Fishing: Roger’s Remarks for April 12

I found that catching a record fish can be a study in human behavior. When I caught my record striper at Millerton in 1998, I had no idea what I was in for at the time. I found that most anglers I talked to fell into two groups. Most were excited, but there was a small but determined bunch put off by it. Deep down, these folks seemed to be determined to prove it was taken illegally.

Suspicion fueled by jealousy is a strong force. I actually had anglers tell me point-blank that I had illegally used American shad to catch this fish. They said they had “friends and buddies” who were there when I caught it. Funny, it was just me and my dad that day in the light rain. It’s amazing how many anglers later say they witnessed the catch – and the number keeps growing! Talking to my East Coast buddy – striper world record-holder Greg Myerson – about the phenomenon, he said the craziness at the world-record level is insane compared to my little record.

In a funny episode, I was pulling my boat out at Millerton when a guy walks up and asks how I had done. Slowly, I tell him, when he suddenly asks me if I heard about the big striper a guy got a few weeks ago. Before I can even say a word, he launches into “how this guy caught his big striper!” He obviously relished the attention, and all I could do was listen as the tale took off.

Pointing to an island across the lake, he started out with, “You know, that’s the deepest part of the lake over there and that’s the place where I’ve personally watched this guy fish a couple days a week. It’s where the biggest stripers hang out, too.” I could feel the momentum building as he looked around to be sure we were alone. Then he quietly asked me if I knew about the “secret rig” they used down at Havasu for stripers? “No,” I said. “It’s a special sliding rig that lets the minnow go to whatever depth it wants, which is also where the stripers are holding,” he explained. At least it was a creative idea! Poor guy, at this point, I didn’t want to embarrass him, so I listened intently and tried not to laugh. As he finished, I couldn’t help myself any longer and I asked if he knew the guy? Yes, but he couldn’t remember the name. Still, he walked off happy, obviously feeling he had helped me with the “secret insider information.” Wonder how many others benefited?

In another case, I was fishing alone at Millerton when I passed by several bank anglers who were bait fishing. A friend of mine was on the bank, too, and we started talking when he congratulated me on my big striper. That’s when this grizzled old angler sitting there yells out, “So you’re the one that got that big ’un?” “Yeah!” I say. The response: “Hey, son, that fish ain’t nothing, I know guys who’ve caught fish way bigger than that one.” A nasty, unexpected challenge! “So did your friends get any weights to prove it?” I counter, trying to stay calm. “Heck, no, but they were way bigger than yours!” he retorted. I could hear the unspoken exclamation: “So go smoke that buddy!”

Thinking hard, I said, “Well, your buddies may have gotten one much bigger than mine, but since most guys exaggerate their catches, I decided to put all that baloney to rest by getting an official weight, where anglers either have to put up or shut up. Tell you what, next time your friends get a big one, I’ll come to the weigh-in and personally help you set the record straight. I’m sure you’ll understand that until then it’s just another fish story to everyone.” Whoosh!

I find that big fish can bring out the naysayers. Keep your integrity intact – sometimes, it’s all you have to defend yourself. Never give up!

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Fishing: Roger’s Remarks for April 12."