Day 8 – Roosters, jacks and a very happy ending – Robbo, Blake and the Mingos headed out to the Rooster Pen, a spot known for holding trophy roosterfish. We hoped to repeat the bait and switch success Robbo and I had found on Day 4 so Blake could get in on some of that wildness, and Rob was in search of his 50+ pound trophy Pez Gallo. Blake had already hooked and lost a 20 pound rooster on his 12 wt two days earlier. I just wanted to catch whatever I could. The morning bite was on as we saw schools of fish chasing bait on the surface. I cast right into a swirl and hooked a a jack crevalle





Rob took this stubborn jack next……..



And I hooked another trevally….. This bluefin put up one SWEEEEEEETASS battle!!!



Blake cashes in with a trevally on the fly………………….





After the early morning flurry, we settled in for a hot sweaty day tossing poppers to tease the fish in close enough to get them on the fly. Rob was on his own quest for a monster roosterfish. He wanted a brute and he worked his ASS off for it. The man is a nonstop casting machine. He wasn't tossing 1/4 oz krocodile spoons or some other cueco lure, he was pitching massive poppers for hours on end trying to hook something big. Blake and I became little budgie birds on the hippos back, benefitting from Rob’s nonstop casting and retrieving. We split the lanes and duplicated the technique Rob and I used earlier in the week. I took the bow and Blake took the stern….I figured my head would appreciate the spatial separation

Rob lured a HUGE cubera from a boiler rock and Blake actually hooked it for 15 seconds on his 10 wt......we were all screaming like little bitches when the giant coppery garbage can turned after Rob yanked his popper away and inhaled Blake’s fly. The fish went into convulsive full-body twisting headshakes that were almost scary to witness. This brute was at least 25 pounds heavier than the fish Stam had landed the previous night on a spinning rod.

Rob took the middle position in the Koffler while my wife shot photos and tended the beer cooler. I shot my backcasts into the rocks. Thanks to Rob's bionic shoulder, we each had shots at BIIIIIG roosters that would follow but turn away at the last second. Agonizing to witness, but you should have heard the chatter...."Here he comes! He's all over it! CAST! CAST! GET YOUR F’ing FLY IN THE WATER! HERE HE COMES! HOLY [censored]!! HE'S ON IT! HE'S ON IT!"

Blake started laughing. He runs a successful company and he said "you assholes! I'm not used to being yelled at like this, heh....jes' keep 'em coming…….F’ers!!!!"

Blake hooked up to a hard pulling jack lured in by the expert tease technique of Robbo…….



Then took a little break to chill and have a beer with my wife……