Fresno angler reels in some monster fish

Published online on Wednesday, Jun. 03, 2009

The disbelievers are everywhere.

Chong Yang doesn't see or hear them. But the 33-year-old Fresno man senses their presence much the same way he senses a monster fish lurking nearby during all those nights he spends standing in knee-deep water, cold wind and spray blowing in his face.

This is fishing, after all, where jealousy runs rampant, egos bruise easily and the truth often stretches like taffy.

"I've got nothing to hide," Yang says. "I want to be upfront and open about everything. But even when you tell the truth, 80% of the people aren't going to believe you anyway."

Many anglers go their entire lives without catching a 40-pound striped bass. Yang has caught five of them -- including a 62.8-pound whopper -- during the past six weeks.

Big fish No. 1, a 49-pounder, was caught April 20 at O'Neill Forebay, maxing out the scale at Valley Rod & Gun in Clovis. Big fish No. 2 weighed 41.6 pounds at a north Fresno meat market after it was caught April 25 at Millerton Lake.

Eleven days later on May 6 came the 62.8-pound, 501/2-inch Millerton record, its weight verified by UPS -- breaking the record of 50.3 pounds set by Roger George of Fresno in 1998.

Big fish Nos. 4 and 5 were caught May 24 and 27, respectively, at San Luis Reservoir. Those fish weren't weighed on a certified scale, but photographs and accounts leave little doubt of their authenticity.

Until recently, Yang flew under the radar in the local fishing community.

But now, with newspapers and fishing publications throughout California trumpeting his feats, he is being scrutinized more closely than ever.

And because he's Hmong, Yang also must overcome the stereotype, common among fisherman and hunters, that he must be doing something illegal.

Wednesday, an anonymous caller to The Bee newsroom said he "heard rumors" the record striper was actually caught at San Luis instead of Millerton. (San Luis is more than four times the size of Millerton and the world freshwater striper, 67.8 pounds, was caught there.)

Nonsense, says Merritt Gilbert, manager of Valley Rod & Gun: "I think he's legit, and if I didn't, I'd tell you.

"It's human nature to think some people are cheating, but I have no reason to believe anything like that about Chong. He's soft-spoken, sincere, and his story never changes."

Yang attributes his hot streak, unprecedented in recent memory among central San Joaquin Valley anglers, to a combination of skill, persistence and good fortune.

"After that first big fish, I didn't expect the second," he says. "And after the second, I didn't expect the third. It was like, 'Oh, my God.'

"But I sort of expected the fourth one and even the fifth. Now I'm even more motivated. Every cast I have confidence. I don't just hope; I believe."

Where most trophy hunters rely on fancy boats equipped with high-tech gadgetry, Yang is an anomaly.

For one, he almost always fishes from shore and doesn't think twice about walking an hour across rugged terrain to reach his destination.

Second, he prefers fishing at night, usually accompanied by one or two relatives and friends.

Third, Yang rarely uses fancy lures. In fact, he says four of the five big fish were caught on a simple set-up consisting of a 5-inch light pearl Zoom Super Fluke glued to a three-fourths-ounce lead jig head, which he pours by hand. (For curious anglers, the fifth bit on a Rapala X-Rap slashbait.)

"I go out there with two, three, four lures in my pockets and nothing else," Yang says.

Born in Laos to Hmong refugees, Yang's family immigrated to Southern California when he was a small child before settling in Merced.