Well, they always told me that I was bitten by some kind of fishing bug, but this time it was by the fish itself. I was fishing in the Dry Tortugas several years ago and I was trying to win the biggest fish pool by catching a smoker kingfish. I had several big ones on board already, but I needed something that would close the gap and take the winning by storm! It was just coming up on daybreak and I was fishing a live two pound yellow tail snapper when the big king exploded on my bait. The 6/0 reel began to scream out with a quickness! I locked over after allowing the fish to eat and the long bridge rod bent over and the drag continued to be pulled off the reel as the fish screamed straight out off the starboard side.

The fight was on now. I was gaining my line back slowly but surely. The mate came to my side and we both looked down and saw the big king as he glimmered in the indigo blue water of the Tortugas. We both knew that this was the one...the tournament winner for certain. It was all head and shoulders that's for sure! Just then the huge kingfish made it's circle from under the bow of the boat and surfaced. The mate lowered the long pole gaff and stuck the monster fish. I dropped the rod and reel and grabbed onto the gaff with the mate. We both commenced to pulling up the big king. As we raised the fish over the top railing of the "FishFinder" I slipped on the wet deck and both the mate and I fell backwards with the kingfish toppling down ontop of me. The kings teeth cut my right knee open like a knife cutting a stick of butter!

Here's the photo of the Pier Rat's leg in the Tortugas. Once bitten....and twice shy! (LOL) Bitten by a 56 pound smoker kingfish and never once stopped fishing! That's taking fishing to the extreme hunh? You'll find this kind of extreme fishing only with team Pier Rat! Oh and I did manage to win the biggest fish and the biggest kingfish aboard the FishFinder that year.