Here is our guest Tom Peterson who spent the last week with us at Andros South. This was not Tom’s biggest fish of the week but it certainly was the most memorable. Allow me to share with you the circumstances leading up to Tom landing this particular bone…
The day started for Tom just like the previous ones did. He woke up from a good nights rest and was welcomed to a warm breakfast and hot coffee. Tom looked at the “guide assignment board” and saw he was paired up with the famous Torrie Bevans for the day. This of course meant the bonefish were in trouble and that Tom was in for a day full of hook ups and laughter thanks to Torrie’s flats wisdom and charismatic personality.
By the end of the day. Tom needed at least 12 extra pairs of hands and a few additional fingers if he wanted to tally up how many total fish he landed. 61 Bones to be exact. When you land a crazy number of fish like this, it can be hard to remember them all. There was however one fish in particular that Tom will never forget. As he was fighting the fish, his drag suddenly seized up at the most unfortunate time. As the 8 pound bonefish ran, the locked up drag would not allow any line to release causing the fly line to snap right before the connection to the backing. Tom and Torrie were somehow able to retrieve the fly line after the fish took off. Still connected, Tom hand lined the bonefish back to the boat. A quick photo of this memorable fish was snapped (see above) before it was safely released and the boat erupted with laughter. It might be hard for Tom to top this day anytime soon. Great work to both Tom and Torrie for getting it done despite some unusual circumstances.
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The FLYLINE snapped? You don’t see that very often. That stuff is strong.
Yes sir, you can see it in the photo below. The fly line snapped but the leader didn’t. Pretty crazy series of events!
This was such an awesome story to hear while I was there this past week. Sorry about your reel Tom but the epic battle wouldn’t have been the same without it dying hah
The drag seizure on a reel known for having one of the best and strongest units on the market seems worth some follow up comments. Any word on what or why it happened? Yes, I own a couple of that brand. Thanks
Hey Bill, I was just told the drag broke and everything completely seized up mid fight. Nautilus makes some great reels, I think this was more of just a fluke thing. We have seen a reel from pretty much every major manufacturer break at some point, the elements with saltwater fishing really take a toll on gear. All the more important to properly take off your spool and thoroughly clean everything after every trip! If I get more details on the situation I will certainly share.