BIG Tog and Bass!

[DagFish]

Before you read any further, this thread does contain pictures of quality Tog and bass taken in NJ, but some 15 years ago! My good friend and mentor GMAN and I were working as lifeuards in LBI. GMAN had been teaching me how to to take Tog off the Jetti's with a pole spear, until one day I swam out and bent his spear when a school of 20lb + bass came by. I thought he would be upset, but he loved it! After that we decided to hit a spot very few people ever get to and to take spearguns! The photos attached are from that first trip. The togs are my first fish ever speared with a speargun! I can't remember the weights. After learning how slow growing they are, we laid off of them afterwards as those 2 fish in the pics probably rode out the "Perfect Storm" in 91 sitting in this very area. GMAN brought up the BASS on that fine NJ day with 5ft. vis! I am taking a stab at it and guessing around 40lbs. Not his biggest as I cleary have memories of that being 48! GMAN now lives in Australia with 3 awesome chics, charging good waves and spearing his local reef. He can be found on spearboard from time to time. I am now in Northwest FL working as a lifeguard supervisor and recently began instructing FII freedive courses on the side. It will be 11 years since we last dove together this September 11. I was just hoping to share an old memory with an old friend and perhaps connect with the crew still keeping the dream alive in NJ. GMAN, thanks a bunch for getting me into this sport!

[Intaugnito]

Spearboard push on the tog, but very nice fish none the less. Gman is a local celeb here in our forum. Im pretty sure 90% of us dream about packing up and going somewhere exotic, most never will. Good luck to both you guys and thanks for the fish pics. Im sure the BI guys will jump in soon and state that the big bass wasnt taken off the south jetty....in 4..3..2..1....

[Orbayburak]

Those are some nice fish!!

[TriggerNJ]

Awesome! Also, great post. It's refreshing to hear about how great of a positive influence someone has had on another's life by introducing them to spearing. Usually we just hear about the overcrowding, b.s. behavior etc etc. around here these days.

I was looking through some of the posts from this winter that I missed during my hibernation and saw the G-Man with a Marlin! It's inspiring to see Jersey guys chasing and sticking dream fish in exotic locales.

[coenbrian]

Originally Posted by Intaugnito

Spearboard push on the tog, but very nice fish none the less. Gman is a local celeb here in our forum. Im pretty sure 90% of us dream about packing up and going somewhere exotic, most never will. Good luck to both you guys and thanks for the fish pics. Im sure the BI guys will jump in soon and state that the big bass wasnt taken off the south jetty....in 4..3..2..1....

What does that last sentence mean..... I don't get it.

[HF2NJ]

Awesome! thanks for posting Dagfish..

[FLETCHOSAURUS]

Great story with meaning here. Spearfishing is about fish but also much more. You got the right Idea. Someday I hope to move to NZ or AU myself. Big fih, great vis, warm weather. Doen't get better than tht

[waveman1981]

Great story..I Really hope to catch up GMAN this summer on my annual trip to NSW. It would be very cool to hook up with a jersey local down under!

[sbh]

just to continue the cycle of giving praise to the impact our buddies have on us...back in the late 90s I ran into 'Dags...I think on the dock prior to a spear tournament with the longfins. He was a recent transplant to florida from NJ by way of Australia. He needed a ride and jumped on the boat I was on. We started spearing together in SoFL and had a great dynamic. We had many fun and productive outings from the beach in Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood, FL and off our other buddies boat in Boynton. Dag's was there when I plugged my first wahoo and lost it over the reef, then in the same day offshore(or maybe the following day) he burlied a big jack crevalle he had shot over the reef and brought in another hoo that I shot and landed. Epic. Dags and our buddy craig then made me mount the wahoo in my speedo and ride through the boynton inlet humping my wahoo in a speedo on the bow of Craigs Bertram. Classic. It was some of these adventures that solidified spearing as a part of my life and pushed me to move to the western pacific (us government had a small hand in that too) for three years of epic diving/fishing.
Thanks Dags aka Dagfish aka Joe for passing the stoke along. Killer oldschool pics as well.
Laters
Brent

[Intaugnito]

These great stories make all mine suck. I gotta go out and get a new story!

[G MAN]

Originally Posted by DagFish

I am taking a stab at it and guessing around 40lbs. Not his biggest as I cleary have memories of that being 48! !

D'ags old buddy... What can I say? Thanks for the kind words. Happy to have coached you along with your introduction to our sport and lifestyle. Recently watching you wrestle a tuna on youtube, after being there with you many years ago, while you speared your first fish in NJ, was a great reward for me

The years have also been kind to me with your remembered weights of the fish ..... I pulled out my old journal from my NJ days and found the entry from those fish. The bass was 45 inches and 33 pounds. The togs went 8 and 10 pounds. I never cracked the Four Zero mark, my largest bass speared was 37 pounds, taken during my last summer in the US, 2001. That fish went 48.5 inches. You might have confused length into weight, or with me studying what it's peak condition weight could have been, as per my weight to length table, and me mentioning the fish could have been much heavier. At the end of the day, the weights don't matter much to me anymore, just something to think/talk about, and record for memories and reference.

Congrats on your freediving instruction cert. Might even take a course with you one day old buddy

I'll wander across the road and see if my neighbor can scan a picture or two into the computer to post. Maybe some other older divers have an old bass picture to scan and share?

[G MAN]

Originally Posted by Intaugnito

Spearboard push on the tog, but very nice fish none the less.

Looking at the pic Intaug, and we're both pushing ha ha. Maybe I had a clean t-shirt on and didn't want fish slime on it....

The only pushing D'ags did that I didn't like was when me or a mate would pull a nice chicky babe and when you weren't looking, D'ags would pull out his lawnmower to cut your grass....... D'ags????!!!!!

[G MAN]

Originally Posted by waveman1981

Great story..I Really hope to catch up GMAN this summer on my annual trip to NSW.

You'd be crazy if you didn't....... Simply pm me and let me know when you'll be around.

[Intaugnito]

Originally Posted by G MAN

The only pushing D'ags did that I didn't like was when me or a mate would pull a nice chicky babe and when you weren't looking, D'ags would pull out his lawnmower to cut your grass....... D'ags????!!!!!

Australian cock block?

[DagFish]

What can I say? I was sorrounded by far superior waterman with the likes of our crew. My only chance to stay with the pack was to kill the finest gazelle!As our mutual friend Tom Perry would say "Life is all about choices!"