May 22 Great Sightcasting Afternoon

Well, I couldn't take it... So I launched the boat after lunch... Then came some mechanical difficulties.... So we were really late leaving, like 3pm, and as fate would have it, I ran into a friend by Duke Marine Lab that told me exactly where to go... So 30 seconds after climbing into the tower, my bucktail was in the air, and I was hooked up. Ten minutes later, we got a 40 lb Cobia laying on deck. After that I meandered back to the west and found another of those brutally large, powerful fish that destroys a Number Count. He was hanging out under a black trash bag! One cast and Bang! A mile to the northwest and 60 minutes later, I had "my big fish of the year." A 71 lb Cobia. As usual, the 10-12 lb Ugly Stick is a killer, but has no lifting ability. It turns the big fish into "hour eaters". After a quick photo session, I climbed back upstairs and ran back to an area where I hoped the fish might be, and pulled into a group of 3 Cobia milling on top over a deep bait ball. One cast, one hook-up. I passed the rod down to Connie and tried to get a doubleheader but couldn't pull it off.... She landed her 38 lb Cobia 25 minutes later and I was thinking, "this is going to be an epic". 3 casts and 3 Cobia. At this point, bait balls was poping up everywhere and there was a couple hours of light left. Unfortunately, from that point on, every brown shape that we saw was a Blacktip Shark. These Blacktip Sharks ran from 18 to 40 lbs each. I hooked some for the heck of it, and I made them chase the bucktail.. After I'd lost enough tackle, I said "no more casts unless its a Cobia". And we never casted again. Great day, great advice on where to go, and a heck of a way to end a 3 week run of fishing. Total Catch for the Day: 3 Cobia up to 71 lbs and 5 Blacktip Sharks up to 40 lbs