This is scary. What would you have done differently.

I saw that video this afternoon, I think the only other thing John could have done, is once the leader touch was made, & the entire event recorded, would be to realize you were out matched & cut the leader. The amazing part is he never dropped the rod, managed to get back in the kayak & land the fish. When that Tarpon made its first jump it looked like a Mako.
 
Roccus7 said:
Get a bigger boat...
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🛟 Roccus maureen and I saw the video earlier when George post it,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,we said the same thing get a bigger boat 🛥️,,,,,,,,,funny you said it too before us ,,,,,,,,,,,glad John made it (out) ok ,,,,,or should I say back (in) 🛶 the yak 😜 ;),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,><)))):>
><)))):>
 
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live bait said:
I saw that video this afternoon, I think the only other thing John could have done, is once the leader touch was made, & the entire event recorded, would be to realize you were out matched & cut the leader. The amazing part is he never dropped the rod, managed to get back in the kayak & land the fish. When that Tarpon made its first jump it looked like a Mako.
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I agree with you completely, John. I don't think anyone denies J.S's ability as a top-notch angler. I suspect very few of us could have hooked, fought, and held on to what had to be a Tarpon of well over 100# on that tackle and from a kayak, no less.

What concerns me is that far too may "experts" have serious, if not sometimes fatal accidents because they believe they are experienced enough to avoid the potential dangers of situations like this. What if John hit his head going overboard and was unconscious? I don't think his vest was self-inflating as he mentioned hitting the inflate button once he realized what happened.

I certainly don't believe anyone would have thought any less of his accomplishment if he just cut the leader as you suggested. As the old saying goes, "No fish is worth dying for".
 
2024. First year I was seeing dolphin pod attacking p-nuts and this was way back in the back bay, 50 yards off the houses and in 5mph channels. After a week or so of sightings, some of them right off my stern, I noticed a different fin. I was livelining snappers as I usually do in August but the dolphins were too smart for that. But not the "funny fin." Later confirmed it was a sand tiger shark, possibly same one spotted off the JB fishing piers a few days earlier. Hooked it. Nantucket sleigh ride for a bit. Finally started to gain my line back after "moving three backyards" north. then and only then did I think about, what next? Fortunately, the hook came out and a few minutes later I stopped shaking. I had kept the rod 30° or less off either side of the bow and the drag of the old ABU 5600C4 performed just right. No flip.
 
I hope this guy doesn't own any firearms ! Maybe because I am an only child and don't appreciate his sentimentality, but this guy is downright depressing. and I got him by five years, lol.
 
When he tried to lip the fish I knew right there and then that he had no clue as to what to do. Guess he was trying to be dramatic for the camera. Im sure he learned his lesson! Not to mention theres usially some very toothy critters swimming with the tarpon! Dont want to put my hands in the water let alone fall in! Your not fluking in 15' of water in Shinnecock bay!
 
OVERBORED said:
When he tried to lip the fish I knew right there and then that he had no clue as to what to do. Guess he was trying to be dramatic for the camera. Im sure he learned his lesson! Not to mention theres usially some very toothy critters swimming with the tarpon! Dont want to put my hands in the water let alone fall in! Your not fluking in 15' of water in Shinnecock bay!
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You guys kill me.

The guy didn’t need the drama, especially after pulling off something pretty amazing. He has caught, lipped, and landed about a dozen fish like that, all on artificials. That is no small thing. I know people who have lived in Florida their whole lives and have never landed one. If you go back and watch his past videos, you’ll see this wasn’t some lucky one off. He has landed a bunch of fish in that same size class.

And yes, you’re right, he had one get eaten boatside. Stuff happens. That’s fishing. Frankly, I’m surprised that was the first time he ever wound up in the water considering how many of those fish he has dealt with.

What I appreciate about him, and what some of you seem to miss, is that he is the real deal. He is a hardworking Long Island guy who has given a lot to this sport over the years. Back in the early 90s, when when Noreast was losing money and things were far from easy, he volunteered his time to produce his weekly surf column. He was always a team player, always willing to help, and always ready with advice when it was needed.

The guy fishes about 200 days a year, and he puts it all on video. That is a grind. Producing those videos takes a ton of work before, during, and after the trip. Trust me, it is time consuming. Half the people doing the criticizing probably wouldn’t last a week trying to keep up that pace. Hell, after a long day on the water, I can barely muster the energy to write a fishing report, never mind film, edit, and keep turning out content.

I’m not sure why some people have such a problem with him. From where I sit, he has earned a little more respect than he’s getting.
 
george said:
You guys kill me.

The guy didn’t need the drama, especially after pulling off something pretty amazing. He has caught, lipped, and landed about a dozen fish like that, all on artificials. That is no small thing. I know people who have lived in Florida their whole lives and have never landed one. If you go back and watch his past videos, you’ll see this wasn’t some lucky one off. He has landed a bunch of fish in that same size class.

And yes, you’re right, he had one get eaten boatside. Stuff happens. That’s fishing. Frankly, I’m surprised that was the first time he ever wound up in the water considering how many of those fish he has dealt with.

What I appreciate about him, and what some of you seem to miss, is that he is the real deal. He is a hardworking Long Island guy who has given a lot to this sport over the years. Back in the early 90s, when when Noreast was losing money and things were far from easy, he volunteered his time to produce his weekly surf column. He was always a team player, always willing to help, and always ready with advice when it was needed.

The guy fishes about 200 days a year, and he puts it all on video. That is a grind. Producing those videos takes a ton of work before, during, and after the trip. Trust me, it is time consuming. Half the people doing the criticizing probably wouldn’t last a week trying to keep up that pace. Hell, after a long day on the water, I can barely muster the energy to write a fishing report, never mind film, edit, and keep turning out content.

I’m not sure why some people have such a problem with him. From where I sit, he has earned a little more respect than he’s getting.
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always seek out his lectures at the shows.
 
george said:
You guys kill me.

The guy didn’t need the drama, especially after pulling off something pretty amazing. He has caught, lipped, and landed about a dozen fish like that, all on artificials. That is no small thing. I know people who have lived in Florida their whole lives and have never landed one. If you go back and watch his past videos, you’ll see this wasn’t some lucky one off. He has landed a bunch of fish in that same size class.

And yes, you’re right, he had one get eaten boatside. Stuff happens. That’s fishing. Frankly, I’m surprised that was the first time he ever wound up in the water considering how many of those fish he has dealt with.

What I appreciate about him, and what some of you seem to miss, is that he is the real deal. He is a hardworking Long Island guy who has given a lot to this sport over the years. Back in the early 90s, when when Noreast was losing money and things were far from easy, he volunteered his time to produce his weekly surf column. He was always a team player, always willing to help, and always ready with advice when it was needed.

The guy fishes about 200 days a year, and he puts it all on video. That is a grind. Producing those videos takes a ton of work before, during, and after the trip. Trust me, it is time consuming. Half the people doing the criticizing probably wouldn’t last a week trying to keep up that pace. Hell, after a long day on the water, I can barely muster the energy to write a fishing report, never mind film, edit, and keep turning out content.

I’m not sure why some people have such a problem with him. From where I sit, he has earned a little more respect than he’s getting.
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The guy made SEVERAL potentially fatal mistakes in that video.

If you post a video like that, you open yourself up to criticism. Do I do everything perfect? Hell no!
But Im not posting videos about it!
 
george said:
You guys kill me.

The guy didn’t need the drama, especially after pulling off something pretty amazing. He has caught, lipped, and landed about a dozen fish like that, all on artificials. That is no small thing. I know people who have lived in Florida their whole lives and have never landed one. If you go back and watch his past videos, you’ll see this wasn’t some lucky one off. He has landed a bunch of fish in that same size class.

And yes, you’re right, he had one get eaten boatside. Stuff happens. That’s fishing. Frankly, I’m surprised that was the first time he ever wound up in the water considering how many of those fish he has dealt with.

What I appreciate about him, and what some of you seem to miss, is that he is the real deal. He is a hardworking Long Island guy who has given a lot to this sport over the years. Back in the early 90s, when when Noreast was losing money and things were far from easy, he volunteered his time to produce his weekly surf column. He was always a team player, always willing to help, and always ready with advice when it was needed.

The guy fishes about 200 days a year, and he puts it all on video. That is a grind. Producing those videos takes a ton of work before, during, and after the trip. Trust me, it is time consuming. Half the people doing the criticizing probably wouldn’t last a week trying to keep up that pace. Hell, after a long day on the water, I can barely muster the energy to write a fishing report, never mind film, edit, and keep turning out content.

I’m not sure why some people have such a problem with him. From where I sit, he has earned a little more respect than he’s getting.
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Personally, I don't think anyone was questioning his angling skills or work ethic, or what he has given back to the sport.

My point was that sometimes people who are every experienced wind up taking chances that they should not and that not only gets them in trouble but perhaps something much worse. I was expressing concern for the guy's safety. As I said before, no one would have questioned his angling ability if he merely cut the leader once he had the fish that close to this kayak.

The other thing to bear in mind is many people do look up to John as an authority and example of how they too should pursue the sport of fishing. If you get folks who are far less experienced thinking if John can do that so can I, imagine how many more accidents could occur.

I think most of the comments were more focused on being as safe as possible on the water, something we all need to keep in mind on every trip.
 

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