By Joe Cermele

Here's one for the "enjoy it because it won't happen again" file. According to the fishing reports page in Florida's Sun Sentinel, 13-year-old Jake Hobbs was ballooning a live blue runner from the Deerfield Beach Fishing Pier the other day when he got a little surprise. What he thought was a big king mack stripping line off the reel at mach 2 turned out to be a 70-pound sailfish. Other anglers on the pier figured it out as soon as the sail took to the sky. Crowds gathered. Chaos ensued.

From the story:
The fight should have ended when the sailfish went around the end of the pier, which had been damaged by Hurricane Sandy and was closed for repairs. A gentleman who jumped over the fence — he was later banned from the pier — safely guided the fish around so Hobbs could fight it from the other side. His brother Luke, 9, also helped, lifting up other anglers' fishing rods so Hobbs could go under them.

"He was a big help," said Hobbs, an eighth-grader at Sawgrass Springs Middle School whose efforts had attracted a crowd. "The whole beach had stopped just to watch me land this fish."

After about 45 minutes, Hobbs had the sailfish in the surf. He gave the fishing rod to his father, Keith, then he and his friend Drew Koelle ran off the pier and into the water to pull the exhausted fish onto the beach.

So my question, young Mr. Hobbs, is where are the photos? I combed the Net but, alas, no dice. That's a catch and a story of a lifetime, so if you're reading this, lets see the shots. I know you took some. Good job, my friend. Who needs a 34-foot Contender with twin 250s right?

Comments (7)

from Koldkut wrote 28 weeks 4 days ago

At this point, you might get after photos.....way cool story though.

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from Sabotage wrote 28 weeks 4 days ago

The gentlemen who jumped the fence to help the young angler is now banned from the pier? That doesn't seem just or fair. We should start a petition to get his fishing right to the pier re-instated!

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from John A Pierog wrote 28 weeks 3 days ago

What a thrill of a lifetime for the youngster! Good show. I agree that the guy who jumped the fence to help out deserves credit, not banishment from the pier.

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from ArtBrownSr wrote 28 weeks 3 days ago

Unless he had HONESTLY put himself or some one else in imminent danger, cut the fella some slack, as a once in a lifetime for a kids catch would not have ended as well if he had not brought it back around! Congrats to the 13 yr. old and to the 9 yr old for helping his brother! GO GET EM KID! ! !

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from mytonytiger wrote 28 weeks 3 days ago

I fish that pier several times, when I lived in Deerfield Beach about 20 years ago. My mom worked at the little restaurant there, and I worked at the bar and grill at the Howard Johnson's. It was a great place to live, work, and play. This brought back some good memories. Thanks.

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from deanlikes2fish wrote 28 weeks 2 days ago

Awesome!

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from David Clements wrote 12 weeks 1 day ago

Nice job, Sir!
I had much less success with the Sail I hooked off the Dan Russell - Panama City Beach Pier a few years ago. Like this young man, I too was king-fishing. My buddy spotted the fish cruising down the second sandbar at which time I tossed a very dead Scad towards him. As soon as the bait splashed down, the sailfish turned and inhaled it. When I saw this, I liked to have passed my heart! Even though I was rigged with a few feet of steel leader, the skewer-nosed animal managed to tail-whip the mono just above the swivel and broke off before the first jump. Only a few people who were fishing around me saw what I had hooked.

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from Sabotage wrote 28 weeks 4 days ago

The gentlemen who jumped the fence to help the young angler is now banned from the pier? That doesn't seem just or fair. We should start a petition to get his fishing right to the pier re-instated!

+6 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from John A Pierog wrote 28 weeks 3 days ago

What a thrill of a lifetime for the youngster! Good show. I agree that the guy who jumped the fence to help out deserves credit, not banishment from the pier.

+4 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Koldkut wrote 28 weeks 4 days ago

At this point, you might get after photos.....way cool story though.

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from ArtBrownSr wrote 28 weeks 3 days ago

Unless he had HONESTLY put himself or some one else in imminent danger, cut the fella some slack, as a once in a lifetime for a kids catch would not have ended as well if he had not brought it back around! Congrats to the 13 yr. old and to the 9 yr old for helping his brother! GO GET EM KID! ! !

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from mytonytiger wrote 28 weeks 3 days ago

I fish that pier several times, when I lived in Deerfield Beach about 20 years ago. My mom worked at the little restaurant there, and I worked at the bar and grill at the Howard Johnson's. It was a great place to live, work, and play. This brought back some good memories. Thanks.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from deanlikes2fish wrote 28 weeks 2 days ago

Awesome!

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from David Clements wrote 12 weeks 1 day ago

Nice job, Sir!
I had much less success with the Sail I hooked off the Dan Russell - Panama City Beach Pier a few years ago. Like this young man, I too was king-fishing. My buddy spotted the fish cruising down the second sandbar at which time I tossed a very dead Scad towards him. As soon as the bait splashed down, the sailfish turned and inhaled it. When I saw this, I liked to have passed my heart! Even though I was rigged with a few feet of steel leader, the skewer-nosed animal managed to tail-whip the mono just above the swivel and broke off before the first jump. Only a few people who were fishing around me saw what I had hooked.

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All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.