Cadiz, Kentucky Surf Fishing Club

I’ve found the only source that I could find for sand flea lures.  They are the Carolina Lures Yummee Sand Fleas.  These little crabs are the favorite food of the Florida Pompano.  You can get this soft-bait version at basspro.com.  The come four to a pack, and are 1.5″ long.  They only cost $2.59 per four-pack.

I’m going to buy a pack of the 01 (Natural/Orange Belly) because the orange imitates the egg sack on the bottom of the females.  Apparently, this is a favorite tasty bonus for the pomp.  I am also going to get a pack of the 03 (Natural).  You can find these lures here.

 Fish On!

 This is one of my favorite surf fishing pics.  My wife snapped this one while I was fighting by first big bull on April 1, 2006.

I’m blessed to have “my own space” at home. My office is located in the walk-out basement of our home. This is a picture of the stairway that goes down from our main hallway to my office. I have made this space my very own “ode to fishing the surf.” There are lots of pictures, rods and reels, and such. The rod that I won in the October tournament at SGi is located to the left. That’s my biggest redfish (don’t worry, it’s a reproduction) on the wall.
My surf fishing Christmas tree is a seasonal addition to this display. The “garland” wrapped around the tree is a 36-inch measuring tape. I decorated whe tree with various jigs, bobbers, and such. The topper is (I guess) a deep sea lure that washed up at my feet when I was beachcombing a couple of years ago. I kept it, not knowing what purpose it might serve. When I came up with this tree idea, I promptly drilled a hole in the thing and made it my topper. I think it’s pretty cool.

The orange tag is the actual price tag from the Penn rod and reel that I won. My kids give me all sorts of grief over that, but I’m pretty doggone proud of winning a prize in my very first tournament. It’s my special little memory, by golly, and that little tag is going to grace my tree until they bury me on the hill out by my pond.

Anyway … I invite you to enjoy my tree. I know that I sure do. Only 119 days until I see my beloved sea again!

Here she is … the BIG MAMA … the fish of my dreams. The magical day was April 4, 2006. We were celebrating Spring Break at our all-time favorite place – St. George Island, Florida. My buddy, Tony Dothsuk (white shirt … keeping his distance), and his family rented a house down the beach.

I had already caught a couple of nice bull sharks that week. This one was the monster, though. It took out almost all of my 200 yards of line. It took me thirty-five minutes to land, thanks to some well-timed help from a guy I met on the beach, Adam Bishop. By the time we got her on dry land, a crowd of about seventy people had gathered to watch the fight. She measured in at 6′ 4″ and a local estimated her at about 170 pounds. I liked the sound of that (don’t know how accurate it was), so we took a straw poll and declared her legal weight at 170! It shoudn’t be too far off. I weigh 220, and I know there’s a lot mor fat on me anda lot mors muscle on this baby.

I never imagined that I would catch a fish like this one from the beach. And, unbelievably, the stainless steel leader and hook miraculously fell out of her mouth as she lay on the beach. She wasn’t even hooked solid through the jaw. I kept the leader for a trophy. It now hangs over the big poster of this photo that now hangs on my study wall.

I will never, ever, ever forget that day … or that week. It was so totally cool. After I caught the first shark, people nearby labeled me as the “shark man.” By the time I landed this third one, the name had stuck. Everyone who walked by me from that moment on simply called me “Shark Man.” Seriously! Every time after that, while I was kicked back in my chair fishing, strangers would come by and say, “What’s up, Shark Man?!” I really liked it. In fact, I still do.