- April 28, 2024
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Seabreeze High School seniors Jordan Crabb and Jesse Alexander caught a 14-foot, 350-pound sawfish last weekend. "It was perfect," Crabb said.
BY PAULA BUCK | CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Most people will never see a sawfish, let alone catch one. But Ormond Beach teens Jordan Crabb and Jesse Alexander did just that last week, snagging a 350-pound14-footer in waters off Sanibel.
"We were fishing from the beach, so I used a kayak to set the bait. It was out about 75 yards," Crabb explained. "I’d only been back about three minutes when the fish struck.”
What came next “really was a rodeo,” Alexander exclaimed.
“Pulling hard,” Alexander was the first to hold the bending rod. They would take turns at the reel for the next hour and a half.
"It was funny: We’d actually used a rusty hook, and thought for sure the fish would get away," Alexander said.
When Crabb's turn came, he “hauled hard" on the rod, having no clue what was on the end of his line.
But he had his guesses: most likely a shark. When they reeled the fish toward more shallow water, though, everything changed.
“There was no noise on the line when it came in, so I thought it would be a string ray,” Alexander said. “But when the line twitched, we saw three dorsal fins.”
“Then we knew what we had,” Crabb added. “We couldn’t believe it!”
Several friends, family members and bystanders got in on the action when it was time to haul the sawfish ashore.
“I think about 150 people were there when we brought it in," Alexander said. He remembers his father jumping on top of the animal, as several others lent extra hands, all careful to avoid the creature's saw as they wrestled it from the surf.
“It was wild,” Crabb recalled.
The best part for the two young fishermen was the thrill of realizing what they had done, coupled with the joy of sharing it with their families and friends. And when their mothers started snapping pictures, they added, that's when it all became real.
“We were glad they were there with their cameras,” Crabb said. “It was getting a little dark, and we really wanted proof.”
Alexander agreed, calling the fish "really beautiful." "I’m glad people can at least have pictures to look at," he said.
Releasing the fish was always a given, and Crabb was the one to give the animal its final push back into safety.
“That part was just great,” Alexander said, "because sawfish really are rare.”
Now both seniors at Seabreeze High School, Crabb and Alexander have been friends since they were 4 or 5 years old.
“We were in Cub Scouts together,” Alexander said, “and we learned teamwork there. We also have great families.”
By far the duo's largest all-time catch, Crabb says he will always remember that experience in Sanibel.
“We did not expect that," he said. "It was perfect. That about sums it up.”
Looking ahead, Alexander said he hopes maybe one day they may “get something bigger.” Communicating more awe and gratitude than bragging rights, the two teens may just make that dream come true.
