By Brandon Shoaf
What started as a morning of unproductive wahoo trolling north of St. Augustine turned into an unforgettable battle with one of Florida’s most prized catches. Capt. Daniel Levesque and his crew aboard Rare Breed had spent hours searching for wahoo, battling against an uncooperative west wind, when they decided to switch tactics.
“After passing over endless schools of blue runners and prolific bottom structure, I pulled into a spot that had previously produced wahoo,” recalls Capt. Daniel. “The sonar was marking fish from top to bottom.”
As two anglers at the bow dropped sabiki rigs to collect live bait, their lines became hopelessly entangled. While the captain worked to untangle the mess of braided line, angler Mike Lorenz noticed something interesting on the sonar screen. He dropped down an old, paint-worn butterfly jig to about 60 feet.
“It got hit by what felt like a train,” Lorenz describes. “The conventional reel was screaming. At first, I thought I had a shark, but it felt different.”
The mystery fish made several blistering runs, nearly spooling Lorenz’s reel multiple times. The battle switched between long runs and deep, powerful dives under the boat. “It felt more like fighting a huge grouper when it was beneath us,” says Lorenz. “I think both the fish and I were taking breaks between rounds.”
Capt. Daniel maneuvered the boat to help chase down the fish. After an intense fight, a massive silver flash appeared near the surface, prompting the captain to shout “AP!”
The prize, a massive African pompano, was finally secured with a well-placed gaff shot by Capt. Daniel. The crew gathered for photos, marveling at their spectacular trophy, a testament to both the fish’s size and the memorable nature of the catch.
What began as a “cursed” day of wahoo fishing transformed into the catch of a lifetime, proving once again that sometimes the best fishing stories come when plans go sideways and anglers remain ready for whatever opportunity presents itself.
Brandon Shoaf is Co-Publisher of Coastal Angler Magazine’s Volusia County edition. Contact him at (386) 260-9600 or volusia@coastalanglermagazine.com.