Big Baits part 10

I was pulling as hard as the light line would allow, and slowly but surely the fish started coming up closer to the surface, one more feeble run and the fish gave up, now I was gaining line steadily. I looked into the depths as I wound the fish to the surface, now I could see it, WOW, it was a giant halibut! It was the largest halibut I had ever seen, outside of Alaska. One swing of the gaff and it was on the boat, her tail beating loudly on the deck, I could not believe what I was seeing, here was the biggest California halibut I had ever caught, or had been caught on my boat.

As she was flopping on the deck, she spit out 5 mackerel, up to 2 1/2 lbs. probably eight pounds worth. Later on the scales she hit 49 1/2 pounds, add the 8 pounds of macks she spit up, and she would have easily broke the California state record and the IGFA all tackle record for Calif. halibut.

But after I received my certificate for my 21st IGFA world record, I promised my self I would let all record fish go until I had helped others catch 21 World records. My clients are now at 20 world records, and I have only 1 more to go to fulfill my promise, in the meantime I have released over 70 record class fish that I have caught. I am a professional fisherman and I should be able to break records, but helping others catch a record fish is a very special feeling, 100

times more special than catching my own!!!!

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Life Lesson 4: Laughter shall fuel your spirit's engine

When things get slow during the day as they usually do at some point, I find myself looking for someone to pick on. When my friend Terry G. is on the boat, he is usually my victim.

One day I had a near shore trip and Terry was helping me out, as my deckhand was sick. He was up in the front of the boat helping someone with a large backlash ( when you cast too hard and the spool is revolving faster than the line, and you get an awful tangle of line on your reel ). His rod was in a rod holder, dragging a sardine across the bottom, hoping a big halibut would eat it. (HEH, HEH, HEH, the perfect scenario for a "GOTCHA")

Running inside the cabin I notice a 5 pound Rock cod sinker, ( this is a 5 lb. lead weight used in fishing 500 to 900 feet deep.) Yes, that's the same as three football fields, stacked end to end. Attaching it to his line with a snap swivel, and letting it slide down his line to the bottom, I quickly loosened his drag a little and yelled, "Terry you have a big fish on!!" He ran back and picked up the now bent double rod. You've got light line, play him carefully! Terry would reel the weight up about 20 feet when the loose drag would start to slip and the sinker would pull 15 or 20 ft of line off the reel ( this is how some halibut feel, just a very heavy weight on the end of the line, sometimes making short runs and pulling line off the reel ).

No one else had seen me do this dastardly deed and everyone else thought he had a reel fish. After about 20 minutes Terry's face was beginning to show signs of strain, so I said, " He's getting tired, tighten up your drag," several times during the "fight" heh, heh, heh, he looked at me and whispered, "W R?" Meaning "world record".

I had already helped Terry catch two world record Bonita, on a fly rod, and his wife, Diane, catch a thirty seven lb. halibut, also a women's world record. I could see it was getting closer to the surface, so I yelled to everyone, "GET BACK!"

It was huge, so I swung the net down and hollered, "It must be a world record, "SINKER"!"- as it hit the deck with a loud THUNK! For a moment everyone just stood there stunned, then every one burst into laughter, EXCEPT TERRY! But he was a good sport and after a couple of months he actually started talking to me again. ( Just kidding, this was just one of the many jokes we were always playing on each other )

Life lesson # 4 Laughter shall fuel your spirit's engine

A thirty seven pound halibut, also a world record!
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Life Lesson 3 (2/2) : Being pulled over by a policeman is not necessarily a bad thing!

I couldn't believe this, I had tried to be so sneaky, and here I was busted! Guess my Momma done raised a fool after all! Seems like every time I didn't play by the rules I got bit in the ass. And why did I think this would be any different, does the word DUMMY come to mind?So I pull into a gas station across the street, and got out my drivers license.

The police officer walks up beside my van, ticket book in hand, as he gets near the drivers door, he notices the sign "ROY LAWSON'S FISHING ADVENTURES" on the side of my van. He looks at the sign for a moment then comes to the window, and asks me," Are you the Roy Lawson with 40 IGFA world fishing records that was in the recent Sea Magazine article, IN SEARCH of WORLD RECORDS?"

That's me, I answered. What a coincidence! He said, since I read that article, I really wanted to go fishing with you, but there was no phone number in the article. Then he asked me a few questions about shark fishing, and I mentioned I just happened to have my shark photo album with me. After seeing my pictures, he said, " My buddies will flip over these, I'm going to call them over." While waiting for his friends to show up, he asked why I was driving with a expired registration? I told him the story of either the boat payment or truck registration, next day charter and broken water pump. He chuckled, I'm going to give you a little break, just get your pump, go straight back to the boat and don't drive till you get it registered. Thank you so much officer, I said.

By now three or four other police cruisers had pulled up next to my van. There was quite a crowd of onlookers probably expecting to see me put in handcuffs and taken away to meet Bubba. I guess they were really surprised. I showed the group of officers my shark pictures and they set up a charter on the spot for the next weekend. Then they all shook my hand, got in their patrol cars and left. Three days later I got a deposit check from one of them for $300.00 for the shark charter.

Usually you get stopped by a policeman, get a ticket, and mail money to the city. I got stopped, and the officer sent ME money! How rare is that!?
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