Quest for Knowledge #2

Legendary thousand pound nights from the Surf. Has anyone ever witnessed or heard from a reliable source, the sale of a thousand pounds of Striped Bass, caught by an individual angler, past or present?

As someone we both know says ....Show Me The Slips... :faga:

Does Boat Count ??????????/ ;)

Don't know about the slips, but in the late 60's early 70's I remember staring open mouthed into the back of Old Man Lambro's surplus jeep at maybe a dozen 30-40 #ers. I know that doesn't add to half ton, but OMG what a night he had. Just about this time of year,too. :ss: 'scuse me got somethin' to do! :hee: Good thread!

Did you know it started out as 100's of #'s nights...huh hu:rolleyes:.

surf or boat?
doesn't really matter when your pullin that kind a weight i guess. but a little multiplication tells you that when it was a 40 fish daily at 34 inches min. per fish, which was not to long ago, you could have done that with 40 fish @ 25 pounds a peice or more.
that'll get the bills paid...
don't know anyone myself that has pulled those kind of numbers in my day, which is not saying much because i am young, but i'm sure it's been done.

Yep // in July /sometime more than 27 years ago == my parter & myself had the day of days // tubing === we were doing doubles almost every pass for the better part of a day / at the time I was Running a 18' Mirrorcraft w/85hp merc/ sucker screwed for that time =we were slippin & sliding all over the boat /between the waves & the weight of the fish ,it was getting out of hand ,so we [[HAD ]] to quit // at that time we really didn,t take super care of the bass / we just threw them in burlap bags ,which were plentyful at that time & wet them down / We had coolers to keep the flats of worms fresh & to ice down the by-catch of Blues & Squeteague//
When we got to the dock we pulled into the first slip that was close to the truck / we bag them all & hauled them to the truck //
When we were done we were beat so we sat on the bumper to charge up & that,s when a older man got out of his car & said to us not a bad day guys / we agreed with while still catching our breath // than he said ya shudda caught one more / what the #$%^ why ???/ he said ya got 99 bass there ,ya missed by one //
I did have a copy of the slip & the check but after a couple of moves its gone // But I do know the check was for $987.00 that was a awesome amount of money .. & back then we got paid very little compared to now ///
that day I made the run to Spooners in Westport to sell while my partner was to secure the bait for the next day // I had a commitment that nite so we made arrangements to meet the next day before dawn === I drag @ss & made Sheila do the same // we got to where we were to meet up & there was a boat already there ==it had to be Earl =so I headed that way to get my worms / wrong / someone else by 1 hour after daylight there was 50 boats cluster @#$%#$%^ everything // Earl was real pissed & after a few runins & some bass he quit // Sheila &I hung in there for the better part of the morning to get a days pay // Till this day I don,t know how Spooner knew where we were fishing /but it had to be him ,because mant of the guys fishing that morning/ were not from around there /but we knew they sold at the same place ///////////
After that we hooked up witha guy name Bruce from Fall River / When we had a score we would get ahold of him & he would sell under his name & we would glady pay him10% plus fish // I don,t think he ever fished in his life / but I can only guess what kind of answers he gave at the dealers :skulz:
I believe I still have somewhere the graph paper of the day.....

John:
Not here but on the Backbeach in the mid-90s. Some guys I knew from Thundermist had 1000 pound nights. I was with Lanny and Stevie one night I know of for sure. They had over 1100 pounds. All fish 34" and up. There were a lot of fish 35 to 40 lbs. They had 2 pickup trucks full of bass. We helped unload the bass at the Coop.
Another time Steve V came in from the Back with about 1/2 a Ton of Bass. They all came from Highhead. I am not sure this could happen now. I think they limit the take for the commercial rod and reel guys but this was 94 or 95.

Clammer. Great story and told well also.

thanks PIe// always the good old days vv :kewl:

The closest I ever came was 660lbs on Monomoy in July of 78' (26th to be exact) that was the total weight at Old Harbor Fish Market in Chatham for eleven fish. The smallest was 38 pounds and the largest was mid 40's. Dave LaPorte, my good friend, whom I met on Monomoy did 1100 pounds in one night in earlly October, 1980. My fish all fell to blue/silver 7 inch Windcheater Rebels, Dave's all fell to eels then eel butts and pieces as the night wore on.

If I knew then what I know now that 26th of July the total would have been scary. I must have dropped 30 fish. From dusk till dawn, tide didn't matter with 6 inch sand eels just piled along the surf edge. Dave's night was the same thing, dusk till dawn. I don't think we will ever see that again. What with seals and the way Monomoy and South Beach are configured.

What made it all possible was that Pleasant Bay flushed in and out every six hours. No break at Nauset. The Old Chatham Inlet and Long bar across from us. They would get mung we would get none, all summer. Makes you wanna cry when you think of it. Sigh, it will never be the same.

Flap;
dont doubt the pounds, but 11 fish for 660lbs = 60lb a fish
Still a dream season (and a damn good one at that) for most of us

My bad it was 14 fish at 616. I just went and dug out the old Old Harbor slip. Best to check after 27 years, The seventies did kill some brain cells. Whew!

My bad it was 14 fish at 616. I just went and dug out the old Old Harbor slip. Best to check after 27 years, The seventies did kill some brain cells. Whew!
Flap, that kind of fishing alone will kill some brain cells! Now I know what's up with some of you guys. ;) Me, I have no excuse. BTW, how's Mrs. Flap?

:hihi:

Happened regular on Block island in the 80s, just ask the guys at the co-op in gallilie.Would not want to mention names but there were plenty. As far as boat..Jobin had many nights like that in a tin boat at the island, I should mention that this was done by teams of 2 or 3 guys never just one that I know of, thats alot of fish for one guy, I would have trouble beleiving that unless I saw a slip.......

John, You ask for "One thousand pounds, In one night, caught by ONE Angler in the surf."

I have never caught a load that big.

I have never witnessed any one person catching a load that big.

When I worked as a fish-packer and fish slip writer-outer on Cape Cod. I never wrote a slip that big for bass for any one angler, and I never heard of anyone else writing a slip that big for bass caught from the beach in one night by one angler.

But I have heard many stories. The biggest fish slip I know of for one guy on a beach in one night was I believe around 760 lbs and he works across from Karl. Maybe you could confirm that sometime Karl. TC and JK would be my next choices.

I'm with Karl "Show Me the SLIP" :kewl: T should copywrite that.

Ed

No slips of course, as I've never sold a fish (esp. Bass!) in my life... (In fact, I keep maybe 2 or 3 per year)...

But: the "glory days" on the Backbeach/ Cape all in the (distant past?)

I've had at least 3 or 4 40- 50 Bass caught & released nights on the Cape, during my years there starting in 1997. Best night I remember: Columbus Day weekend-- yes: LeCounts mostly! 50 Stripers or so that night for me (a bunch more missed/ lost. Biggest fish: 33 lbs. Average fish: approx. 18 lbs. (nothing under 10 lbs. in the 50!)... 50 bass x 18 lbs. average per, = 900 lbs night... Possibly 1000+ as I'm estimating conservatively...


And: Long Island, East End, last Nov. 22, 2004. Hooked up pre- dawn, fished almost straight- through 'till 9PM or so. Blitzes on- & off, & herring, bunker & Bass (& some blues) dancing along a 5- 6 mile stretch of beach (Hamptons). Total for my day of Surfcasting (all 20 lb. mono.): 75 Bass, & 12 blues (again, approx.-- I don't count! But I don't kid/ lie either, least of all here/ anonymously!). Biggest Bass landed that day: 28 lbs. Average Bass that day: (approx.) 11 lbs ... 75 x 11 = 825

The Glory years are here/ today? I believe so, for #'s: unfortunately, I never saw average sizes per fish on the Cape, like Flaptail & others remember back in the day. No doubt in my mind, that a "40" today, is as hard/ rare as was a "50" "back then"...

Best night ever fishing the Cape? 6 hour shift at Ballston on a 32 degree night in late October, '99: one hit total, one fish landed: a 41 lbs. (pb) on 17 lb. mono... (Unfortunately, plug hooks seem to have major trouble stinging & holding the 50+'s!-- I lead the League in dropped 50's! :)

:wave: Ed.

I think that 760 # is the right figure, it's what I remember too.

JK has dragged more 50's and 60's up the berm than most I know, except the 2 T's, and probly more than them :huh:.. a legendary surfman, but, most have no clue who he is. Knee's, hips, ankles... all shot, from years of beach fishing, he still gets out in the boat tho.

Hi LeCounts1099,
I fished that week in "97" on Lecounts upto Ballston that Oct. and was the best surf fishing I have ever seen. I have seen some good bliz's but ever lasting all week, til a strong cold front came through and shut it down at the end of the week. Ever evening as soon as the sun went behind the dune the bass would be wait for an eel to go by. Every night that week I had 25-35 lbs bass at Lecounts, would fish only to 10-11 pm after catching most nights at less a dozen or more. Sleep a couple of hours and fish Ballston from 3-8 am, fishing was non-stop. A couple of times just after casting a new eel, trying to wash my hands with the rod between my legs, only to have a bass picking up the eel and having to grab the rod before I lost it. It was like feeding sunfish worms off a dock, the fishing was that fast and all nice fish. My best that week was just over 40 lbs my personal best from the surf, that fish was also the biggest Paul at Blackbeard's weighed that season, I know some bigger fish where caught that week, I did hear that 3-4 50's where caught. I dream about that week today and have not seen anything close to it since.

As someone we both know says ....Show Me The Slips... :faga:


That quote is more famous than the "I have a dream " speach. I love it. He may be one of the few that has a 1K night from the beach, though.

John:
Not here but on the Backbeach in the mid-90s. Some guys I knew from Thundermist had 1000 pound nights. I was with Lanny and Stevie one night I know of for sure. They had over 1100 pounds. All fish 34" and up. There were a lot of fish 35 to 40 lbs. They had 2 pickup trucks full of bass. We helped unload the bass at the Coop.
Another time Steve V came in from the Back with about 1/2 a Ton of Bass. They all came from Highhead. I am not sure this could happen now. I think they limit the take for the commercial rod and reel guys but this was 94 or 95.

All true stories.From 1993 to 1999 this happened quite a few times. To keep it in context for everyone, the catches were made from small boats fishing close to shore with two people on most nights. In 2000, the fishing just completely dried up for whatever reason and has not been that good since. Steve and his partner had over 10,000 lbs in 1995. My best was 40 fish for 960# in 1999, and I took a picture of the check for 2,160.Sold my boat in 2000, and have been on the sand since.

:wave: Ed.

I think that 760 # is the right figure, it's what I remember too.

JK has dragged more 50's and 60's up the berm than most I know, except the 2 T's, and probly more than them :huh:.. a legendary surfman, but, most have no clue who he is. Knee's, hips, ankles... all shot, from years of beach fishing, he still gets out in the boat tho.


Hey Karl,

Is JK the guy who catches a lot of tuna also?

JK=Jimmy Kostas, if it swam, he caught it. He's not one to seek the limelight, never was, or will be. He wasn't into who's was bigger, when he was doing it, he was doing it for dough. Never hear him talk of it much, always the ones that were with him that tell the stories. He'll just answer when asked, yeah caught a lot of fish, had bills to pay, he wished he'd caught more. Big ones, yeah, he'll say some were big, and cuss them a little bit, for ruining his knees and hips, lugging them up and over the berm to the buggy... he's had some replacements, done rehab.. I know he was codding some this winter, even tho he was limping about, and using a cane, then took a break for more surgery. But basically Jimmy's take, and talk, on fishing is :faga: and ya know what, that's :kewl: He partnered with the 2 T's for a bit, especially when they did the Monomoy runs, but other than that he was a one rod, one slip, one check kind of guy. Get the one of the 2 T's to talk of him, Wow! your head will spin.

Mr Macy , Redcrabber and myself caught about 1000 pounds one night just two years ago. That's three guys in one boat. You wouldn't even believe where so i won't burden you with that knowledge. All but 6 were released. we were not commercial fishing. Forget the slips , just ask redcrabber or Mr Macy!! :)

JK=Jimmy Kostas, if it swam, he caught it. He's not one to seek the limelight, never was, or will be. He wasn't into who's was bigger, when he was doing it, he was doing it for dough. Never hear him talk of it much, always the ones that were with him that tell the stories. He'll just answer when asked, yeah caught a lot of fish, had bills to pay, he wished he'd caught more. Big ones, yeah, he'll say some were big, and cuss them a little bit, for ruining his knees and hips, lugging them up and over the berm to the buggy... he's had some replacements, done rehab.. I know he was codding some this winter, even tho he was limping about, and using a cane, then took a break for more surgery. But basically Jimmy's take, and talk, on fishing is :faga: and ya know what, that's :kewl: He partnered with the 2 T's for a bit, especially when they did the Monomoy runs, but other than that he was a one rod, one slip, one check kind of guy. Get the one of the 2 T's to talk of him, Wow! your head will spin.
Man, I love the stories about the old guard...... :kewl:

All true stories.From 1993 to 1999 this happened quite a few times. To keep it in context for everyone, the catches were made from small boats fishing close to shore with two people on most nights. In 2000, the fishing just completely dried up for whatever reason and has not been that good since. Steve and his partner had over 10,000 lbs in 1995. My best was 40 fish for 960# in 1999, and I took a picture of the check for 2,160.Sold my boat in 2000, and have been on the sand since.
didnt you have a hard time selling?
getting the fish was easy it was selling
man in the hole alone you was good for a few hunder b4 moving down the islands
I did 300 here i want 3 fish there 200 there. it sucked 125 a pound and dropped alot
keep the slips %$%$%$%$ that, toss that crap out show me the money

did have an 682 :yawn: 1 slip last year .