Andrew Vietze - The Biggest Fish Ever Caught: A Long String of

ANDREW VIETZE

LYONS PRESS

Guilford, Connecticut

An imprint of Globe Pequot Press

Copyright 2013 by Andrew Vietze

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.

Lyons Press is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.

Photos on pp. 7, 17, 26, 40, 59, 72, 85, 96, 105, 128, and 148 licensed by Shutterstock.com.

Project editor: Staci Zacharski

Text design: Linda Loiewski

Layout artist: Sue Murray

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Vietze, Andrew.

The biggest fish ever caught : a long string of (mostly) true stories / Andrew Vietze.

pages cm

Summary: How did they do it? What are the secrets of the fishermen whove landed the worlds greatest trophy fishes? The Biggest Fish Ever Caught will tell the tales behind the International Game Fishing Associations record-holding fish, including where they were bagged, what lines/lures the anglers used, and other tips and tricks. The dozen stories here are filled with amazing action and intriguing characters. Theyll take you to lakes, streams, and oceans around the world and explore catch and release vs blood sport fishing, stocking and bioengineering, conservation - and controversy. All the while revealing the sorts of secrets fishermen dont usually like to share Provided by publisher.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-4930-0185-9

1. FishingRecordsAnecdotes. 2. FishingAnecdotes. 3. FishersBiographyAnecdotes. I. Title.

SH455.V54 2013

799.1dc23

2013019005

This book is for my fishing buddies: Bruce White, Rachel Story, Marybeth and Mark, Betsy and Yves, Mike and Mike, Jennifer Smith-Mayo, Joe and Lisa McSwain, and all the other anglers who inspire me at Daicey Pond. And especially Charity and Dean Levasseur. Dean is the king of fishing in these parts as far as I can tell, offering tips, giving away flies, loaning out his boat and fly rod to complete strangers, and answering questions by the hundreds, always with patience and a genuine interest in helping out fellow anglers. They dont call him LL Dean for nothing.

CONTENTS

Chapter One
Black Piranha
Russell Jensen, Fisherman

Chapter Two
Black Marlin
Alfred Glassell, Fisherman

Chapter Three
Striped Bass
Greg Myerson, Fisherman

Chapter Four
Walleye
Mabry Harper, Fisherman

Chapter Five
Walking Catfish
Patrick Keough, Fisherman

Chapter Six
King Salmon
Lester Anderson, Fisherman

Chapter Seven
Largemouth Bass
George Perry, Fisherman
Manabu Karita, Fisherman

Chapter Eight
Rainbow Trout
Adam and Sean Konrad, Fisherman

Chapter Nine
Longnose Gar
Townsend Miller, Fisherman

Chapter Ten
Brown Trout
Tom Healy, Fisherman
Roger Hellen, Fisherman

Chapter Eleven
Muskellunge
Cal Johnson, Fisherman

Chapter Twelve
Hammerhead Shark
Bucky Dennis, Fisherman

Chapter Thirteen
Pacific Blue Marlin
Stacey Parkerson, Fisherwoman

Afterword
Catch and Release

INTRODUCTION

Every fisherman has a bit of the Ahab in him. As a park ranger stationed at a popular fishing pond in Maines North Woods, I see eager anglers on a daily basis from October to November. They come from all over the world to explore the depths of the spruce-ringed, thirty-eight-acre basin out frontand the dozen others within walking distancefor its native population of brook trout. They seek me out for fishing licenses, for keys to the boats we have on remote ponds, to ask about the rules and regulations, and sometimes for advice on where theyre biting and what flies are working.

Then they head out, and I marvel at their passion and drive. Theyre on the water, seated in a canoe, when the rain is coming down in torrents. Theyre out there when the first snows of the season begin to fall softly down. Theyre out there when the whitecaps are blowing right over the rails into their boats. Theyre out there when nothing is rising, and the only things biting are thick clouds of maddening blackflies.

Nothing can stop a fisherman. The only other species that can rival their determination might be New England gardeners. Or golfers. Or adolescent video gamers. Or those blackflies. Single-minded. Focused. So in love with what they do.

Its a beautiful thing.

My dirty little secret: Im no angler. Which isnt to say Im not very good. I simply dont fish. Like Theodore Roosevelt, I never acquired a taste for it, always finding it a little slow. I prefer to hike and climb and paddle. People are often shocked that the ranger at Daicey Pond, surrounded by some of the finest fishing in the northeast, doesnt wet a line now and again. (And a Registered Maine Guide at that.) Some of my fellow rangers, posted mountainside or at gatehouses, want to bump me off and take my spot simply on principal.

But I have a real admiration for fishermen because they will not be deterred. If they set aside a day for fishing, they will fish, come what may, Always with the idea that on a lucky day one of them will strike it big, hauling in a monster. Perhaps itll be big enough for the angler to contact the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) and have it considered for a record.

Based in Dania Beach, Florida, IGFA does the fishing worlds bookkeeping, tracking the largest fish caught anywhere on the globe with a rod and reel. Founded by a group of deepwater fishermen in 1939, the organization was originally formed to help set ethical standards for ocean angling. Up to that point, there were no universals, and fishing clubs, countries, and individual anglers all operated on their own moral codes. This led to many disputes and record confusion, and certainly didnt help global fish populations.

In the early thirties, famed angler Michael Lerner met with British fisherman Clive Firth and discussed the idea of an international association to codify fishing standards and establish saltwater fishing records. Being a scientist, Lerner wanted to keep gamefish populations healthy as much as he wanted to keep some of the records hed set, and IGFAs mission always included a message of conservation. The pair met with the American Museum of Natural Science, which was involved initially, and the institutions Dr. William Gregory became the first president of the nascent organization in 1939. Another well-known fisherman by the name of Ernest Hemingway lent his support and was an early officer.

Freshwater records at the timethose records held by fishing legends like Townsend Miller, George Perry, and Cal Johnsonwere kept by Field & Stream magazine. The association absorbed those in 1978.

To meet IGFAs standards a potential record breaker must:

• Be caught on a standard mono-, multi-, or lead-filament line with a standard rod and a reel that has no power aids.
• Fishing chairs and gaffs are allowed but again, no added power.