"Wing and a Prayer"

Sometimes you just get a "sign" randomly that signals to you that you have to go soak a bait, and that's how this story begins. I was gassing up with what little cash I had available at a local gas station, when I saw it, the universal sign of METAL, and I knew I had to call Team Rebels newest metal contributor and spring into action ASAP.

 I called Cody and told him what had happened, and he agreed that we needed to act accordingly  by finding the closest water and rowing baits before the day was gone. So I packed up the gear and met Cody at his house and it was time to rock!

  Obviously, since I was low on the fossil fuels, we decided to throw all the gear into Codys rig and in no time we were finally beach bound in search of what would accept our stingray offering.

 We arrived with some favorable conditions for a change, and were anxious to put baits out to see what would come of it. However, the tide was not in our favor and there was seaweed starting to creep into the trough and our lines, but we were in too deep now to turn around.

 Hours passed as we conversed about who our favorite metal bands, and sang the praises of the band DOWN's guitar player Kirk Windstein and how cavemanish he is. That's when Codys 80 TTS began to light up. Cody has never spent much time shark fishing on the beaches for anything besides black-tips and spinners, but he has been committed since he Team Rebel induction to getting tight on something stout on the sand, and it appeared his chance had finally arrived.

 After about 4 pick ups and drops the spool finally was rolling steady, that's when I told Cody to "lock it down" and let the circle hook engage into the sharks mouth. Without hesitation Cody locked up and line started peeling off the reel, it felt like a decent one. Cody being new to this opted to sit in the sand instead of the more traditional Team Rebel harness while the fish was taking its initial run, and this one had a lot of heart!

The fight lasted about 15 minutes until I saw the JET BLACK dorsal pierce the water in the first trough. It was the unmistakeable sickle we saw cutting across the water all while it was executing some ferocious 180's as it tried to elude capture. However its attempts were futile, as I bum rushed the shark the first opportunity I had. In an instant, Cody had landed his first real beach shark.

  We took two pictures before the hook was cut and I was dragging the angry black hammer back to its watery home, but not before Cody was able to snap this cool picture.

  So far Cody has broken into the Team Rebel ranks while bringing it STRONG to whatever expedition we have embarked on, and if his luck keeps up, something big is lurking on the horizon...........

Until next time....

Team Rebel OUT!

The Thunder Nears.....

 It is upon us! The 3rd annual Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge nears! You better stay tuned over the next couple of weeks and keep checking back here and the official website, because there are some big announcements and updates heading your way, including the new partnership with the Wounded Warrior Porject!! Hell Yeah! Saddle up, because anybody whos anybody is going to be  at the Liashley Crabhouse and Marina on the weekend of May 4-6th for the tournament and the festival that surrounds it!

 Don't forget about the JAWS movie memorabilia exhibit that will be on display, and the little fact that Discovery Channels SHARK WEEK will be on hand filming the entire festival and tournament! So stay tuned for some more awesome updates! Over and out!

King of the Rotten

    Once in a blood moon, somebody comes along that we at Team Rebel believe has the same thought process as our tight knit group. They also have to have such a high degree of metal fortitude, that metal detectors go off just from being in proximity of one. And though he has been around for a long time, the time is now right for the King of the Rotten to be annexed officially into the Team Rebel metal militia.

 Cody Davis is known far and wide for not only his appetite for metal and appetite for lead bait weights in a bowl of WD-40 for breakfast, but for his land based King fishing skills. He has produced time and time again when nobody else ever can, and produces in a variety of different places, so needless to say this was expected of him eventually.

 The day on the pier was long, and full of a lot of tourists that were bunking up the local fishing scene as usual. The decision was made on the fly to move to a different location and put forth a valiant effort in an area which many deem a wasteland right now. The plan was set and Cody and his crew mobilized northward in search of the might King.

 Upon arrival they found an empty pier, with what few locals were there expressing their feelings on how he would fail on this particular day on their quest for king. Not dettered by these claims, they pushed forward on their somewhat hopless endeavor.

 A raspy voice came across the piers intercom system, signaling that there was only 15 minutes left to fish before the police came and forcefully stopped you from fishing any longer. As all hope was almost a faint memory, Codys reel lit up like a train hit it, with a monster King doing a back flip 15ft above the surface off in the distance. The line instantly came tight and the battle was on, full of blistering (almost reel spooling) runs.  As the pier attendant was making her way onto the pier to clear out Cody and his crew, the fish was finally straight up and down and ready for a a gaff shot to prematurely end its existence. Needless to say, it went off without a hitch.......

Cody and his crew loaded up and headed back to the southland, with spirits high, as not only did he prove that the area is not as much of a wasteland as people believed, but had a 50lb class king-fish in the bed of the truck to prove it. Congrats to Cody on one of the largest Kings taken off the East coast in years, and a big welcome from all of us into the Team Rebel society! Keep your eye out, because with the King of the Rotten, this is the norm!!

 Until next time.... Heads down! Horns up!

Team Rebel Out.........

"The Home-wrecker"

   The springtime East wind had begun to blow, sending most sharkers packing back to their homes to wait the big blow out until the seas die down enough to make fishing somewhat manageable and safer. But sometimes when you are hell bound, even monster surf can't hold back an even bigger monster.

 I was sitting on my back porch looking into the sky, watching the branches on all the Foxtail Palms flexing in the stern wind, and enjoying the overcast skies and a frosty beverage, when my phone began to ring from none other then the hammer kid Viktor. He told me he wanted to fish on this night, which I Immediately thought that he was out of his f*^%#&g mind, but he pressed the issue and insisted that he had a good feeling. Being that he is now at the ripe old age of 20, and I am no longer responsible for his death if he dumps in the surf way out at night time, I said "go for it, no rest for the wicked right".

  His normal companion did not want to "waste his time" so Team Rebel pledge Cody and I decided to dedicate the rest of our night to Vik's cause. We did a little bit of brainstorming, and dug deep into the rebel X-files to think of a place that we would have a balance of somewhat smaller surf and the best chance of a hookup, and with the conditions at hand, all signs pointed at "The Bank". Justly named, as we always seem to make "withdrawals" when we hit spot-x at the optimum time.

   When we setup base camp on the beach, a shred of humanity descended upon me, and I told Viktor that this was a terrible idea, but he insisted he was heading out to sea to crest the white mountains that were present as a stable foreground to the menacing darkness offshore. And after a VERY dicey paddle in 4-6ft surf without a life jacket, Viktor stayed true in getting the one lone bait out, and the wait began.....

 About two hours into the soak Viktors 12/0 let out a steady roll against the mammoth surf. Viktor came tight and engaged the circle hook into the fishes mouth and both him and the shark were locked in for the long haul. The fight  was full of belligerent head shakes and strong, brutal bursts which were yanking Viktor all over the beach in his harness. Cody had to take a break from trying to wreck homes and help support Viktor while I readied the rope and cutters for a landing.

 After the better part of twenty minutes, a black dorsal rose in the midst of the white wash at the surfs edge, it was then I was able to identify the fish as a feisty and belligerent Bull shark. True to its name, it was difficult to land the shark because it kept "bulling" hard in the wash, but within a minute the shark was finally subdued for a hook removal and a couple of quick pictures.

 Viktor and Cody said they would take the tail for the dangerous release, which is always sketchy when you are dealing with an angry and spunky Bull shark in rough and shallow water. But all went well, and the long,skinny male which looked like it just came out from the inside waters was in great shape and on its way again after the short detour. Afterwards, some high fives were exchanged, and Viktor proclaimed that "now we could go home", and not a moment too soon in my opinion.

 Surf was braved, homes were wrecked, and bulls were caught. Last time I checked, that constitutes as Metal in the book of Team Rebel.

Until next time, get tight, Beast up, keep it metal.

-Team Rebel out

 This report was brought you in part by.....

Prior Arrangements

 We were pleased that we fished one night the previous week and were able to land a decent fish for the first time in a long time, and apparently that little lemon was all it took to ignite a fire under the asses of Viktor and co. to go out and try to get in on a little shark action himself. Vik called me and told me his plan of action and I agreed that it was a good idea and to go pound sand until he got what he wanted. But there was one little problem.....there was no bait...

  Viktor decided he would address this matter himself with a lure that no unwilling future shark bait could deny; the cold steel shaft of his AB Biller spear gun. But the sea was lifeless as it has been for months now, thus making this task much more difficult than it even seemed at first. After a total of 14 hours and 6 locations over the course of two days scanning the depths for stingrays, Viktor finally was able to get a couple small ones and depart back toward the coastline for the original purpose.

 Viktor called me and told me the location he would be fishing on this particular night, and I told him I had some prior arrangements with Cody, and that if something changed we might take a stroll out to scope out the situation. Well, as usual, the plans fell through, so after a long trek back from the northern lands, chewing on beef jerky, and completely overloaded on nicotine and Black Label Society, we launched a sneak attack on the small, discreet shark camp.

 When we walked up on them, I noticed that the beach had the "vibe" that I always mention when I feel like there is something nice swimming in the perimeter of base camp, so we decided to hang out for a while and see what woould come of it. But shortly after our arrival Mikes 12/0 let out a fast and steady run. It sounded like a nice fish had taken the ray, and with one quick throw of the lever, the circle hook was buried in the corner of the fishes mouth and the battle was on!

The fight was short lived but full of plenty of belligerent headshakes and sharp turns. Within a few minutes we saw the signature double dorsal rise up in the wash, and we knew we had a stout Lemon on the other end of the leader. We charged the surf and cody and I secured the tail so we could get a couple quick shots.

After about approximately 30-40 seconds in the wash zone, the shark was on its way back into the trough so it could continue its regular routine and casual cruising and sight-seeing tour up the coastline.

All in all, not a bad not for any of us, even though we had some prior arrangements fall through, we were able to get over to spot x and help out a little bit with Mike and Viktors fish. And one thing we all took from this besides a couple of nice pictures, is the fact that everybody has a fire ignited under their ass right now, and who knows what tomorrow could bring.

Until next time.....

-Team Rebel Out

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