BigJim:
As one of the guys responsible for verifying AOTY and DOTY submissions I spend A LOT of time looking at fish pics and AOTY/DOTY entries both past and present.
Some entries and reports have stuck in my head and inspired me...the BIG fish over 40 inches have always haunted my dreams....both for the sheer impressiveness of the fish, and for the fact that I have seen/caught/shot so few fish that big!!!
I have heard mention and talk of the "40 inch club", but thought it would be cool to have a thread (hopefully stickied :smt002) where people can share and post their stories of their entries into "The 40 inch Club".
Seems to me that the species up here that should qualify for entry into this club are Lings, Butts, Salmon and Stripers...WSB seem to be mostly over 40 (only one entered in AOTY under 40), sturgeon are too big :smt002, same with wolf eels and sharks.
Here are some of my ramblings of 40inchers that have inspired me and left a lasting impression on me...
40 inches has always seemed to be the magic number to truly qualify a Ling as a LingZilla (don't know why but that's what my brain told me :smt002), and I still vividly remember when Adam FisHunter caught and released his 41 inch beast back in 2009.
His report and the community response to it was one of the events that really opened my eyes to what a special group NCKA is...
Later that year SinCoast caught his monster 42.75 inch butt to win the MBK tourney, and I remember thinking how crazy big that was and how I would almost be scared to see a butt that big underwater:
This year I was lucky enough to get another entry into the Club with this 41.25 inch butt...once again my spear did not go all the way through and I had to grab the fish and subdue it with brute force...
In 2009 Patrick HOLY TOLEDO blew my mind when he caught this 42 inch Striper trolling a rapala in the surf, and now that it is legal to spear ocean stripers I get excited every time I swim through the surf thinking that I might stumble across a similar monster....
http://aoty.norcalkayakanglers.com/catches/763
You can see the 40 inch and over AOTY Stripers here:
So...if you have stories/pics/vids of your own entries into the 40 inch club, or want to share stories of catches that have inspired you as an angler/diver post them up here!
:smt006
Sincerely,
Jim
ps...attached are a few pics of some good examples of my favorite 40+ inch beasts. :smt004
FisHunter:
you made me cry here at work....thanks Jim! :smt008
and another congrats to those who are in now. :smt007
To those that are still looking to enter the 40 club.......they are out there, keep your chin up and your line/spear in the water, IT WILL HAPPEN! :smt003
Darius (Burong Isda):
If you dont mind, I'm adding this 40"+ Pac Hali. :smt002 THANKS
trianglelaguna:
ahhh WOW
seems I'm using too small a hook :smt003
FishingForTheCure:
--- Quote from: trianglelaguna on August 04, 2014, 12:14:09 PM ---ahhh WOW
seems I'm using too small a hook :smt003
--- End quote ---
It's not the size of the hook, it's how you dangle it :smt002