whats your biggest fish ever?

FlyRod · 10-17-06, 12:59 AM

While stationed in Heaven (Panama Canal Zone, before that idiot peanut farmer, Jimmah Cahtah, effed it all up) as an Army Brat, age 11, I caught my largest ever. Tuna, 386 lbs.
I was eleven years old at the time and I thought I was gonna die long before we finally gaffed the beast. I was hurtin' for a week afterward, and I seem to remember my knuckles dragging the ground.
In those glorious days, (1952-55) due to Dad's position, we got FREE deep-sea trips, on Army-owned 44 foot boats, about every 6-8 weeks. No cost, just provided our own food and beverage for two days.
The boats, called "J-boats" were based at the famous (and now gone. Thanks again, Carter, you ^$%&#! POS!) Balboa Yacht Club. Balboa was the capital of the Canal Zone, BTW.
When hangin' out at the BYC, I met Ernest Hemingway, Robert Ruark, and numerous great sportsmen and celebs. They were all willing to spend time with me and I'll never forget those times.
Some of the people we actually fished with (on the General's "Q-boat", 56 footer): Margaret Truman (Harry's daughter) and her then-fiancee. Terry Moore (hottie), who was involved with Howard Hughes. Sam Snead (golfer), Zane Grey (sportsman and western writer) and a few others...names escape me.
There were three "Q-boats", Army owned, but one each assigned to the ranking Army General (Overall Caribbean Commander), one to the Commanding Admiral of the 15th Naval District, and one to whatever USAF puke was in charge of the local zoomies. And it was ALL at taxpayers' expense! Heehee!
There were 6 (I think) "J-Boats", and all boats were skippered by Army Transportation Corps NCOs (that pissed the other two "owners", especially the Admiral, off to no end.) with Panamaniac deck hands.
These boats had been ordered as "High-Speed Liaison Craft" for amphibious operations commanders...(see: D-Day, Iwo Jima, etc,) but somehow wound up in Panama with outriggers, fighting chairs, potties, small galleys, and sleeping facilities. Hmmmmmmmm. They looked like, and actually were, semi-deluxe sportfishing cruisers.
So, we'd depart the BYC in pre-dawn darkness and head out into the Pacific...tough life, so very, very tough.

Panama...Paradise Lost.

http://www.hollywoodpinup.com/pin-ups/image/07terry.jpg
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/truman/...ilysupport.jpg
http://www.bananafishbooks.com/shop_...uct/015614.jpg
http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/ar...os/header2.jpg
http://www.cubatravelusa.com/ERNEST_HEMINGWAY_PHOTO.jpg

FlyRod
Cryin' in my Diet Pepsi as we speak.

10-17-06, 12:59 AM	#26
FlyRod BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,270	While stationed in Heaven (Panama Canal Zone, before that idiot peanut farmer, Jimmah Cahtah, effed it all up) as an Army Brat, age 11, I caught my largest ever. Tuna, 386 lbs. I was eleven years old at the time and I thought I was gonna die long before we finally gaffed the beast. I was hurtin' for a week afterward, and I seem to remember my knuckles dragging the ground. In those glorious days, (1952-55) due to Dad's position, we got FREE deep-sea trips, on Army-owned 44 foot boats, about every 6-8 weeks. No cost, just provided our own food and beverage for two days. The boats, called "J-boats" were based at the famous (and now gone. Thanks again, Carter, you ^$%&#! POS!) Balboa Yacht Club. Balboa was the capital of the Canal Zone, BTW. When hangin' out at the BYC, I met Ernest Hemingway, Robert Ruark, and numerous great sportsmen and celebs. They were all willing to spend time with me and I'll never forget those times. Some of the people we actually fished with (on the General's "Q-boat", 56 footer): Margaret Truman (Harry's daughter) and her then-fiancee. Terry Moore (hottie), who was involved with Howard Hughes. Sam Snead (golfer), Zane Grey (sportsman and western writer) and a few others...names escape me. There were three "Q-boats", Army owned, but one each assigned to the ranking Army General (Overall Caribbean Commander), one to the Commanding Admiral of the 15th Naval District, and one to whatever USAF puke was in charge of the local zoomies. And it was ALL at taxpayers' expense! Heehee! There were 6 (I think) "J-Boats", and all boats were skippered by Army Transportation Corps NCOs (that pissed the other two "owners", especially the Admiral, off to no end.) with Panamaniac deck hands. These boats had been ordered as "High-Speed Liaison Craft" for amphibious operations commanders...(see: D-Day, Iwo Jima, etc,) but somehow wound up in Panama with outriggers, fighting chairs, potties, small galleys, and sleeping facilities. Hmmmmmmmm. They looked like, and actually were, semi-deluxe sportfishing cruisers. So, we'd depart the BYC in pre-dawn darkness and head out into the Pacific...tough life, so very, very tough. Panama...Paradise Lost. http://www.hollywoodpinup.com/pin-ups/image/07terry.jpg http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/truman/...ilysupport.jpg http://www.bananafishbooks.com/shop_...uct/015614.jpg http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/ar...os/header2.jpg http://www.cubatravelusa.com/ERNEST_HEMINGWAY_PHOTO.jpg FlyRod Cryin' in my Diet Pepsi as we speak.

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