Our day started out like any. Very little sleep the night before the trip due to the excitement, 5am on the boat, 6am the livewells were blacked out with greenback and pin fish, and off we went. Target for the day: big mangos, cobia, triple tail and reds. 

Fishing for mangos with light tackle, we were getting destroyed by grouper. After an hour of that, we moved to floating structures looking for triple tail and cobia. Struck out on that after a couple hours. Moved inshore and threw some spoons for trout, but only caught ladyfish one after another. Moved to our normal inshore spots and smashed ALL the snook, while hunting reds. More wasted time and frustration. Hit our last honey hole and my buddy J "caught" his PB red. Largest bull I have ever seen in person. Scrambling to find the net, I'm yelling to the Capt (our buddy), WHERE IS THE NET!?..... He forgot the net. So, he leans off the side of the boat and tries to pick up this STUD by the tail and belly. Fish flops, he drops, line breaks, J absolutely loses him mind, throws his rod and now we're done fishing. Ended the day with that. 

We get back to the dock and J is still fuming. As J is exiting the boat, his leg finds the giant deep diver the Capt hung on the little hook storage place behind the helm seats of the Sea Hunt. You know, the little holes meant ONLY for small, single hooks... Not meant for gigantic lure storage. That one...

J buried this hook in his leg. I have some small bolt cutter just for this instance. I cut the lure off and I offered to use some of my 80lb braid and do the hook removal process I've only SEEN (never done myself) on the socials. J, reluctant to let me attempt this, took a ride to the ER and had it removed. 

Icing in the cake. What a day. 

Icing on the cake after a horrible day of fishing.