Navigating ‘rough, rough’ waters with Brody, the amazing seafaring dog

Recently, it has been incredibly windy, making the coastal waters very rough. When I ask Brody if he wants to go cobia fishing at the artificial reefs, he replies “rough, rough.” It makes me wonder if he is predicting the sea state or simply barking.  
 
On Sunday, both were true. Elliott, David and I launched the Pathfinder and headed to the Charleston 60 reef. On the ride to the reef, Brody kept on saying “rough, rough.” But, the sea state was reasonably calm. We figured Brody was just being a dog and barking.
 
Upon arrival at the reef, we took a few minutes to scan the area with our depth finder and look for a concentration of big fish. We located a remote section of the reef that was holding some large predators. So, we spot-locked the Pathfinder over the structure and
began fishing. 
 
Step one was catching live bait. Elliott dropped a Sabiki rig down to the reef and immediately began catching cigar minnows. Cigar minnows are like candy for cobia (and every other predator on the reef). I put one on a 3/0 circle hook and freelined it behind the boat.  
 
David and Elliott began jigging Shimano Flat Fall jigs. David hooked up with what we thought was a cobia. We were all a bit disappointed when it turned out to be an amberjack. When taking a picture prior to release, Brody kept trying to bite the amberjack’s tail.
We all had a good laugh when Elliott called the picture the “Sushi Shot.”  
 
While we were releasing the amberjack, something big ate the freelined cigar minnow. I picked up the rod and began what turned out to be a long and punishing fight. After a few minutes, it became clear I had picked a fight with a pretty good size shark. On 20-pound class spinning tackle, the shark had a clear advantage. For most of the fight, the outcome was in doubt. When the big shark finally came to the boat, there were two cobia following it. Elliott and David quickly lost interest in helping me release the shark and began trying to catch the cobia. However, the cobia were not in an eating mood.  
 
While I was recovering from the fight, the wind came up and the sea state began to deteriorate. Brody began to bark “rough, rough.” We took this as the signal to head home. The ride back was rough.  
 
Perhaps, Brody really can predict sea conditions?
 
Contact Captain Greg Peralta at captgregp@gmail.com or call 843-224-0099.

Daniel Island Publishing

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Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

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