Spearing Record Book Mahi-mahi
OutdoorHub Contributors 04.29.13
Larysa Unleashed and Katie Kinsell met with the Advanced Roofing Fishing team a little after 7am late last week to get on the water and see what these boys got. “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons vibrated through the JL Audio system along with the four powerful Mercury outboards as the drawbridge slowly rose, revealing the open ocean and storm we were about to battle. The intense vibe was appropriately set for what we were about to encounter.
Due to our late start we had to race to get in front of the storm. As water crashed over the bow drenching everything and everyone, Katie and I exchanged glances then grinned uncontrollably–a thrill seeker’s dream!
Captain Jeff Scott navigated through the storm beautifully. After a rough trek out, we had clear blue skies and deep warm waters. David Cobia Collier may have been wrong about the “glass” ride offshore, but he was dead on about the skills of his team. Within minutes we were reeling and gaffing great looking mahi-mahi on all sides of the boat. By the second promising weed line, Katie brought in her first mahi and I wrangled in a good fighting mahi. In a short amount of time the fish hold was full of ’em!
While exploring another weed line, one of the guys spotted a large golden glow in the water. It was a gigantic mahi swimming near the surface, which appeared to have something in its mouth. The bull wouldn’t take any bait so David grabbed his speargun and dove in, determined to catch the monster. Captain Jeff circled the boat around to keep an eye on the fish.
A few moments later teammate Chris DeLeo was shouting and pointing towards David. I looked just as David speared the mahi perfectly and then joined in shouting “SHARK!” with the rest of the crew–an enormous brown shark was investigating the now bleeding mahi which David was holding. Time slowed down, the next few seconds were crucial. The shark swam towards the speared mahi, and David’s head still underwater. All I can think was that we needed to get him back in the boat quick!
Thankfully the Advanced Roofing team is more than capable, and Jeff quickly maneuvered the boat right to David. The team helped pull him out of the water and gaff the mahi before the shark could get to it. It was an intense moment because if we were literally two to three seconds later, I’m pretty sure we would have had a different outcome. That shark was way too close for comfort for me and I’m glad we got to David and the mahi before the shark did! Later at the scale the mahi weighed in at 69.5 lbs, a new spearfishing record. We also discovered what was in its mouth–another five-pound mahi!
Time had flown by with all the excitement and it was now tuna time. Our eyes went to the sky scouting birds. We found some nice flocks and landed five-and-a-half tunas–the largest fish came up after a long fight with only its head remaining. Maybe that brown shark was following us and finally got the snack he was after. Katie and I were thrilled to each catch our first yellowfins.
The sun started to set and it was time to head in after an amazing day of fishing. A big thank you to the Advanced Roofing Fishing team from Katie and myself for inviting us on an incredible Unleashed adventure we won’t soon forget. My family and friends also thank you guys for the delicious mahi-mahi and tuna I brought home to share. As Katie says, “I’m reminded of our amazing fishing trip with Advanced Roofing every time I open my freezer!”
