Shaun Morey - Incredible—and True!—Fishing Stories: Hilarious Feats of Bravery, Tales of Disaster and Revenge, Shocking Acts of Fish Aggression, Stories of Impossible Victories and Crushing Defeats

Workman Publishing New York

For Connor

A book like this takes a boatload of cooperation. My sincerest appreciation goes to the anglers and captains whose stories appear in these pages. Your experiences are one of a kind, and many of your catches will be inspirations for generations of anglers to come. For those who helped track down an elusive angler or a busy captain, I thank you.

A special shout-out to good friend and radio host Pete Gray of Lets Talk Hookup, to former IGFA president and world-class fisherman Michael Leech, to Randy Ramsey of Jarrett Bay Boatworks, to Steve Morghan of Australias Fishing Monthly, to Michael Neil at the Daytona Boat Dock, to Doug McFetters, to Winston Warr III, and to all the anglers who have sent me letters and emails filled with stories that, while not all in these pages, are certainly worthy of the title incredible.

And none of this would be possible without a world-class captain and crew. An ocean of gratitude to editor-in-chief Suzie Bolotin, editor Mary Ellen ONeill, and literary agent Richard Pine. And an especially deep thanks to Peter Workman, in memoriam. These four are among the most professional, dedicated, and creative individuals I know. My debt to you is fathomless.

And to Amanda and Maggie, who join me on the water every chance they get. The fishing is always better with the two of you on board.

Fishing is the only sport I know that offers the trifecta of excitement, adventure, and mystery. Its there in the anticipation of the hunt and the thrilling notion of raising an unknown lunker from the depths. Then theres the possibility of spotting a bald eagle perched atop a riverside pine, or seeing an osprey snatch a trout from the surface of a lake, or hearing a bear crash though the nearby underbrush. Theres the exhilaration of seeing a finback whale breaching the oceans surface after endless hours of trolling, the sudden appearance of seabirds dive-bombing a school of frenzied tuna, the heart-skipping shock of a dorsal fin slicing through a tabletop sea. I have been fishing since the age of two, and still I get butterflies on my way to the dock. I still meet the kindest people, generous and interesting, and all with a story to tell.

In my worldwide search for incredible fishing stories, I have come across reports that stretch the credulity of even the most seasoned storytellers. In this book, the stories identified as Fishing for the Truth are ones that were sent to me by readers or that I heard about in my travels. I have attempted to find witnesses to confirm these reports, but have yet to succeed. I do, however, believe these stories to be true, and welcome your comments and corroboration. Please contact me through my website, shaunmorey.com, and I will update the stories online with further information and/or photographs. While at the website, you can view extraordinary photographs, like the thumb found in the belly of the trout; read additional stories; and see videos like the killer bees that scared the bass fishermen out of their boatliterally. Id also like to hear about your most incredible fishing story. You can post your stories and incredible fishing photos on the website.

While the intentions of this book are to entertain and enthrall, I also hope it serves as a historical snapshot of the extraordinary sport of fishing. I have been surprised again and again at what can happen when the hook hits the water, and I dont want anyone to be deprived of those joys, so please do what you can to sustain our fisheries. Our waters are increasingly under pressure to absorb pollutants and still produce edible fish. And while many rivers and lakes are cleaner today than they were a few decades ago, much more needs to be done. Yes, commercial-fishing quotas have lessened pressure on some of our most vulnerable seagoing species, but still we can do more. Anglers are more cautious about the gear they use, the fishing line they discard, and the fish they place in the cooler. Dams have been removed, allowing wild fish back to their spawning grounds. Still, we must take it upon ourselves to support local causes to better our watersheds and protect our sport.

One of the best ways to help is to take a kid fishing. Recreational anglers have a powerful voice when we are generations strong. Tens of millions of us strive for the same thing: schools of large healthy fishfor ourselves, and our children. So join your local fishing club or angling organization. Volunteer at a kids fishing derby. Donate time or gear or money to one of the many take-a-kid-fishing foundations. All can be found by a simple Internet search. The more kids we get to the lake or stream or out on a half-day boat, the better our chances of healthy waters and world-record fish. Thank you for anything you can do to help.

Tight lines and singing reels,
Shaun

The author, age 2, fishing with a homemade cane pole.

Epic Battles and Obsessions

A Full-Bellied Battle

This 1,805-pound Pacific blue marlin was hooked by Captain Cornelius Choy and those aboard his now-famous charter boat, the Coreene-C, off Oahu, Hawaii, on June 10, 1971. The fish was so powerful that it required the additional brawn of three men from Huntington Beach, California, to land the behemoth, thereby disqualifying the catch from a world record. Remarkably, the blue marlin never sounded even though it was hooked in the jaw by a standard lure, and then took only 45 minutes to land. The reason for the short fight may have been the 100-pound yellowfin tuna found partially digested in the marlins gullet, possibly making it too full to battle the anglers.

Marlin Rodeo

As host of New Zealands popular TV series The Ultimate Fishing Show, Matt Watson has caught giant bluefin tuna and great white sharks using only a hand line. He crewed on New Zealands most successful sportfishing boat 4 years in a row, tallying the most marlin caught in a single season. Hes caught marlin from a surfboard, and another from a Jet Ski. Hes hooked nearly every game fish imaginable, including an enormous swordfish from a hand line, only to have it ravaged by a huge mako shark.

But among the coolest things hes ever done was to leap from a helicopter onto the back of a billfish.

The idea started while filming in Vanuatu, in the South Pacific, Watson said. We were heading out to do some land-based fishing on a remote island and we were flying in by helicopter. The pilot was telling me about the cowboys back in New Zealand that would leap from his helicopter to live-capture wild deer during a time when venison meat was at a premium. Hed hover overhead and the cowboys would jump out and wrestle the deer to the ground. It got me to thinking about jumping into the ocean and wrestling a game fish.