How old were you?

[capbob66]

10. On a stick boat. Watched my neighbor stick a BFT that ended up dressing 790lbs. Any wonder why I'm hooked?!

I was 10 and we hooked and landed a 625lb Bluefin east of thatcher's trolling that's all it took now I'm hopelessly hooked forever!!!

[Nimrod]

I was born in January and started going offshore with my parents and grandparents that summer (July/August). They lashed my crib down in the salon of the ole Pembrook and we would troll at the Jackspot for white marlin and anything else they could get to bite.

I obviously don't remember what was caught but they tell me the only time I would start crying is when they shut the motors off back at the dock.

[tolbard]

My first offshore trip I was the young age of 40. Spent 4 years on the coast of carolina aaaaaaaa whole lot of time on a flat bottom boat but never fished.Went sharking and was runied for life.

[buckeyetuna]

I spent all the summers of my youth on Lake Michigan fishing for Smallmouth Bass and Lake Trout. When I was 11, the movie "JAWS" came out and I fell in love with the fishing scenes. As a result, my Dad contacted the old Worldwide Sportsman (a small tackleshop back in the 70's) down in Islamorada and asked who the best Shark fisherman in the area was. They hooked us up with Captain Tony Peluso on the "DAWN" out of Whale Harbor. We fished with Tony and his Brooklyn accent going "Shawk Fishing" from 1976 to 1982. He was an intense fisherman and left a lasting impression on me. On our first trip when I was 11, I caught a 225 lb Tiger and my Dad caught a 300 lb Hammer. We caught alot of sharks over those years (largest 500 lb Tiger). The highlight occured when I was 13 when we caught 2 Makos in a day at the Hump. Mine was the larger of the 2 and I won the Junior Division for the Heaviest Mako in the Met Tournament that year. We have alot of captured memories thanks to the identical twins that ran Twin Photo back in those days.

Now 35 years later, my Dad still fishes with my buddies and I in 2 Tuna Tournaments a year (Outer Banks and Cabo), plus other various trips. He is the guy in the "Budman" Shirt. However, it all started with "Jaws" and Captain Tony Peluso. Last I heard Capt Tony was running a lawncare service in Islamorada. Thanks Captain Tony. Hope you're still around and good memories are still flowing through your head..