BASS FISHINGBass Fishing Sports Blog

Published: Friday, May 4, 2012 at 4:51 p.m. Last Modified: Friday, May 4, 2012 at 4:51 p.m.

It was the battle of a lifetime, like something from the hallowed pages of Hemingway, and it took place between a former high school wrestler and a colossal hammerhead shark.

How long had Clyde “Bucky” Dennis been dreaming of landing a creature so fantastic, one of world-record caliber? Ever since “Jaws” came out in 1975, at least.

Ever since he was a kid and the movie left him terrified, yet fascinated, by the creepy monsters with the hollow eyes and knives for teeth.

He was 36 years old now, the morning of May 23, 2006, when the gargantuan shark bit the stingray in Boca Grande Pass and bolted west for the Gulf of Mexico at a strong and steady clip.

The ultra-competitive son of a marine biologist, Dennis knew he would eventually have to kill the shark to verify if, indeed, it was the world record he long sought.

Fine, because he was an unabashed trophy fisherman with little regard for the conservationists and their catch-and-release ideals.

They could not possibly know the thrill of being pulled by a 1,280-pound hammerhead for 12 exhausting miles, so far that land was no longer visible and cell phones no longer worked.

Or the pride of posing next to a 14-foot conquest that took more than five hours to fight using 130-pound test line.

As for his struggling fishing guide business, just reckon of how many people would pay for his services once word traveled that he owned an all-tackle world record.

Finally, after years of broken lines and broken dreams, the mighty fish was landed and weighed and the glory all his to embrace.

Catch and release? Not the man who caught the biggest hammerhead shark ever documented in the world, never.

A really big shark

There were those who wanted the shark fisherman dead.

When it was revealed the catch of a lifetime was about 50 years old and had been pregnant with 55 pups, a firestorm erupted and Dennis was the target of harsh criticism on Internet message boards from people around the globe.

“All the big world records, if you look at them, the big tarpon or bass, they are all big females loaded with millions of eggs,” Dennis said. “At the time I didn’t really reckon about it.

“I just knew I had a really, really big shark and I wanted to make my little mark in history.”

And when he caught another world record in 2009 — this time a 1,060-pound hammerhead on 80-pound test line — Dennis was again vilified.

“I hope Bucky Dennis dies a slow and painful death,” was one note posted on a message board, and there were many more just like it.

“They were making it sound like I’m out there killing all these sharks,” said Dennis, who lived in Englewood at the time. “I documented two sharks my whole life and I’ve probably caught a few thousand.

“A lot of people sat behind a computer and ran their mouths instead of knowing who I really was.”

He is the son of a former science teacher at St. Petersburg Gibbs College who used to take his classes on shark fishing trips.

He is 42 now, lives on the water in Charlotte Harbor, has four children and once pulled his brother from a burning house.

He is still haunted by a regional wrestling match he lost while at Port Charlotte High, and he still challenges the guy who beat him to a rematch: Daniel Edwards, the current Port Charlotte coach who was inspired to join the Coast Guard because Dennis taught him how to fish when they were kids.

And he is no longer consumed with world records, because that would mean killing another hammerhead to document it, an act now illegal in Florida.

“He got so much criticism he finally realized there is a better way to approach this,” said Bob Hueter, director of Mote Marine Laboratory’s Center for Shark Research, where the first world record fish was donated.

“Dragging a shark to shore to hang upside down with blood dripping out of its mouth to show how macho you are is 19th century thinking.”

Shark Brothers

The Guy Harvey Shark Challenge, a release tournament taking place this weekend in Punta Gorda, is in its third year.

It is gaining notoriety, too. the Discovery Channel will be on hand filming a documentary for its well loved Shark Week shows later this year.

When Sean and Brooks Paxton — “The Shark Brothers” — first started organizing the tournament in 2010 they received a call from a name they knew well.

“Bucky was the very first angler to contact us to be a competitor, and as far as we were concerned that was complete validation of how we wanted to approach this,” Sean Paxton said. “A lot of people cautioned us to say no, but he was very firm.

“He said, ‘I’m done hanging sharks for world records.’”

Sean Paxton said he is an advocate of sporting rights and has no problem with anyone exercising their legal right to harvest an animal.

“But,” he said, “I do draw the line with wasteful practices and I reckon killing for sport, for a trophy, to cut the jaws out and throw the body in the Dumpster, I don’t agree with that.

“I would say from the use of the resources it was wasteful, but it did provide some scientific value and since then they will not take other large animals,” said Sean Paxton said, meaning Dennis’ first record catch and the Mote donation.

According to Hueter, research on the first world record shark revealed nothing to warrant scientific publication, but the number of pups inside the shark remains the most ever observed.

“The fact older animals can produce more pups is very valuable and it also supports the idea that we should not be killing them,” Hueter said.

‘Bucky’s Baby’

The owner of the all-tackle hammerhead world record received some free fishing line from a company for a while, and that was about it.

Though his charter business did improve, no big money came his way.

“He sort of found out about the glory that comes from that,” Sean Paxton said. “You’re not showered with sponsorships. It’s not necessarily a lottery ticket.”

Maybe the records do not mean as much anymore.

Inside his house there is a framed certificate from the International Game Fish Association recognizing his first world record.

It is on his bathroom wall, hanging on a hook, above the toilet.

“I didn’t care about conservation then,” Dennis said. “It didn’t matter to me. now, I’m all for these guys.

“If I caught a big world record shark right now, no I wouldn’t go document it. I’d probably just take pictures of it. I promised these guys I wouldn’t do it again.”

Maybe he has changed.

In the 2010 Guy Harvey tournament, a 400-pound bull shark was caught, the largest to date. It was tagged with a satellite and tracked in the Gulf for research purposes.

The shark was named “Bucky’s Baby,” after Bucky Dennis, the world record fisherman who caught and released it and then watched it swim away.

Bear Canyon: we had no reports from anglers this week.

Bill Evans Lake: Trout fishing was slow-to-honest using salmon eggs and Power Bait. we had no reports on other species.

Caballo Lake: Walleye fishing was good for anglers using worms, minnows, grubs, crank baits and sassy shad. we had good reports from anglers fishing from the bank near KOA Point. Fishing for catfish was good using worms, liver and stink baits. Fishing for white bass was fair using crank baits, sassy shad and curly tail grubs. we had no reports on other species.

Elephant Butte: Fishing was fair using crank baits, jerk baits and tubes for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Fishing was sporadic for white bass but anglers managed to catch a few using minnows, crank baits, grubs and spinners. The best reports came from anglers trolling the McRae Canyon area. A few walleye were caught by anglers using minnows, sassy shad and crank baits. we had no reports on other species. Surface temps on the main lake ranged from 54 to 66 degrees.

Escondida Lake: Trout fishing was slow-to-honest using salmon eggs, Power Bait and Pistol Petes,

Gila River: Water flow on the Gila as of this past Monday was 75 cfs. Trout fishing on the Forks was fair using prince nymphs and worms.

Glenwood Pond: Trout fishing was good using Power Bait.

Lake Roberts: we had no reports from anglers this week.

Quemado Lake: Trout fishing was fair using Power Bait, worms and salmon eggs. we had no reports on tiger musky.

Rio Grande: Water flow below Elephant Butte on Monday was 1,080 cfs. Fishing here and below Caballo was fair using white grubs, minnows and sassy shad for a mixed bag of white bass and walleye. Fishing for catfish was fair using night crawlers, minnows and stink baits.

Lake Wimico is hot with bass fishermen. Bass tournaments lately have been producing large stringers. The shellcrackers should be bedding on the full moon of April, and if they didn’t on the last full moon of March. Lake Wimico also has been on fire with bream catches. most anglers are using worms and spinner baits. Bream are biting on worms and crickets and they are everywhere. Depot Creek has been reporting some crappie bites and smaller catfish as well.

The County pier has reported some large cobia being caught this week along with some pretty excellent king mackerel and a lot of Spanish mackerel with a sprinkling of pompano. The City pier reports plenty of Spanish mackerel, but no cobia. The lure of choice for Spanish is either the bubble rig with a number 0 Clark spoon or a lure called the Got-Cha. The Got-Cha has two very sharp treble hooks so beware when taking off a flopping Spanish. we have four piers here in Bay County so if the two cement piers are loaded up you still have two others to choose from; the state park pier and the pier in Mexico Beach. St. Joe Bay is coming back to life. Excellent flounder reports have been coming from Black’s Island and around the bomb holes. Surf fishing is producing nice whiting and all you want to catch. Spanish mackerel are at the Eagle Harbor area and out in the open water and along the Gulf side of Cape San Blas also. use mackerel trees or Got-cha plugs trolled behind spoons to improve your chances. no cobia have yet been weighed in Gulf County, but are expected this week.

Fishermen from boats are reporting a few cobias being caught. It’s still a small early but the month of April should be hot for not only cobia but pompano as well.

Bass fishing is still hot this week as many anglers are reporting excellent catches in Lake Wimico. Worms and crank baits have produced the most fish, but a few still are shiner fishing. Depot Creek has been silent, but with the excellent rain we had last week the catfish bite should improve.

Pier fishermen are doing well in Panama City Beach with pompano early in the morning and late afternoon. Whiting are also being caught close to shore at night and in the daylight hours off the piers. if you have the tackle to handle them, big king mackerel in the 40-pound range also are being caught off the ends of the piers in the deeper water. Of course ling are still being spotted from the piers shallow and deep water. right now Spanish mackerel rule the roost on all the piers. Bubble rigs with Clark spoons are taking the most with single spoons and gotcha rigs also catching a few. To the east, Spanish mackerel are everywhere near the beaches and on the Mexico Beach Pier. Trolling spoons and mackerel trees will find fish fast, but you may need to add a weight to get down to the fish.

In the pass at the jetties, redfish are being caught at high or low tide. Sheepshead continue to eat shrimp live or dead around the rocks at the jetties. Offshore water temperatures are on the rise and will reach 80 degrees soon on the Forgotten Coast. Cobia are starting to show up in our area this week, and a 53-pound fish was caught close to shore on Monday. Grouper are back on the menu this week, but make sure that you know the new grouper regulations on the FWC website before you head out.

Fishermen from across the country hope to make a splash Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Stakeholders — be it recreational or commercial fishermen or those working in the fishing service industry — from Florida, Alaska, California and nearly every other coastal state will descend on Washington on Wednesday for a “Keep Fishermen Fishing” rally in the nation’s capital.

The rally is the second in three years by fishermen across the nation trying to tweak a law they contend is steadily putting them out of business.

“The goal, besides raising awareness and clogging up inside the Washington beltway, is to let all those senators and congressmen up there know there are some very (ticked) off people out there,” said Capt. Tom Adams of Mexico Beach Charters.

Those people, said Jim Donofrio of the Recreational Fishing Alliance, span the fishing industry.

Whether commercial and recreational fishermen or charter boat captains, fishing outfitters and those in the service industry and restaurants, they are all affected by the fishing law of the land.

“that law is the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and it needs to be changed,” Donofrio said. “it is not a huge change, but it needs to be changed.

“this is a jobs issue, not a conservation issue. These guys (fishermen) are suffering. this administration is so hostile to the fishing industry. They are trying to alter people’s behavior. this is behavior modification.”

In brief strokes, what Magnuson-Stevens has led to, fishermen say, is shorter seasons, lighter bag limits and regulated waters that make it stringently hard to earn a living on the water, Donofrio said.

In Florida, the most significant effects have been seen in snapper and grouper fishing seasons and limits. Where Donofrio hails from in New England, the poster fish for the rally is the black sea bass.

Donofrio clarified the situation this way:

Reckon of a scale for fisheries health. There is, he said, a line from Point A, a fishery is overfished, and Point B, where the fishery has reached a “healthy biological line.”

“that is what fishermen care about, the biological health of the fishery,” Donofrio said. “They aren’t interested in catching the last fish. this is their lives. They want a healthy fishery.”

But, Donofrio said, Magnuson-Stevens placed a higher threshold to determine that a fishery had been “rebuilt.” that threshold, or line on the scale, sits beyond a fishery being “biologically healthy,” Donofrio said.

Therefore, while all science and first-hand indications are that a fishery has rebounded, fishermen still are considered in statutory violation of Magnuson-Stevens if that higher threshold has not been met, in the opinion of regulators.

Further, a fishery can be considered statutorily rebuilt, but once fishing begins again, the fishery heads down the scale to quickly being considered overfished.

In the case of the black sea bass, he added, indications are the fishery for black sea bass in the Northeast is 125 percent of “biologically healthy” on the scale, but the season for taking black sea bass remains closed.

“that has to change,” Donofrio said, noting, as Adams did, that the science used is sketchy and flawed. “These are arbitrary provisions.”

Even regulators of the waters of the Gulf of Mexico earlier this year noted the science is “complicated” and rendered hard because it “is not simple to study fish.”

Donofrio said the fishing industry has derived hope from new members of Congress, such as Rep. Steve Southerland of Panama City, who know and know their plight and are trying to bring logic to the equation.

Thirty members each from the U.S. Senate and Congress have been invited to attend the “Keep Fishermen Fishing” rally Wednesday. many will speak. House Speaker John Boehner also is scheduled to speak.

“this is the first time that a sitting speaker has done that,” Donofrio said. “He recognizes how important and far-reaching this issue is.”

In this Friday, Jan. 27, 2012 photo, Agustin, left, and Ana Portillo walk through the streets of central Tijuana in Tijuana, Mexico. Ana, a naturalized U.S. citizen who lives and works in Los Angeles, visits Agustin in Tijuana twice a month. The federal law that prohibits many illegal immigrants from living in the United States with their citizen spouses has been criticized by President Barack Obama, who proposed an overhaul that would allow some families to stay together. but it’s unclear when the new policy will go into effect or how many families it will help. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) (Julie Jacobson)

E arlier this month, Colorado Division of Wildlife officials staged a rare event: an inspection on the state’s border to catch sportsmen who had violated the terms of their hunting or fishing licenses — if they had such a license at all.

The inspection at the Utah-Colorado border was the first performed by the state in nearly 20 years. Since the previous inspection at the Colorado-New Mexico border in 1993, the state has added more than a million residents and become a destination for more hunters and fishermen.

The purpose is clear to wildlife officials: Hunters who do not know how to properly identify and tag their kills are likely to have illegally harvested their game.

Why should the general public care? Because the state has a vital interest in managing its wildlife to ensure habitats remain healthy. Since the settlement of Colorado, the natural predators for elk and deer have been removed or diminished to the point of ineffectiveness. Only through managed hunting can humans remain stewards of the land and ensure resources are handed down to the next generation.

The results of the dragnet were encouraging: 22 infractions cited by wildlife officials — including to one man who had in his possession 78 white bass, far over the bag limit for such fish. all the illegally harvested wildlife was seized.

It’s encouraging that wildlife officials say they are not going to wait another 18 years to have another enforcement event. Citations for scofflaws ensure better hunting and fishing trips for those who do follow the letter of the law.

HARLINGEN — there were fewer people than the night before but as much excitement when Bass Pro Shops opened Thursday morning.

Wednesday night’s Evening of Conservation for Bass Pro Shops drew almost 10,000 shoppers to the Rio Grande Valley’s newest retailer.

Bass Pro Shops spokeswoman Katie Mitchell place Wednesday evening’s number at more than 9,500 people, citing the number counted at the turnstiles. But there were others who entered through side gates and other entrances, so the final number was higher.

The first two people in line for Bass Pro Thursday morning arrived at midnight.

Maribel Hernandez and Joseph a. DeLeon were chilled, but excited to be the first to walk through the doors on Bass Pro’s first full day in business. DeLeon was dressed in full camouflage clothing, and was looking forward to the hunting products sold at the store.

“Contrary to popular thought, I reckon Bass Pro is going to be a great economic boost,” La Feria resident John Drawe said as he waited in line for the doors to open Thursday morning. “I reckon people will come from all around to see the store, even Mexico. it will be a great anchor for other stores,” Drawe said.

Russ Wester and his wife Nancy were among the first customers who arrived at Bass Pro at 5:22 a.m. the couple splits their year between Victoria Palms in Donna and Minnesota.

The couple enjoys fishing and said Bass Pro Shops is great for the Valley because it provides jobs and will help the area grow.

Bobby Chapa was also near the front of the line Thursday morning. Chapa, a Raymondville resident, attended Wednesday night’s festivities and returned for its opening Thursday.

Chapa said he hopes the business attracts other stores and restaurants. he said he decided to come to Bass Pro on Thursday instead of going hunting.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for the city of Harlingen,” Economic Development Corporation Board President Ernesto Silva said at an opening ceremony place on by the city Thursday before the store opened.

“the community pulled together to make this happen,” EDC CEO Bill Martin said at the ceremony.

The store is offering special deals to the first 200 customers today and Saturday.

THE RICH WATERS off the Baja California peninsula have attracted envious gringo fishermen for decades. Though fish numbers have quietly but certainly declined in Mexico over the years, fish still teem here — in the surf, in the mangroves, in the rocks, and in the offshore blue water.

So in mid-October, Richard Birnbaum, tackle salesman at Western Sport Shop in San Rafael, made his annual long-range fishing excursion on the Shogun of San Diego into Mexican waters, sights set on snapper, yellowtail, tuna and other famed regional stars.

The 92-by-30-foot vessel made its lumbering way toward Alijos Rocks, a cluster of volcanic reefs and islets about 200 miles offshore, but upon receiving a radio report that the tuna bite was cold, the Shogun crew changed plans. the boat remained near land and found a school of fish.

“But we couldn’t get our baits past the skipjacks and these little 12-inch barracuda,” Birnbaum says. “It became almost impossible to fish without losing our baits as soon as they touched the water.”

So onward they went to the south, frequently stopping to fish near diving birds and boiling bait balls — clear signs that pelagic predators were feeding just below. the tuna and yellowtail started to pile up in the hold, and a few times the gringos reeled up familiar friends from home — rockfish and lingcod. Surface temperatures were bathtub warm, and dolphins, thresher sharks, and at least one marlin were seen leaping and sunbathing. during the nights the passengers loved the cool seas and balmy night air on the cabin-top deck under the same ceiling of stars that John Steinbeck watched as he journeyed to the Sea of Cortez in 1940.

But while Steinbeck had spent his hours onboard studying tidal zone invertebrates under a microscope, on the Shogun the passengers mostly just fished obsessively, as people do when they’ve dropped two grand on a fishing trip. Birnbaum says he spent 18 hours at the rail one day, from 6 a.m. until midnight. on another day just outside of Magdalena Bay, the Shogun encountered a school of mahi mahi and for a frenzied hour pulled in the wild, green-and-gold beauties just as fast as the crew could gaff them. the lust for fish in the hold even had the deckhands pinning live baits to the hook points of their gaffs and yanking the dorado from the water by hand.

The route north from Mexico is what seamen call an “uphill” run — against wind and current, that is — and it was a solid day-and-a-half of rumbling motors before the boat pulled into its slip in San Diego. here, the anglers sorted through their catch. the largest fish was only a 41-pound tuna, but the total tonnage was massive: Birnbaum reports that the anglers had 1,000 fish among them. how fishermen deal with such quantities of meat, bone, skin and gristle varies. Some overwhelmed anglers concede that they have killed more than they can manage and so go the simple route: They trade in their fresh catch to a local processor for canned fish. this is a ludicrously crummy deal by which a person receives — according to Birnbaum — one five-ounce tin of white tuna for every eight pounds of whole, undressed fish he or she turns in. Birnbaum had his catch filleted and shipped home (the more sensible way) and in his basement freezer, he says, he now has 300 pounds of fish to see him through the winter.

Meanwhile, San Pablo Bay is producing some solid striped bass action. Jim Cox, for one — captain of Touch of Gray at Loch Lomond — took four fishermen out on Sunday and fished baits on anchor. His clients released several keeper-sized stripers and took home four others to 10 pounds plus three large leopard sharks.

In the ocean, crab season opens Saturday. It’s just in time because salmon season is freshly over. it was a roaring success, with more and bigger fish than we’ve seen in years. the season wrapped up on Sunday with a scattering of action off the coast and high hopes that next year could provide similar abundance of fish so gorgeous and tasty that, should they return in force, some of us might even forget about Mexico.

Alastair Bland is a Bay Area fisherman. Send him tales, photos or video to or call the IJ sports desk at 382-7206. Check out his blog at blogs.marinij.com/fishing_in_marin/

Proceeds from the auction will help support Hooked on Fishing, not on Drugs and classroom programs across the United States to get youngsters involved with fishing.

Auction items are fishing trips in more than a dozen states and Mexico, including a guided trip at Ray Scott’s Trophy Bass Resort in Alabama; NASCAR collectibles; autographed music memorabilia, autographed CDs by Alan Jackson, Sara Evans, the Oak Ridge Boys, Carrie Underwood, and Kellie Pickler; an autographed fiddle by Charlie Daniels; fishing equipment, including a Bass Pro Shops fishing combo package; fishing artwork; and other donated items.

Individuals who want to donate items to the cause can contact Mark Gintert at (580) 716-4251 or via email at .

The Future Fisherman Foundation, established in 1986, unites the sportfishing industry and a nationwide network of state outdoor educators, national conservation groups, and youth organizations dedicated to introducing youngsters to angling and the outdoors while fostering conservation ethics.

The Southern Championship Trail completed its 2011 season last weekend with its two-day championship at High Rock and Tillery lakes. the organization is now preparing for 2012 with the release of its tournament schedule.

Tournament director Tony Furr said the SCT will hold events at Badin Lake on Feb. 25 out of Circle Drive, High Rock Lake on March 17 out of Tamarac Marina, Lake Tillery on April 14 out of Cook’s Marina, Tuckertown Lake on April 28 out of the Flat Creek Landing, Badin on May 19 out of Circle Drive, Tillery on June 30 out of Cook’s Marina, High Rock on July 28 out of Tamarac Marina, Tuckertown on Aug. 11 out of the Flat Creek Landing, High Rock on Sept. 8 out of Tamarac Marina, and Tillery on Sept. 29 out of Cook’s Marina. the championship for qualifying teams is Oct. 20-21 at lakes to be announced.

The entry fee is $100 per boat with a $10 membership fee for each fisherman. the huge-fish pot is $10 per boat.

The SCT will conduct two benefit events as well. the Transporter Drivers of Motorsports Association Benefit Fishing Tournament is set for April 7 at High Rock Lake out of Tamarac Marina, and the Stanly County Hospice Bass Tournament is scheduled for May 12 at Badin Lake out of the Alcoa Landing.

For more information, visit southernfishingtrail.com.

Pete Morris of Troy and Buzz Dunlap of Mt. Gilead topped a field of 20 teams Saturday at the Farmer Lions Club Fall Bass Tournament on Badin Lake. the event took place on a cold day featuring high winds and rough water conditions.

The two anglers brought 17.30 pounds to the scales to win $300.

Derek Tolley of Winston-Salem and Terry Trivette of Rural Hall placed second with 15.55 pounds and received $150.

Bob Jennett of Kernersville and Derek Crumbley of High Point captured the third-place prize of $100 with 14.60 pounds and the huge-fish award of $200 with a 5.30-pound bass.

Participants reported catching plenty of 13-inch bass but couldn’t find many keeper fish.

“The cold weather kept a lot of fishermen at home,” said Richard Delk. “We usually draw about 50 boats without any distress.”

Because of the limited turnout, the cash prizes for the top three places were reduced accordingly.

The Farmer Lions Club will hold another fundraising tournament April 28, 2012, at Badin Lake.

Fourteen teams from the Tar Heel Striper Club visited Lake Rhodhiss on Saturday. Colt Bass of Lenoir and Joe Cook won the competition with three stripers weighing 19.45 pounds.

Jay Childress and Blake Phillips placed second with three fish totaling 19.20 pounds. Lexington’s Coy Hamilton had three fish that went 17.05 pounds to take the third spot.

Other scores were Bobby and Joe Garner, fourth, with three fish weighing 16.70 pounds; Terry Delagrange, Emil Frymark and Allen Dick, fifth, with three fish going 15.95 pounds; Ronnie and Ruth Ann Cook, sixth, with two fish totaling 10.40 pounds, and Mark Unrue and David Wilburn tying Kevin Buskirk and Bobby Johnson for seventh place with each team bringing in two fish weighing 9.50 pounds.