I finally brought the fish upstream and lifted it onto the bulkhead. It was a beautiful Jack Crevalle which I estimate at 5-7 lbs. After a quick photo, I released it to fight another day.

I stopped back at the bait store to show my catch as promised when I bought the shrimp. The comment from the store owner was “what a beauty and don’t they fight like hell!”

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