Fishing tales are usually taken with a pinch of salt, but thankfully this incredible Cape Coral story was caught on camera. And the crazy incident involving 2 fishermen overboard, a rod and a 450-pound Goliath grouper has now made national news!
Day tripper Mike was fighting a land a fish of a lifetime Friday aboard Chew On This Charters with Captain Ben Chancey out of Cape Coral when the unbelievable tale happened.
Mike lost the fishing rod overboard, but fellow angler Jenny managed to use the anchor to retrieve the rod and allow Mike to finish reeling up the still-hooked fish.
Chancey explained to USA Today/For The Win Outdoors that about 20 minutes after the fishing rod was lost, Jenny said she could see it on the bottom in the crystal clear, 40-feet deep water and asked nearby boaters for goggles. One boater had some and passed them to her.
“Jenny was planning to dive down 40 feet to get the rod,” Chancey said. “I decided to drop the anchor down so she could follow the line to the rod and reel. While I was explaining what was going on , Jenny hooked the rod with the anchor and started pulling the rod up. The giant Goliath grouper was still hooked on the line.”
Jenny’s boyfriend Eric, who arranged the surprise trip for Mike’s 30th birthday, helped clear the anchor and line, and Mike finished reeling up the grouper.
“We are calling it the unforgettable fishing miracle,” Chancey stated.