A bass isn't going to sit still at 20 yards for 2 hours. Regardless of whether it's 8 lbs or 80 lbs.
Bass just don't have the stamina to fight that long. 20# mono won't hold up to the back and forth over a spinning reel's line roller and the rod's guides for that long. The only way a bass is going to take 4 hours to land is 1) it's a monster and 2) it's foul hooked, in which case it'll likely spool a 710. That's why it doesn't hold enough line for a 4 hour fight.
And you know what? There are few fishermen who have the strength and stamina to fight any fish for 2 hours, let alone 4. Especially standing up (not in a fighting chair or wearing a harness) on a jetty.
Look at the pictures of Al back then. Does he look like the fittest physical specimen you ever saw?
I believe in my heart that Al truly caught that fish, and caught it fair and square. But I don't believe for a second that he fought it for 4 hours, or even an hour and forty minutes. His perception of time was affected by the circumstances of having what he knew was the fish of his lifetime on the end of the line. If someone was standing behind him, not personally involved in the fight, I'd be willing to bet it was on for less than an hour.
And among the things that Al has been consistent on over the years is that he caught it on an older style Rebel Windcheater.