Pop-Pop's BIG BIG Fish

Let me just start this post by saying that my Pop-Pop is a rock star! Most of you, my loyal blog fans, already know all about the "big, big fish" that Pop-Pop caught on November 30, 2010. So this post might be boring by now but remember, this is for posterity, so for my own future memories, I am going to recap the past week.

It all started when this photo showed up on the Vagabond boat's Facebook page. They said that my Pop-Pop caught what they estimated to be a 390 pound yellow fin tuna. We had no idea what that meant at the time but we soon learned that this very big fish could potentially break a world record.

Now mind you, Pop-Pop was on a 10-day fishing adventure in Mexican waters and of course we could not call him. All we knew was this could be the fish of his lifetime. Then yesterday, Mimi and Great-Grammy headed down to San Diego to meet Pop-Pop as he came into port for the big weigh in. When they arrived, there were almost 200 other people, including fish fans and media, waiting to see if Pop-Pop's fish was indeed a record breaker. And guess what? It weighed 405.2 pounds! Now that is a BIG, BIG fish!

Here are a few facts about Pop-Pop's fish:

Pending approval by the International Game Fish Association, Pop-Pop’s 405.2-pound yellow fin tuna will be the IGFA’s new all-tackle, world record. The previous record was the 388-pound, 12-ounce yellow fin caught April 1, 1977. Wow, that's 33 years ago!

Even if it’s not approved by the IGFA, Pop-Pop's tuna is the largest ever landed on rod and reel. It might take 90 days to get the results but everyone involved feels Pop-Pop has this in the bag.

Here's what Capt. Mike Lackey had to say to the media about Pop-Pop's fish: “This is a fish of a lifetime for Mike, for our crew, for me and the entire fleet, really. When I think of all the captains...and all the others who paid their dues down here, it’s just an honor to be part of catching such an incredible specimen. The whole fleet shares in this. I’m still in awe of this fish. It just sets the bar that much higher.”

Pop-Pop called the fish “a fish of a lifetime,” and thanked Capt. Lackey and the crew for the job they did. He said: “It was my moment, my time. I’m certainly not the best angler, but I had enough skill to reel this one in. It was just my day.” Wow, this is awesome!

Here's Pop-Pop with his fishy and the rod and reel he used to bring it in. I mean is he too cool for school or what?
Here's Pop-Pop with Capt. Lackey (second from left) and the whole Vagabond crew. According to Pop-Pop, he could not have done this without them.

Oh, and here's Mimi and Grammy with the fish. I love how Grammy is just barely holding on to the fin. That's our Grammy!

Here's Pop talking to the media. He thinks he did about 25 interviews yesterday. He was on just about every TV station in the Southland and was all over the Internet, including Yahoo's news bar. Aunt Darlene did a Google search of Pop-Pop and she says he came up on more than 450 pages! Wowzers, this is serious! By this morning, people at Mommy's work could not believe the guy they were talking about on the news was her Daddy. Amazing! Pop-Pop will also be on the cover of Western Outdoor News and has already had offers to appear at the annual Fishing Show. He figures he's used up about 7 of his 15 minutes of fame. I guess we will have to see once the official results come in from the IGFA.

And here's Pop-Pop with two of his most favorite ladies. What a morning!

So Pop-Pop is officially a rock star fisherman...but he's still my Pop-Pop and I love him all the same. Congratulations, Pop-Pop! We are still speechless and shocked and so inspired by your 40+ years of going after "The Big One." Your day has finally arrived!

Oh, by the way, instead of eating this big, big fish, Pop-Pop is going to get a stuffed version of him. Neat, right? I think we should call him "The Big Ka-Tuna" (Tutu thought of that one)...