LOL !
Hey, speakin' of critters . . .
This was a neat BIG FISH story. The one that DIDN'T get away !!:
A Reel Whopper [of a Fish Story!]
Excerpt:Plano (TX) man casts his name into the record books with giant tuna from Gulf
Ron Roland of Plano accomplished the unthinkable on May 23. He landed the biggest fish ever documented caught on a rod and reel in the Gulf of Mexico. The fish was a 1,152-pound bluefin tuna, an unusual species for the Gulf and a fish known as a ferocious heavyweight fighter.
Roland is an experienced saltwater angler who was fishing aboard a 50-foot Hatteras owned by Roland's friends, Mike and Paul Ippolito of New Orleans. Also aboard was Patrick Fitzmorris of New Orleans. They were fishing a weedline about 35 miles offshore.
"Mike was on the flying bridge, and he spotted some surface activity in the distance," Roland said. "About that time, another fisherman came on the marine radio and said that he'd spotted some bluefin tuna jumping."
The fishing buddies were ready for a big fish. They'd been trolling for marlin. They reeled in their lines and headed for the distant action. Roland was sitting in the air-conditioned salon when his friends put lures back in the water.
Teamwork is required to catch a big fish, and the anglers had fished together often and had a plan of action. Luckily for Roland, it was his turn on the rod.
"As soon as we put the lures out, we got a strike – bam – just like that," Roland said. "I grabbed the rod and climbed into the fighting chair and got hooked up. We had five other lines out, and Patrick and Paul were reeling them in when we suddenly realized that strategy would not work. Within a few seconds of the strike, the fish had spooled 700 to 800 yards of line."
Click here for the rest of this great story !
Courtesy photo
Plano's Ron Roland is dwarfed by the 1,152-pound
bluefin tuna he caught offshore of Louisiana.