520lber caught!

[Scopex]

Stan, I don't disagree that the amount of force being transferred to a fish would be considerably less than many would expect, in fact I know this to be the case, I just suspect a short jerkbait rod loaded with 80lb braid may exert a little more than the three or four pounds quoted, I maybe wrong but I'll post the results in any case just for curiosities sake.

 

It wasn't the braids strength but rather its sporting and conservation abilities which were under question.

 

[ 15. October 2005, 08:12 PM: Message edited by: Scopex ]

[stan4massey]

Scopex,

 

as you say for the sake of curiosity it`s worth a try. Be it 80lb braid, 10lb mono or a length of knitting wool, the results will be exactly the same. Its the blank that dictates what it can or cannot do the line has nothing at all to do with it as fas as gauging the pressure exerted is concerned. I have actually done it an hour or so ago in the workshop with a 10ft salmon spinner, relatively new blank which has not softened with use, max pull on the scales just under 3.5lbs. That rods had fish to over 20lb with ease.

[Ian FG]

188 lb Marlin Swordfish taken at Catalina Island by Winston Churchill 28 September 1929

 

 

A great Englishman with a great fish in a great place at a great time. Note on the picture it says "Time 20 minutes"

[stan4massey]

Ian,

 

thats a phenomenal amount of shark. I`ve only ever seen it on the tv but I think they take pectorals, anal and dorsal with dorsal being the most valuable.

 

Thats still tens of thousands of shark killed to make a plate of soup. Little doubt some of them would have been heading in the direction of UK sportfishing areas.

[stan4massey]

Old Winstons fish is a marlin not a swordfish. The pictures been touched up but even so looks like a striped marlin. Nothing to do with the stripes in the photo as they`re touch ups. The second dorsal is behind the second anal fin, a large dorsal fin with the last three rays of almost equal length and the end of the caudual has the slope away cut of a striper. Old Winnie`s holding the pectoral out. On a lot of marlin they fold in flat to the body but on swords they are fixed outwards. Looks like his old built can rod has taken a bit of a set.

[Ian FG]

Stan,

 

My son has a recent interest in Winston and when I was in a second-hand bookshop in Malvern today I spotted a book so I bought it for him. I was flicking through it just now and found this picture. I did a search on Google and it procuced the same picture but touched up in colour, it also had the date wrong. Both pictures call it a Marlin Swordfish.

 

I just thought the picture was pertinent, no one would have dreamed of criticising old Winston back then for catching a fish.

 

[ 15. October 2005, 08:49 PM: Message edited by: Ian FG ]

[stan4massey]

IAnFG,

 

its an amazing picture even if touched up. I`ve seen a good few of the old pics of Zane Gray, Hemmingway and the likes and some originals from (our US cousins will correct me if I`m wrong,) The Tuna Club of Avalon which I think was one of or the first organised tuna clubs in the world. Avalon????? California??? Not sure where it is. In a lot of the pictures the anglers and there attendants were dressed like that, bit of a change from nowadays, then it was all stiff upper lip stuff and cucumber sandwiches. In those days it would have been perfectly in order for gentlemen to whack anything they wanted on the head (within reason of course, not referring to their indian batmen)

[Ian FG]

Stan,

 

I've just scanned the picture in the book which is slightly different:

 

 

Catalina Island is off California I think.

 

The guy on the right of the picture is I think Louis B. Mayer the head of MGM studio

[stan4massey]

Even in the untouched picture its still a marlin.

Still sure its a striped. They can run to 500 or so a white marlin would be pushing to reach 200.

Mayer (Meyer)?? Thought I recognised the name. I was trying to think of old names in big game fishing as it was familiar. Your probably right about the MGM slant. Maybe the guys in the US can throw some info on Catalina. Looks an interesting picture / story. The pctorals in that photo are sticking out but I guess that`s simple old gravity. Love the rod seems to be a full through action to say the least. Wonder what the reel was. Were Penn around in 1929. That would be interesting to find out. May just forage the net. Bet the line was a 72 thread silk or similar

[argyll]

Ian, think you'll find that its Ben ® Meyer a noted Los Angeles doctor from the period. He also shows up in some of the early Hemingway/Zane Grey photos. I was curious at the time so I checked him out.

 

[ 15. October 2005, 09:53 PM: Message edited by: argyll ]