# Macks In The Yak: Galveston Offshore - 8.28.08 (long, w/pics)



## Te.jas.on (Mar 28, 2005)

With the calm winds and the approaching new moon, Let's Go and I decided it'd be a good time to hit the surf this morning looking for trout. Our initial plan was to hit the surf early, then paddle a little farther out in search of bigger game.

We launched right at sunrise, me in the Ride and Go in his 160, and started throwing tops and soft-plastics in the second and third guts. After some half-hearted blowups, a couple micro trout and a mini skipjack, we decided it was time to start heading towards the bluewater.

The water in the surf was pretty off-color, but it didn't take long for it to turn sandy green, then green, then finally to dark bluish-green as we got a few miles offshore.

We set our sights on a rig not so much as a destination, but just to have something to point our bows towards in search of some kind of activity. For a while things were looking pretty dead - no bait, few sings of activity.

An hour or so into the paddle Scott noticed a little bit of activity a good ways off. After a long stare it was obvious a large flock of birds were hovering over something. So we poured on the coals and headed straight for them.

Once we finally got within casting distance we realized we'd paddled into a huge school of feeding Spanish macks. They were everywhere you looked. We boated some small smacks on TTF Killer Flats Minnows and followed them around for a couple hours until they eventually dispersed.

Right about the time we were both getting the feeling things were dead for the day, we looked up and a few hundred yards in front of us was a big ball of menhaden pushed up to the surface. That's exactly what we were looking for. Sweet!

We each had some stout rods rigged up with big Tsunami lipless crankbaits and a couple feet of wire leader. We launched the lipless cranks out behind us, set the rods in the holder and started trolling towards the bait ball.

As we were getting close the bait ball you just got the sense that it was about to go off. The bait was nervous right up on the surface, and there were obviously predators in the area. Just as I paddled in to the outside edge of the bait ball a bomb exploded behind me.

I've seen and heard a lot of big fish eat stuff. I've watched 6-foot sharks inhale skipjacks at the Chandeleur Islands. I've seen big schools of jacks tear the surface up eating bait. But this tops it all. It literally sounded like Douple Dip did a cannonball off the high dive. BAAAWOOOOOSH. And that bomb went off about 4 feet off the back of my yak. Pretty intense. Still not sure what it was. Our guess is a BIG shark. But I really don't want to know.

I reeled in the crank and made a cast in the general vicinity of the cannonball and started reeling it back as fast as I could. About halfway back to the yak the lure got slammed and line started peeling off my reel. Nice. That was the first of may more kingfish to come.

My next bite I got trolling. My rod doubled over and my drag was singing. I pulled the rod and started bringing the fish to the boat. I got a visual and it was a nice, keeper-sized king. I could feel the fish surging and shaking its head. Scott had paddled over and was about to take some pictures when all the sudden the water under us turned brownish-gray. It took a minute for our eyes and brains to click to what was going on. A pack of five sharks - big suckers - swam right under us and were chasing my king.









(Trying to keep my king away from the sharks.)

I felt a massive THUMP and the line stated scorching off the reel. I knew exactly what happened - my catch was history. After a 5-minute sleigh ride at about Mach 1 the big shark eventually ripped the split ring off my bait. Crazy.

Next it was Scott's turn to have his catch eaten. Same scenario: king hooked, THUMP, bzzzzzzz. This shark gave Scott a run for his money.









(Scott trying to wear out the "man in the gray suit".)

I was paddling around Scott trying to get some pictures. I worked my way in front of him and was snapping a picture when the shark decided it wanted to come my way. This is the picture I got about 2 seconds before the bow of Scott's 160 plowed into my ride. Check out the wake coming off Scott's boat. He was moving.










Go worked the shark down until we finally got a visual. The shark was actually hooked in the pec fin. He must've fouled himself when he ripped the king off.

This is as close as Scott ever got to that shark. He made another big run after this, and Scott eventually winched him back to the boat and had to cut the line.










It was like something out of Shark Week out there. Everywhere you looked things were dying. The spinner sharks were putting on a show, too. They were coming completely out of the water spinning like a drill bit and then smashing back down in the water.

We followed the bait balls for a few more hours and were able to boat several more kings and big smacks. Scott and I actually doubled on big smacks at one point, and here's Scott's version of the "My fishing buddy is fighting his own fish so I have to take a picture myself" shot:










The next pic is another one of the smaller kings. Notice the bait. Scott swapped everything out with Gamakatsu single hooks, and that made landing these mean fish a lot easier, since you didn't have to worry about the trebles. I literally snatched this fish from the jaws of death. I looked down and saw the gray shadow so I just hoisted the king up as hard as I could. The shark followed it all the way to the surface and turned off right at the last second. Pretty intense.










On what would be one of our last trolls through the school of bait my lure got smacked so hard I could feel the vibration in my butt when the fish hit. I reached back and grabbed the rod and it was on. Another good-sized king like the one that got eaten earlier. I was determined to land this one so I didn't waste any time. He made a few hard runs, but I managed to get him in before he became lunch.










And the release. He swam off nice and fast, so I'm pretty sure he made it.










One of the spookiest events of the day was when Scott was trolling through a bait ball and looked back to see five... yes FIVE sharks trailing him just a few feet off his rudder in a perfect line, nose-to-tail. I had a few 5- and 6-footers follow me around for a while too.

On top of that he had a massive shark swim right under his kayak. If you know Scott, you know he's a pretty level-headed guy. I guess 20 years of police and homicide work will do that to ya'. But let's just say he was "noticeably excited" when that monster cruised by. :lol:

This is one of those days that'll be etched in my memory for a long time. It was one of those rare moments when you really get to see nature play out. Being out there in the kayaks is like being a silent observer. Everything happens just as it would if nobody were around. Pretty cool.

All total I'd say we traveled at least 10 miles. Maybe closer to 12. It was a long stinkin' way, but it was well worth it. You BTB guys need to get out there before Gustav messes things up. The water is beautiful just a few miles out.


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## moganman (Mar 30, 2006)

Nice detailed report. It's like reading a magazine story. Lots of suspense.


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## Hit The Deck! (Aug 23, 2006)

Wow!


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## txhunter (Oct 31, 2005)

best post in months. hands down.


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## RonG (Jun 4, 2008)

Thats crazy! I wish I had been there.


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## fatrat82 (Feb 27, 2006)

you guys must have balls of steel...i would've been sheeting my pants out there with all those big sharks swimming around me. Awesome fishing trip.


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## BMTAngler (Aug 17, 2008)

txhunter said:


> best post in months. hands down.


+1


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## onemeanfisher (Jul 18, 2008)

Fantastic read,I enjoyed it very much.Thanks for sharing.


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## Alex258 (May 27, 2006)

Dude....awesome


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## ICAST4REDS (Jul 24, 2008)

NICE!!!!!!!!!! IT WAS LIKE I WAS THEIR ON A YAK!!!!!!!!!!! I NEEDED THAT IM AT WORK.


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## hilldo (Jun 25, 2006)

Freakin awesome report!


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## eltigre (Jul 12, 2006)

Nothing else to say but...... WOW!!!!!


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## Red Tuna (May 19, 2007)

WOW!!!

Great story, thanks!


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## Chase4556 (Aug 26, 2008)

That would be sweet to head out in a kayak and do some fishing. you guys paddle that far out? Dang, dont know if I would have the guts to stay calm with sharks all around me...


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## 4-G-RANCH (Jun 21, 2008)

Good god man what a set of **** that had to be one wild trip.......Good job


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## yazoomike (Aug 31, 2006)

Great story and pics to go along with it. Sounds like you had a blast. Keep fishin.


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## texastroutkiller (Aug 16, 2007)

HELL YEAH! 

Hey, thanks for taking the time to post a report such as that. I have been contemplating getting a 'yak for some nearshore fishing and ya'll are making it hard to turn down. 
Thanks again and tight lines.


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## Texxan1 (Dec 31, 2004)

Nuts i tell ya, Nuts!!!!!!!!!

If i didnt know you two, I would consider you over the top lol....One day, I will have enough Yak experience to do that.. Until then, i will leave it to the pro's...

NUTS!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Te.jas.on (Mar 28, 2005)

Haha, glad you guys liked the report.

One thing I do want to stress, and this is something I should've put in my original post, is that Scott and I are very comfortable in the yaks. We don't consider ourselves to be experts or invincible or anything like that, but this isn't the kind of thing you want to take lightly. 

A lot can go wrong out there and it can happen in a hurry. NEVER go alone, and this isn't something you want to do in the first month you have a yak. Scott is a veteran paddler with some professional instruction and whitewater experience under his belt, and I've learned most of what I know from him.

I don't want to make us sound like we're special, because we're not. But these kind of trips definitely have to be adequately prepared for and thought out.

If you'll notice, both of us are wearing PFDs. You'll also see that each of us had Shimano cooler bags (which are hands down the most kick-butt soft-sided cooler I've ever come across) in our tankwells full of COLD liquids and good snacks (protein bars, energy bars, etc.). We took special care to drink throughout the day, even when we weren't necessarily thirsty, in an effort to stay adequately hydrated. You don't want to get out there and get a headache, or get dizzy, or start cramping up when you've got a 5-plus-mile paddle ahead of you to get back in.

It's a lot of fun, but please, don't try it alone and don't try it if you're not 100% confident in your abilities in a kayak, your ability to handle a deep-water reentry, and your ability to manage a first-aid type situation should one arise (hook in the leg, gash from teeth, etc.). If you want to do this kind of thing, go for it. But please take care and caution. The last thing I want to read about is somebody getting hurt out there because they tried to replicate something they saw pictures of on the internet.

Again, glad you guys liked the report. In my mind I'm ready to do it again... but my body is saying NOOOOOO. hahaha


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## Captain Dave (Jul 19, 2006)

Great thread. Detailed action followed by pics.. WTG

Water sure does look great. I will be there in the am in the CC.. I sometimes piggy back the yak out to the back lakes, but not off or near shore. One day it will happen. 

You guys got some nuggies.. LOL


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## sandollr (Jun 6, 2008)

That scared the crapola outta me!! Great post! Great fishing!!


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## Mullet (May 21, 2004)

*1 word*

*AWESOME.*

Do yall ever troll a mirror lure behind you when your paddling out?


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## Te.jas.on (Mar 28, 2005)

We troll lures, just usually not Mirr-O-lures. We were trolling Tsunami Vibes on this trip (basically a Rat-L-Trap type bait). You can see the lures we were using in a couple of the pics.

You should see those baits now. They're beat all to pieces.

One interesting thing about the lures, though. I was using a bait that had a bluish-green tint to it, with a touch of chartreuse around the head. Scott was using a silver-holographic bait. For some reason the kings seemed to really be keyed in on my bait with the extra color on it.



Mullet said:


> *AWESOME.*
> 
> Do yall ever troll a mirror lure behind you when your paddling out?


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## HoustonKid (Dec 29, 2005)

Not too many words I can type except one the comes to mind,

Jealous.

That had to be awsome. Very, very, good read. Thanks for posting.


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## neophyte (Oct 23, 2004)

One of the best posts I've ever read! After my Dad Fishingeezer and my son Rapalakid's posts of course!


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## tiderunner (Aug 3, 2005)

That's truly a safari to adventure trip! I drug mine out and yaked 3 days during the low tides. I can't imagine paddling that far. Ya'll are definetly in paddling shape. Makes my shoulders hurt just thinking about it. If I'd saw all those sharks, my rotator cups would be ground down by the time I hit the beach. LOL Great report. Every trip is about the story and this was a great read. I'm all about the highlights, bloopers, and all that goes with a trip.


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## Profish00 (May 21, 2004)

Great read, very nice:an6:


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## gp2394 (Jul 1, 2008)

*good job*

I think I saw you guys launch. Good job !!! Great read.


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## Fubar (Jun 10, 2005)

Jason, good report. I think I'm heading out to do the same today, looks like fun.


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## oc48 (Aug 13, 2005)

*spanish macks*

we found the macks Friday late afternoon. That was the most fun throwing a top water I've had in a LONG LONG TIME.

We say some big macks in there. We caught some of the medium ones, but never could hook the big boys.

My buddy was fishing a top with a mack that had to be at least 8-10lbs came clean out of the water with the she dog in it's mouth! Cool as could be until the top water came out! HOw the hell do they hit it and not get hooked up LOL???


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## Canuck (Dec 14, 2004)

Now you guys know why he is an editor for Inshore and Bassfan! Kid has talent......ugly.....but he's got talent! 

Good job ya big lug! It's almost time to hit the surf for that annual trout haul.......or game night at the Bryants'!


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## jhj415 (May 22, 2005)

great read Jason, looks like you and Scott had ya'lls hands full...


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## Fisher Lou (May 16, 2005)

Fantastic story and photos. Predation and preperation at its best!


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## selder (May 3, 2007)

man! the photos are fantastic. what kind of camera were you using? great report


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## dbarham (Aug 13, 2005)

bad arse trip!


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## "Spanish Fly" (Jun 14, 2004)

Te.jas.on said:


> One of the spookiest events of the day was when Scott was trolling through a bait ball and looked back to see five... yes FIVE sharks trailing him just a few feet off his rudder in a perfect line, nose-to-tail. I had a few 5- and 6-footers follow me around for a while too.


i think that is one of the reasons i don't have the cojones to paddle out there cause my luck, i would have a hook up and while fighting the fish i fall out and now i'd be shark bait. that is my fear


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## Melon (Jun 1, 2004)

Sweet report! Thanks for sharing.Big greenie on the way!


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