OUTDOORS | Creative lure from toolbox brings in a monster fish

Ryan Hein is no stranger to being creative. As a marine mechanic and owner of There She Glows marine lighting and electronics, he knows how to make the best of what he's working with.

When he's not working, he's usually fishing. His favorite type of fishing is butterfly jigging offshore. If you've bought or looked at butterfly jigs recently, you know how expensive they are, with many brands over $15 each.

"I usually fish between 20 and 40 miles offshore for snapper, hogfish, grouper and amberjack," Hein said. "I jig a lot in deep water and try to jig tuna and other fish."

When working Tuesday, Hein started going through his toolbox when he noticed something. "I've had these Stanley wrenches forever, I thought. An 11mm is superfluous and one I use less than any other tool. Almost nothing takes that size," he said.

He turned that wrench into something similar to his favorite lure. He added a couple of assist hooks, then posted the pictures to the Tampa Bay Fishing Club on Facebook that night with the caption, "I'm going to catch the fish of your dreams on this eleven-millimeter Stanley wrench tomorrow."

The next day he wasted no time in sending the wrench down while fishing 28 miles offshore in 90 feet of water.

"I jigged about 3 times and the rod just pointed straight to the water. It was immediate. The fight was long and I knew it was something heavy like a goliath grouper," he said.

Hein strained his 6000 Fin Nor Lethal and Ugly Stick Tiger Lite, almost reaching the breaking point many times on the 50-pound line and 80-pound leader. After 45 minutes, he finally had the literal goliath up to the boat. The massive Epinephelus itajara was one he said weighed between 300 and 400 pounds, caught on an 11mm Stanley wrench.

To celebrate the accomplishment Hein jumped into the water to get pictures. After releasing the goliath grouper, he put the jig back to work.

"After that the wrench jig caught two more amberjack and then hooked something huge, probably a monster amberjack," Hein said. "That fish broke me off and the jig was finally gone.

"When I first made it I thought, 'It weighs a lot and it's shiny, so it could work.' You better believe I'm making more of them now."

As well as Stanley wrench jigs, Hein will be adding more tools to his arsenal. On his next trip out, he plans on trying a fork as well as a butterknife. With the success of the wrench, I would not doubt Hein's creativity and ability to catch fish on unique lures.

Heins can be reached through his business and Facebook page at Facebook.com/ThereSheGlowsLighting.

This story was originally published April 16, 2016 at 5:26 PM with the headline "OUTDOORS | Creative lure from toolbox brings in a monster fish ."