Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/68594
Now is the time to think of only one thing. That which ichard Stanczyk grew up on the water. His childhood home in Miami was located adjacent to a canal that led to the ocean. The salty brine got into his veins early in life, became part of him and served as his first love. Growing up in south Florida during the 1960s, Stanczyk's teenage years largely consisted of fishing, dreaming about fishing and going to school. Like many kids their age, Stanczyk and his buddies had big plans for the high school prom. They reserved tuxedos, rented a limo, and had a suite waiting for them and their dates at the luxurious Fontainebleau Hotel. For the girls, the formal ball was the biggest event to occur in their young lives. For the boys, it was more of an endurance test to earn them "the party after the party." On the morning of the big day Stanczyk awoke to gorgeous south Florida sunshine. Temptation wasn't long in coming. He reasoned there would be plenty of time to get in a little fishing before all the pomp and circumstance of prom night. Despite stiff resistance from their dates – who believed they were out of their everlasting minds – Stanczyk and his two buddies, Jeff and Tommy, headed out of Government Cut in south Miami Beach on his 21-foot Fibercraft powered by 80-horse Volvo engine. If all went according to plan, they'd catch a mess of fish and get back by noon with plenty of time to spare. About five miles offshore, the boys discovered a series of promising weed patches floating along the edge of the Gulf Stream. Targeting the yellow flotsam, they soon hooked and landed a number of "dolphin fish" (mahi-mahi), filling the cooler in no time. Here it was, only 9 a.m., and their outing was already a rousing success! When the action began to wane, Stanczyk figured they still had a little time left to kill, so he turned his attention to larger prey. He took out a swimming mullet rig and attached it to his 6/0 Penn Senator reel, the heaviest outfit he owned. Stanczyk tossed the bait into the water and attached the 50-pound line to the outrigger. His hope was to tempt a sailfish cruising in the area. To someday do battle with one of the greatest fighting fish known to man – in an era when such thrills were still the exclusive territory of famous personalities such as Zane Grey and Curt Gowdy – was his foremost dream. Opportunities of a lifetime are rarely scheduled in advance, and this was no exception. The bait had scarcely descended below the surface before it was crashed hard and immediately taken deep. Struggling to hold his excitement in check, Stanczyk waited for the fish to swallow the bait, then set the hook. All hell broke loose. Line peeled off the Penn reel at incredible speed. It was apparent very quickly that this wasn't a dolphin or the typical sail. Not only was it fast, it was heavy. As more and more line tore off the reel, disappearing into the blue-green depths, there seemed to be no way to stop the fish or even slow it down. Something needed to be done fast or the battle would be over all too quickly. So the boys started up the engine and gave chase. SPOR TIN G CL ASSICS 142