posted 07-20-2001 10:39 AM ET (US)        

I think I had previously mentioned that the source of my whaler habits started with my brother back in NJ. He was the second owner of the Nauset that is now in my garage and restored a 71 dump truck to mint shape that sits on the shore station behind his family's home on the Metedaconk river, NJ.

His new rig is a 45 Darlington whose construction is nearly complete by L&H Boats down in Stuart, FL. The owner of the company realizing John has been without an offshore boat for a year while waiting,waiting, waiting for his to be completed decided he would take John out for a giant tuna trip to the Canyons in his 55.

For those of you that are Giant Tuna chasers, you know that it is really great to see one in a given year let alone hook up and boat one. At any rate, they took off and decided to go another 50 miles past the canyons and went to sleep for the night. When they woke up they found the most amazing sight -- they apparently had happened into a school of giants. John said that at any given moment you could see 4 or 5 tuna in the air at once. Now that sounds like a fish story.

Through one day, they hooked up on TEN tuna, lost numerous, cut three off at the boat and boated their new limit of one fish, a 590 pounder which is sold and now on its way back to Japan.

I want pictures of this...