We had a very exciting morning, but first news first -> <strong> the 2014 Mullet Run has begun!!! </strong>Wes and I hit the beach around 7am. W could see all kinds of action out about 150 yards from the beach. The surf was pretty calm, but we could see fish popping the surface of the water all over the place. FIsh were feeding on schools of finger mullet, but there were none running close enough to shore for us to net, so we started fishing with some pink shrinp flavored FishBites. I caught one whiting, then I noticed some mullet hopping over my fishing line
where it entered the water. I yelled for Wess to grab the cast net and he was already on his way over. With his second cast he pulled in a net-full of finger mullet. We hooked some up immediately and tossed them out. I caught five atlantic sharpnose sharks within the first hour. They were all about 14-16 inches long. </p>\r\n<p>At about 10:30, Wes and I both hooked into something pretty large. </p>\r\n', '\r\n<p>I was bringing mine in when I heard Wes yelling \"Jason!! I need to cut my line!!\" I ran over and traded poles with him. The drag on his reel was screaming and the line was running out like mad. I tightened the drag slighly and the line slowed a bit. I told Wes it felt like a big stingray and that we should try to bring it in. He agread. I had pulled in my line just before I traded with Wes, and had a beautiful Skate with about an 18 inch wingspan. Wes unhooked the skate and tossed him back, while i continued to fight the stingray. The ray made another run and alli could do was stand there and watch the line run out. It slowed a bit and I began to try to muscle him in. It took every bit of my strength, the pole was flexed into a seemi-circle and i was sure the line would break, but it didn\'t. It felt like the ray was turning back my way so I reeled in ht e line as fast as possible. He tried to run out again and I held the drag. There was incredible tension on the line but it held, and then the ray breached the surface and we saw hiw. A beautiful southern ray with at least a 4 ft wingspan. The fight continued for about half an hour and I was pulled southward down the beach by the stingray. All the bathers cleared the water out in front as the ray fought up and the beach. I could see about a dozen people standing nearby watching, as I switched out the rod wirth Wes a few times during the fight. </p>\r\n<p>Finally I pulled the ray into water about hip deep. He stuck to the bottom and wouldn\'t move, so I handed the pole to Wes and waded out. I got about 12ft from the stingray and grabbed the line with my hand and pulled, so I cold determine where his head, and more importantly his barb, were located. I couldnt see well, because of the surf. I tugged the line a bit, studying the water, then heard a sharp snap. The line broke!! I couldn\'t believe it. I stared at the end of the line, then at the water, where the weary ray appeared to fluttering out toward the deep. Suddenly, I heard a very loud \"AAAWWWWWWWW\" and I turned to see about 150 people standing on the beach, watching. I was focused so intently on the fight, that I hadn\'t noticed the crowd gathering. I shrugged my shoulders and threw up my hands, and got a rowdy ovation from the crowd! We were greated and cosoled by several friendly beachgoers, as we hiked back up the beach to our original spot. I love Jax beach, the people , both local and visitors and always very friendly.