Fish of a lifetime...

[THE DARKHORSE]

"Three pounds of grey and white matter shape our "reality"---our knowledge, our joys, sorrows and regrets, our imagination, hopes and future plans, our sense of self---and our humanity." We're all wired a little differently, but through the bond of fishing most of us can put our differences aside. For those that can't, wake up and smell the fish! My only hope is that my story will inspire someone to stay those extra few minutes, sometimes that's what makes the difference. Make sure to pack a lunch and bring plenty to drink, load up on sunscreen and remember, the sky's the limit!

I've never seen, oh how shall I say, a more wide array of---styles?---while watching my fellow kayak fishermen. I suppose one's fishing background plays a major role in their daily approach, but I'm often surprised by the variety of styles none the less. I can appreciate the lack of monkey see monkey do mentality and being an only child I can relate. But, when twenty guys are all bendo in one spot in the middle of winter, fishing the bottom with squid, trolling a Rapala might not be the best approach. That said, I really don't know because I've never tried it---might be the hot ticket.

This past Spring I had a guy thirty feet away slapping an 8" slug on the surface for Calico Bass, making plenty of noise for both of us. On a typical day this probably wouldn't have even raised my brow, but how this guy didn't see the schools of fifty pound fish below his kayak, I'll never know. I simply chalked it up to different strokes for different folks and maybe one man's trash is another man's treasure.

I'm sure most guys think I'm nuts when I release twenty pound Halibut or Flounder as I call them, but I don't get the gaff out for any ol' Flounder. A fifteen pound Flounder would be reason to celebrate on the Gulf Coast, a state record indeed, but when you catch your first Halibut over forty pounds, you'll understand. With sore arms from the monster Yellowtail the last few weeks and plenty of White Seabass in the freezer, I set out in pursuit of a new trophy. I've caught a few Halibut over forty in my time and released a number of Flounder this year, but I wanted a monster---a fish of a lifetime.

On this particular day I set out targeting that flat monster, but decided to take advantage of the morning Yellowtail bite. The morning looked promising with a nice current, bait o' plenty and a few hook-ups. Unfortunetly, three Thresher Sharks and a big Black Seabass were on the other end of the line. Mid-day I made that move to a spot where I caught a Flounder last week, where there's one there's more, right? A couple of hours passed without so much as a raked bait and I remembered why I prefer chasing Yellowtail to pounding sand. My mind wandered and patience ran out just as the afternoon current returned. I up and moved right back to the Yellowtail grounds and everything looked perfect: Strong current, bait o' plenty, crashing birds, and quite a few appearances by Flipper and his friends. Everything you could possibly want was in place, but I just had that feeling in my gut, a feeling that apparently wasn't going away. I made that annoying treck right back from where I came---the sandy desert.


Truth is I questioned that decision with every pedal along the way, but I was reminded on my first bait to always, always, always, follow your gut.

[bigbarrels]

wow! Sweet fish Josh

[erinoo]

A pig..

[gary sullivan]

OMG, hope you have a big freezer. Truly a magnificent fish.

[FISHIONADO]

Nice one! Hali-toad!

[467echo]

Nice fatty Josh! Looks like we are starting to give WA some competition down here

[Holy Mackerel]

TOAD! (where's the halibut emoticon when you need it!)

[Matt]

Nice, nice, nice fish Josh!!! Halibut fishing definitely sucks but way to make it worthwhile!!

[wiseguy]

Very impressive catch! Congratz! What was the weight?

[Spyder]

That is a BEAST!

Congrats on that trophy and for sticking with you gut.............

[ratdog]

Congrats, big time. Very impressive

[MalibuJohnny]

Nice fish!

Great luck ~!

[forefrazier]

Un****ing believable! That thing is so big it hides the double chin shot..LOL.

Got any specs on that beast? And I hope you had a big baseball bat on board!

[Quilted Germ]

Decent fish but I'm more impressed with the collared button down...it's a good look!

[bellcon]

You ain't fooling no one Mr. Fish of a life time.
Even with the blacked out background it is clear you were in Alaska.
Halibut that size just don't exist down in these waters.
Besides you don't have the patience for that kind of fishing.
So why doctor the photo? (again, yes we all remember the last "photoshoped" pictures)
If you would just shoot straight with us we would'nt hate on you so much.

Nothing wrong with a little Alaskan vacation...
But to imply that beast was caught in So. Cal. please.
And if the freezers full, why kill another fish?

I hope you are ready for the onsalught of negative post... cause they are coming, I just thought I would get the ball rolling.

I for one am sick of your, "once a month" fish killing grandstanding.
We get it, you catch alot of big fish,
We would all catch fish of a "lifetime" if thats all we did was fish one location day in and day out...

Give a rest Mr, Darkhorse, your pursuit of that "trophy" to inflate your ego has gotten old.

Maybe La Jolla should be shut down, hell at this rate in a couple years there wont be a fish left anyway, and kayaking in LJ will be good for excersize and cave touring only...

And why rank on the noisy bass guys? he was disturbing the Ghost you were trying to kill again???, maybe he did see them, maybe he was subconsciuosly sent there by some force stronger than all of us to help save those poor fish from slaughter at the hands of Mr. Killem and Grillem?

Seriously how many fish do you need to bring to gaff?, maybe you could learn something from the Calico "trash man" (what? bass fishing is below you?) I bet he was releasing his his trophies...unlike you, who somehow needs to kill and post, kill and post, kill and post, to fuel your ego into over drive?

We get it Mr. Darkhorse, you have La Jolla dialed in and can kill at will, that doesnt mean you should!

Your a guide right? So after you kill every fish in La Jolla, plus the few "trophys" you let your clients kill, what are you going to do??? turn from fishing guide to tour guide? I can hear you now:

"See over there?, thats where I killed mulitple 65lb WSB back in 2009, Limit was one, but I kept on fishing, and "accidently" hooked another and released it...and over there? I got 4- 40lb+ Yellowtail in one day!, while my client killed 5, and right around here is where I claimed to have caught my Alaskan Halibut... ahh the good old days...boy those guys on B.W.E. sure were stupid, I used to love showing them pictures of dead fish"


You say:

We're all wired a little differently, but through the bond of fishing most of us can put our differences aside.

Wheres this bond you talk about?
Everytime I hear about you it is negative, so please dont patronize the rest of us... We tried to get along with you, tried to set you straight on the simple rules of fishing etiquette , you shunned us, you killed for killing sake and took the sport of kayakfishing and made every outing into a personal "freezer filling" trip.

Like you said:

With sore arms from the monster Yellowtail the last few weeks and plenty of White Seabass in the freezer,

Please define for us what "plenty" means?????
1,000lbs? just how many freezers do you own Mr. Pruitt?
And if your arms are so sore (poor you) maybe you should give fishing a rest...
I know that all of us could use a rest from your grandstanding...

And maybe if you took that rest, you would come to understand the harm you are doing, both to the fishery you call home and to the community you mockingly try to "inspire" with your self serving fish killing "reports"

And you have also said you only post once a month?
well thats a lie, the poor Yellowtail you killed for fun and posted for your own glory was less than two weeks ago... so? what happen to the compromise with the "PB'r Mafia" ?

Maybe you should do us all a favor...
and get back into the loan business... go back to your "monetary prime"
Raping poor gullible people with shady loans... It does alot less harm to the world in the long run than raping the pristine fishing grounds of La Jolla, if we are to believe half of what you say is true, you might as well be dragging a gill net around...

So there you have it Mr. Darkhorse,
My opinon on your latest fishing exploits, give it a rest, do something to help not hurt for a change, go feed some homeless people or something, (empty one of your freezers)

I for one will continue to try and fish La Jolla, while there are still a few fish around, using less Hollocaustic methods than those that you are so fond of and doing all I can do to promote peace among the kayakfishing community, the same community that you take joy in poking with a sharp stick every chance you get.

but I was reminded on my first bait to always, always, always, follow your gut.

Again if half of your stories were true, then your gut is full of WSB and Yellowtail, and now Alaskan Halibut...(Sitka???)
So follow it back to your freezer Mr. Pruitt and give the ocean a chance to recover from your deadly exploits, we have all heard enough and were not buying it.
Frankly we would just as soon see the store close...

Oh and you know who I am Mr. Darkhorse, so if you want this repeated in person, just ask, and I will oblige, I dont hide behind computers like some of the panty ass posters who try and give you shit, and I will never use a false screenname to communicate my message to you or anyone... best thing for you would be to just take my words and deal with them as the truth they are, get over yourself Mr. Trophy, unlike like a "fish of a life time"
you would get hurt trying to reel me in.

Don Bell, "Bellcon"









































































Did I miss anything?
Or did that just about cover it?


Can I come over for Dinner?
I'd love some good California Halibut

Congrats my friend

[Geoffkoop]

Wow, heck of a flounder! That fish deserves a popped collar for sure

[JoeBeck]

Great fish great story!

[Geoffkoop]

Josh,
What did that guy weigh? You have sparked my interest... Current records are:

Average Weight: 6 lbs. - 30 lbs.
Peak Weight: 60 lbs.
IGFA Record: 53.3 lbs.
California Record: 58.9 lbs

[THE DARKHORSE]

Originally Posted by bellcon

You ain't fooling no one Mr. Fish of a life time.
Even with the blacked out background it is clear you were in Alaska.
Halibut that size just don't exist down in these waters.
Besides you don't have the patience for that kind of fishing.
So why doctor the photo? (again, yes we all remember the last "photoshoped" pictures)
If you would just shoot straight with us we would'nt hate on you so much.

Nothing wrong with a little Alaskan vacation...
But to imply that beast was caught in So. Cal. please.
And if the freezers full, why kill another fish?

I hope you are ready for the onsalught of negative post... cause they are coming, I just thought I would get the ball rolling.

I for one am sick of your, "once a month" fish killing grandstanding.
We get it, you catch alot of big fish,
We would all catch fish of a "lifetime" if thats all we did was fish one location day in and day out...

Give a rest Mr, Darkhorse, your pursuit of that "trophy" to inflate your ego has gotten old.

Maybe La Jolla should be shut down, hell at this rate in a couple years there wont be a fish left anyway, and kayaking in LJ will be good for excersize and cave touring only...

And why rank on the noisy bass guys? he was disturbing the Ghost you were trying to kill again???, maybe he did see them, maybe he was subconsciuosly sent there by some force stronger than all of us to help save those poor fish from slaughter at the hands of Mr. Killem and Grillem?

Seriously how many fish do you need to bring to gaff?, maybe you could learn something from the Calico "trash man" (what? bass fishing is below you?) I bet he was releasing his his trophies...unlike you, who somehow needs to kill and post, kill and post, kill and post, to fuel your ego into over drive?

We get it Mr. Darkhorse, you have La Jolla dialed in and can kill at will, that doesnt mean you should!

Your a guide right? So after you kill every fish in La Jolla, plus the few "trophys" you let your clients kill, what are you going to do??? turn from fishing guide to tour guide? I can hear you now:

"See over there?, thats where I killed mulitple 65lb WSB back in 2009, Limit was one, but I kept on fishing, and "accidently" hooked another and released it...and over there? I got 4- 40lb+ Yellowtail in one day!, while my client killed 5, and right around here is where I claimed to have caught my Alaskan Halibut... ahh the good old days...boy those guys on B.W.E. sure were stupid, I used to love showing them pictures of dead fish"


You say:

Wheres this bond you talk about?
Everytime I hear about you it is negative, so please dont patronize the rest of us... We tried to get along with you, tried to set you straight on the simple rules of fishing etiquette , you shunned us, you killed for killing sake and took the sport of kayakfishing and made every outing into a personal "freezer filling" trip.

Like you said:

Please define for us what "plenty" means?????
1,000lbs? just how many freezers do you own Mr. Pruitt?
And if your arms are so sore (poor you) maybe you should give fishing a rest...
I know that all of us could use a rest from your grandstanding...

And maybe if you took that rest, you would come to understand the harm you are doing, both to the fishery you call home and to the community you mockingly try to "inspire" with your self serving fish killing "reports"

And you have also said you only post once a month?
well thats a lie, the poor Yellowtail you killed for fun and posted for your own glory was less than two weeks ago... so? what happen to the compromise with the "PB'r Mafia" ?

Maybe you should do us all a favor...
and get back into the loan business... go back to your "monetary prime"
Raping poor gullible people with shady loans... It does alot less harm to the world in the long run than raping the pristine fishing grounds of La Jolla, if we are to believe half of what you say is true, you might as well be dragging a gill net around...

So there you have it Mr. Darkhorse,
My opinon on your latest fishing exploits, give it a rest, do something to help not hurt for a change, go feed some homeless people or something, (empty one of your freezers)

I for one will continue to try and fish La Jolla, while there are still a few fish around, using less Hollocaustic methods than those that you are so fond of and doing all I can do to promote peace among the kayakfishing community, the same community that you take joy in poking with a sharp stick every chance you get.


Again if half of your stories were true, then your gut is full of WSB and Yellowtail, and now Alaskan Halibut...(Sitka???)
So follow it back to your freezer Mr. Pruitt and give the ocean a chance to recover from your deadly exploits, we have all heard enough and were not buying it.
Frankly we would just as soon see the store close...

Oh and you know who I am Mr. Darkhorse, so if you want this repeated in person, just ask, and I will oblige, I dont hide behind computers like some of the panty ass posters who try and give you shit, and I will never use a false screenname to communicate my message to you or anyone... best thing for you would be to just take my words and deal with them as the truth they are, get over yourself Mr. Trophy, unlike like a "fish of a life time"
you would get hurt trying to reel me in.

Don Bell, "Bellcon"









































































Did I miss anything?
Or did that just about cover it?


Can I come over for Dinner?
I'd love some good California Halibut

Congrats my friend

Freakin' hilarious, Don...Post of the month for sure.


I felt like we were in the movie Eight Mile starring Marshal Mathers, on stage, in the heat of a rap-battle.

Unfortunetly, in this case the tables were turned and somehow you were Eminem instead of me. Then you threw me the mic after telling me everything I was going to say. I sat stunned holding my morning coffee, but could imagine the roaring crowd at The Shelter. Just like Papa Doc, speachless, how could this white boy whip my azz in front of the whole Freeworld crew.

In the words of Eminem and the MLPA, "Fu@& the Freeworld!"




Oh yeah, for those curious about the specs, this fish measured 53" and is my new personal best Halibut weighing 51 lbs 5 oz, stoked!

[linghunter]