24# Hog Valentines Day Massacre

[Charlestondivin]

Valentines Day Massacre

Finally got a chance to get out and try my new 52 ss commercial rhino. Freeshafting for the first time!!! I was a little hesitant about freeshafting but when I think back at all the fish I have shot in the past couple of years very few ever pulled at the line when i placed the shot well.

Left out of Folley Beach SC. Weather was absolutely beautiful with maybe 1-2’ swells water temp about 52*. Saw several Sunfish. Those are some freaky looking animals.

The spot we dropped on didn’t have much fish so I came up about 25’ off the bottom and took off down the ledge till I found some good looking fish. Freeshafted 2 big hogs then I spotted the big daddy holed up. This hog had a real dark hump type nose and some evil looking eyes. There was a #15 cubera snapper right in front of him so I had to shoot from a little above. Short fight later and a 24# Hog snapper was on my stringer. Shot one more hog and grabbed a lobster last thing before ascent. This was by far the biggest hog I have ever seen let alone shot. While doing my safety stop with 4 fat hogs and a lobster in hand I was already planning my “screen name” type avatar.

2nd dive I picked up some more hogs and lobsters. One Lob weighed in at 9#

Kevin, that is one quality piece of equipment. I do thank you guys for talking me into getting a SS.


Robs 24# hog
http://www.charlestondiving.com/robs24hog.JPG

Smaller hog and 9# lobster.
http://www.charlestondiving.com/robshog2.JPG

Fat stringer
http://www.charlestondiving.com/robshogs.JPG

[Steel Shootin']

Absolutely awesome! Damn, that is a monster hog fish. That's the one you want to see during the Spearboard Open. Thanks for posting the report and the great pics. That water looks like glass. God, I love days like that.

[100days-a-year]

SSSSweet.Hope to even see a hog that big someday much less shoot one.That's some yummy groceries.

[inletsurf]

That's great!!! nice stringer of hogs!!

[greyface]

Damn nice!:eek:

[Screen Name]

Confu_kinggratulations!!!!!!!!

But please, please, dont kill Kermit!

:D :D :D :D :D

PS.....Please dont tell me you fileted that hog. THAT IS MOUNTING SIZE FOR SURE. I know a guy that makes AWESOME mounts. 24 lb hogs do not happen every dive!

[gumshoe]

Charleston, Nice shooting.

Damn, 52 degree water. What exposure suit combination makes that bearable?

[Grauer]

Great Job Brother!!!!! Cant wait to head up there and hunt with you in your target rich environment.

[Charlestondivin]

Sorry John, i fileted him yesterday. What does it cost to mount one? I wish i had some better pictures of him, those really don't do the fish justice I am 6'1" 220#s for comparison. I put him in the big boat cooler and his tail touched at the fork. Longer than the damn cooler!

I need some instruction on how to stone these big hogs. I can stop a grouper in his tracks all day long but i can't seem to find the "off" switch on hogs. I did lose one freeshaft :(

Gumshoe, i was wearing a 2 mil hood and vest with a additional one peice 4-3-2 (4 mm chest, 3mm legs, 2mm arms) and i was very comfortable. The great thing was no wind, so changing out of a wet suit wasn't too bad.

[Spear One]

You Da Man Charlston! Holy Hogfish, what a stringer. Now there's a guy shootin with confidence. Hope you can make the Spearboard Open, we love the competition.

[Screen Name]

If I were you, I would call:

Lee's Taxidermy 727-381-2029

6401 17th Place North
St. Petersburg, FL

Tell him you already fileted your hogfish, its gone. He may be able to reproduce the fish and can match the color from photos. He does work you will not believe, the best I have ever seen. Lee is the guy that mounted the 125 lb grouper and the awesome hog in Aquatic Obsessions for those of you who saw them.

A 24lb hog is pretty rare, in my opinion. I've only heard of one larger, 26 lbs, although thats an interesting topic.

When I get a 24 lb hog, I'm having him mounted by Lee. In fact, my next big grouper will be mounted by Lee.

[dlock]

personally I would have mounted that Hog right there on the boat and then fileted him when I got back to the dock;) what a ****ing HOG FEST Rob ...great hunt. I too was going to try my hand at freeshafting for the first time Sat. but..........@$#%&^*!&*%$#*@#^%%$##!!!!!!!!:mad: sorry I still had some anger to release.

[Charlestondivin]

Need some help here. Where is the right place to shoot hogs. I was aiming for about 2" behind the eye on the dark line while they were quartering away. Did not produce the desired result.

I can turn a grouper into jello but ill be damned if hogs don't give me a fit.

[dlock]

it seems to me that's the spot, maybe the bigger hogs are harder to kill. I've shot plenty hogs and just behind the eye turns them white and turns off the light!!! Maybe you were a tad low? The biggest hog I've ever shot was 21" so I'm not an authority on the big ones by any means. Still a kickass stringer full!!

[johnhermes]

1" behind the eye, right at the color change. Lights out baby

[f94gator]

Beautiful fish, but you're a bit goofy-lookin'...:D

[Screen Name]

Now when they say dlock loves Hogfish! Charleston- that was a female hogfish wasn't it? :p

By the way.........Your kill shot question. Let me see if I got this straight: You get back on the boat with more hogfish than we have seen in three months, including a 24 pounder. You want us to give you kill shot tips.

Not gonna happen. In fact, forget everything we told ya for a while so we can catch back up! :D :D ;)

[kitefisherman]

Very Impressive Hogs! Put the big one on the wall!

[Diverdave76]

DAMN! What a haul! Hey Charlestondivin when are you going to take me out and show me some of these ledges you're diving on!
I live in Atlanta but spend a lot of time in Chas on business....in fact going there tomorrow. I ususally spearfish the easy coast of Fla or the panhandle. It always seems such a long way to go.

How far out are you diving? What kind of vis?

I like to crawl on the bottom of the Cooper River when I'm there but certainly would trade that the opportunity to hunt those ledges!

Headed down to West Palm on Sunday for 5 days of hunting up and down the east coast of Fla. We'll be staying on the boat 4 dives a day.

Dave

[Charlestondivin]

Damn, nice teeth. You should check out the fossil diving section of www.charlestondiving.com (my site) Lots of cooper River divers post on my site with their finds. Mammoth teeth, indian artifacts, big megladon teeth, etc. Come on over and introduce yourself on the site.

We have dove many ledges off charleston but this is one ledge is the only one we have seen hogfish on. It is a small hump surrounded by much deeper water way past where most people dive. Standard procedure is to Pat everyone down for handheld gps's before leaving the dock. ;)

[Diverdave76]

The wife has been wanting to move to a coastal city. She just discovered Charleston last year when I took her there for our 9th anniversary. She is taking her mother back there next month. I have opposed to moving there because I want to be able to spearfish. Have been leaning towards norther Fla but based on what I see from your pictures Charleston is back in the running.
In Charleston I can be 2 dimensional...river 1 week....ocean the next....
Taking the wife to the Glapagos islands for our tenth. 7 days aboard the Aggressor.




Dave

[richhermes]

I always liked living in Chas. But damn, do they tax you for everything. What is up with that property tax on your car so you can get a tag?? FL doesn't do that.

I also really used to not having a state income tax, so moving back to FL from SC gave me an automatic 7% raise, (or whatever SC income tax is)

The gas was cheap though!!

[Merk]

Holy Hogfish that's one hell of a stringer.......... glad to hear someone is getting out........ thanks for posting the report!

That Hog deserves a wall of it's own.

[Marcus]

Charleston,

NICE F'ING HOG! I think I would've had to mount that one right there on the deck of the boat myself, while my buddies watched!:D
Looks like a record fish if it weighed 24#s.


http://www.freediver.net/iusa/fish/fish_hogfish.html http://www.hotspotfishing.com/records/fish-records-Hogfish.asp
World record 8.39 kg = 18.5lbs (http://www.freediver.net/iusa/world.php)
St. Pete open record HOGFISH: 20.4 pounds, Steve Townsend, 1990. (http://www.sptimes.com/News/081800/Outdoors/Fishing_up_close_and_.shtml)

[Slay Ride]

I weighed it. It was 24 lbs. We've both shot HogFish over 20 lbs, just didn't know there were any spearfishing record books. Look out St Pete's us Charleston boys are planning on fishing the SP.com tourney in May and St Pete's in August. Going to trailer the boat down for some fun. Saw my first Mola Mola down on the botton in 100'. Must have been 10-12' tall and 8' long. Let me run my hand down him, but didn't like the feel of my speartip though (no I didn't shoot him it just rubbed the tip).

[Charlestondivin]

Easy there Megla!! You know as well as i do that we don't stand a chance against these florida guys!

I did have a little "quality time" with the fish during the safety stop. ;)

I thought the records were only for hook and line or freediving.
I am not aware of any records for scuba spearfisherman.

[Marcus]

1 of those links I posted were for freediving spearfishing, 18.5 lbs.
The St. Pete open is freediving or Scuba, 20.4 lbs.

Furthermore, this link impies that you encountered a possible world record Mola Mola as well.
Biggest Mola Mola (http://www.oceanlight.com/html/mola_mola.html)

I don't know what to think of you Charlestonians, but it sounds like a hell of a fish story!

[Slay Ride]

"Going to trailer the boat down for some fun. "

That's all I was saying. It doesn't imply anything but going to FL for some fun. Touchy touchy. I have absolutely no idea how big the Mola was, but I was on the bottom looking way up at it. Simply a big damn fish.

[Screen Name]

The only way you could improve your avatar is to trade dlock for Kermit!

Ya, I'll help you plan a trip down here for the tournaments, you guys will Love them.........especially if you bring a couple 24lb Hogs with you. :D

[Spear One]

You Charleston boys just go ahead and come on down here.... We'll give you a little dose of our "West Coast Offense"

[Charlestondivin]

We are planning to make it down that way for the St Pete. I think i have one local on board if i can talk seawead27 into coming with us. We have a snowballs chance in hell of placing but it would be fun to come down there and meet some of you guys. (and your hooters waitresses)

Spearone, are you going to be holding a seminar at the open? Might be my only chance to attend one.

[Diver Dan]

Nice Hogs Charleston!! See ya at the "Open"!