Something hit?

WP · 08-11-2003, 08:02 PM

Twice in the last couple of tuna trips, I have "hit" something in the water. Both times I was a long way off shore (near the tuna grounds)and nothing was visible on the surface. Each time the motor kicked and reved up, a thump sound came from the back, a blood bloom spread on the water and it scared the **** out of me! The first time the impact put a dent in the prop that I was able to pound out easily and the second time no visible damage was evident. I never saw anything but one of my crew thought they saw "something brown" floating away in the area of the blood bloom. I thought maybe a shark, but there weren't any around there. What about marine mammals? I think they are able to avoid better than that. A tuna in the prop? Don't know. Anyone have an idea about what it might be? Thanks, WP

Uglygreen · 08-11-2003, 08:05 PM

Shark for sure... not uncommon, happens every year...

UG

08-11-2003, 08:09 PM

I've heard of some sunfish strikes too.

[ 08-11-2003, 09:10 PM: Message edited by: Keta ]

ANDYCOHO · 08-11-2003, 08:12 PM

I think Corrirod carked a couple sharks with his prop last year...Rod?

Sunfish maybe?

Badger · 08-11-2003, 08:21 PM

I clipped a shark last year going out to the chicken ranch, same things happened, saw blood but no carcass. Someone running a couple miles behind saw it doing 360's at the surface a few minutes later. Ditto the shark bet.

Keep an open eye, maybe it loosened (pre-spun) a prop hub.

TideRipper · 08-11-2003, 08:36 PM

That whale laying on the beach up at Seaside? :grin:

rockn'reel · 08-11-2003, 08:38 PM

I know of a lot of individuals who have hit sunfish and sharks. Personally, I have actually heard of more sunfish.
Consider yourself lucky! The props I saw had a whole blade gone or 2/3 of the blades torn to pieces! Gotta love the S.S. prop!

The Machinist · 08-11-2003, 08:58 PM

I hit a sunfish Sunday at Westport. I spotted it as I was just passing it on the starboard side about 4' from the edge of the boat. I swung around to show the grandson & his girlfriend. But after circling twice, decided that I must have been too close on the first encounter & spooked it. When I started up to leave & just got up to plane I hit it.

We turned around again & saw it under about 6' of water. It was about 40" long.

The 150hp Yamaha engine had a slight vibration at high speed after that. When I got home I discovered what looked like a bad sandpaper job on the leading edge of my starboard corner of my StingRay fin & one blade of the aluminum prop had a very serious cup of about 1/2" by 4" & one other blade had a slight ding.

A good many years ago we netted a smaller one & took it aboard for a closer look. They are about like handling a wooden board if I remember right.

wak'm&stak'm · 08-11-2003, 09:27 PM

Wp...we hit a shark last year and the other day. But there was no doubt...blood and guts everywhere.

Chum King · 08-11-2003, 11:38 PM

And here I thought I was special. The same thing happened to us last week at 18 miles WNW of Newport. The boat shuddered, the motor over-revved, and the image of that 1 1/2' dorsal fin I had spied on the way out played over and over in my mind... I think I'm gonna need a bigger boat.

seasquid · 08-12-2003, 07:01 AM

WP,

Like everyone else is saying -- probably a shark. I drilled one coming in from 61 degrees last month -- never saw it until the blood was shooting everywhere behind the prop. I heard a loud "BAMN" as it hit the boat and then another "ZING" as it hit the prop. Shined up the prop pretty good, but no dings -- thankfully.

ss

jet · 08-12-2003, 07:05 AM

One good thing about running a jet in the ocean. Actually it is the only good thing.

Jet~~~

fish assassin · 08-12-2003, 09:46 AM

Last summer while my brother and I were on our run in to Newport from the TUNA!
grounds we heard a charter captain talking about how he had damaged three props already
that summer by hitting sharks that were laying on top of the water. We both thought
that was pretty funny and were laughing and joking about it when WHAM! We hit a shark
and lodged it between the hull and one of the outdrives. The engine revved up pretty
high and I pulled the throttles back to nutral and lifted the outdrives so we could take
a look. As the starboard outdrive lifted up this shark comes rolling out! The funny
part was that my little bro' was on the swim platform, down on hands and knees so he
could see what the problem was when the shark rolled out from under the boat. I've
never seen him move that fast!!

It was a pretty funny sight!! Since then we
have hit 3 or four more, including one on Saturday on the way back in from TUNA!
fishing.

Thank gawd for SS props!!!

-assAssin-