What am I doing wrong

[backman]

I have to confess that last yesr when everyone was catching 68" fish I was only catching 65" fish. This year already I can feel my inadaquacy and self doubt starting even earlier.

Everyone is reporting 71 and 72 3/4" fish and after getting beat up and dragged around the cockpit we landed what by my eyeball appeared to be a 74-76" fish. It was really big; I mean very big, too big for me to stand it up on its nose in a he-man pose.

We put a tape to it and it said 66"; I had self doubt and we did it again and this time it said 67"; I still had self doubt and did it again at the dock with a new tape measure. You know what - the damned thing still said 67".

What am I doing wrong? I really want to hang with the big boys and claim a fish just a few short hairs shy of a commercial fish but I seem to be well off in my measurements.

Do I need a new tape measure?

Now lets move on to drag. UNlike others I'm not big on drag; I find when I put more than 25 pounds of drag on a fish I end up getting dragged myself. One time when I was handed a rod with a manly 40# of drag I almost went for an unplanned waterskiiing trip.

What am I doing wrong? Any advice on how to handle a bigger drag?


Finally - the almost taboo subject - time and stamina. As much as I try I can't be a 7 minute man like everyone else. Also - perhaps I need more wheaties or time in the gym because my stamina is no where near anyone else's ; 30 minutes and I'm fading, 40 minutes and done.

How do I improve my performance here? I want to be big and strong and powerful and be able to muscle them up in 7 minutes biceps bulging and also be able to go long and hard, quad's screaming as I stand pinned to the corner for hours on end whipping the poor fish into in water tuna burger.

Thanks in advance for any advice....

[cold waters]

no thats the funniest post I ahve seen in a long time....

[simonsez1]

I second that! Great Stuff!

[On The Edge]

Hang in there LB. With a little time and patience you will get there As far as the tape goes, have you switched over the the metric system yet?

[clt_capt]

You can always go get a bright red sportscar and be like lowtide... to compensate...

[Riptide Charters]

Larry,

I hate to break the news to you, but a truck load of Wheaties and a gallon of D-Ball and your STILL not gonna be big and strong. Your stuck being smart and humble.....be happy with that



PS, and since your smart, you'll soon figure out that mechanical advantage beats brute strength every time

[Reel Pursuit]

Larry-
Let me offer a couple suggestions:

1. get a tape measure that's measured in centimeters and not inches. You'll feel better about the numbers.

2. fight it out of the gunnel. That's what real men do.

3. forget the wheaties. that's an old wive's tale. You need to go on a pure protien diet and bulk out that frame of yours. Try raw eggs and 5lbs of steak every day.

Best of luck out there!

[Parapapam]

You are going about it in the wrong way. Suggestions:

1. Sell the Carolina but don't get a Downeast hull... get a Donzi or Fountain.

2. ******, Baby!!!

3. Rig with gold chains... for you, I mean, not the reels.

4. Too much hair on the face and not enough toupee on the head.

5. Read more Penthouse Forum (do they still have that?) "I drive a small midwestern tuna boat. Some may find me attractive. Last night I went into a Peaked Hill Bar and was approached by the hottest tuna..."

6. Gold Rolex's really suck at telling time. 40 minutes feels like 6 minutes with an expensive watch.

Mike

P.S. Every time when I am on your boat and we both guess at the size of a fish, I guess higher and you guess lower. Your guesses are almost always closer to reality than my guesses. But I have been thinking I am bigger for years as well.

[amarshall]

I discovered this weekend that blue colored reels catch more fish.

One of the out of towners had a color wheel of reels in his boat.

[Massbaytuna3]

You can ask my girlfriend what she does....