Jack the dripper: ‘It was a pretty big fighter,' angler says after struggle with 30-pounder

It pulled harder than a catfish — and it’s name was Jack Crevalle.

“It was a pretty big fighter,” said the 17-year-old Leighton Dale of Kentucky as he showed off his 30-pound Jack Crevalle he caught

Monday aboard the Daybreak with Capt. Eric Thrasher and mate Mic Parker.

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Prior to Monday, the biggest thing Dale had caught was an 8-pound catfish.

But the Jack Crevalle on Monday, that measured 41 inches long, gave him a workout.

Parker said they were trolling for king mackerel when the Jack Crevalle took the bait. It took young Dale almost an hour to get it to the boat.

In addition to the Jack Crevalle, the group from Kentucky a couple of king mackerel, black snapper, red snapper and a grouper.

The Sure Lure with Capt. Don Dineen backed in at about the same time. His group of Missouri anglers filled the racks with king mackerel and red snapper.

Anglers on the Fish-N-Fool with Capt. Casey Weldon landed nine king mackerel, two black snapper and six red snapper.

Georgia and South Carolina anglers on the Blue Runner II with Capt. Tommy Carter filled the boards with red snapper, black snapper and six king mackerel.

The No Alibi with Capt. Chuck Turbanic backed in with a nice rack of red snapper and a triggerfish.

Anglers on the Un Reel with Capt. Harold Loeffler landed a dozen king mackerel and several red snapper.

Illinois anglers on the Huntress with Capt. Mike Graef and mate Groovy had a little intervention from a barracuda. As they were reeling in one of their king mackerel, a barracuda decided to take the bottom half. However the group did manage to bring in eight whole king mackerel and a limit of red snapper.

Anglers on the Finest Kind with Capt.. Tommy Browning pulled in a limit of red snapper, a few black snapper, king mackerel and a cobia.
Kentucky anglers on the Anastasia with Capt. Tony Davis brought in a good catch of king mackerel, a few Spanish mackerel, red snapper and a couple of bonito.

Local anglers fishing aboard the Sea Notes with Capt. Douglas Dietz filled the boards with king mackerel and red snapper.

“We would have caught more, but we ran out of crickets,” said one of the guys in jest.

When I asked him if he was a bream fisherman (because of the cricket remark) he said, “I fish for anything. The fish in the tack back home are not safe if I’m bored.”

Well that goes for the fish in the Gulf as well. Plenty have been brought to the docks, but there is more out there for the catching.
See you at the docks.