On a recent road trip through America, we stopped off in Texas. I thought to myself, you can’t come to Texas without fishing the mighty Trinity River. So I got in touch with one of the best skippers in town, Captain Kirk Kirkland. We set off at 6am and reached our designated fishing spot around twenty minutes later.
Setting Off on the Trinity River
On our very first cast of the morning, the float went down. We followed the fish for a few minutes, confident it had taken the bait properly, before I set the hook. What followed was one hell of a battle. The rod was bent double and the fish was taking line with ease.
A Fish to Remember
Eventually, we got her close to the side of the boat, and I couldn’t believe the size of her head when she broke the surface. Buzzing and shaking, I watched my guide slip a noose round her head as he tried to haul her aboard.
What we first thought was around 120lb quickly looked much bigger as he struggled to lift her in. With one final effort, he got her into the boat and we took measurements along with her girth. She measured 7’7″ with a 40-inch girth. According to the chart, that put her somewhere between 175lb and 185lb.
Final Thoughts
A truly memorable fish, and one I’ll definitely be telling the grandchildren about for years to come.