# Curtis



## TrueblueTexican (Aug 29, 2005)

Did you know the old man that used to fish the pass in the green John Boat by himself? Usually had Penn International 50 wides hanging out of the boat - Always had a umbrella up over him, I met him a few times but can't remember his name -- 

He actually taught me how and where to be in the Pass according to tides, when we were netting bait together one day down at Tom and Jerrys.

I guess he has passed on haven't seen him in about ten years.


Steve Barnes givin ya any competition?


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

That wasn't me, though I did jump a huge tarpon in the pass from my green jonboat when Shannon Tompkins came visiting, back in the early 90s. We had a Merc 18 on the boat. The tide was ripping out a mile and minute, and we hooked this one tarpon that must have been over 200 pounds, it towered over us like a marlin and came crashing down 30 feet away. Broke new 50-pound line while it was in the air. We wanted no part of that fish, it put the fear of Jebus in us, and we were glad to see him go. If it had landed in the jonboat, it would have been death for all concerned. Hooked it on a large croaker that was in the castnet.


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## rvd (Mar 30, 2006)

TrueblueTexican said:


> Did you know the old man that used to fish the pass in the green John Boat by himself? Usually had Penn International 50 wides hanging out of the boat - Always had a umbrella up over him, I met him a few times but can't remember his name --
> 
> He actually taught me how and where to be in the Pass according to tides, when we were netting bait together one day down at Tom and Jerrys.
> 
> ...


If you are talking about pass cav I know who you are talking about. I use to bank fish from the west side of the pass a lot in the 80's. On more than a couple occasions he gave me bait he had caught. I would guess I haven't seen him since the mid 90's but I didn't make it down very often from 89-98.


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## TrueblueTexican (Aug 29, 2005)

*Yes Pass C*

I witnessed him more than a few times in epic battles out of that jon, POCs original Old Man and the Sea.

It ain't the size of the boat that counts, its the size of the fight in the boat


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## rvd (Mar 30, 2006)

TrueblueTexican said:


> I witnessed him more than a few times in epic battles out of that jon, POCs original Old Man and the Sea.
> 
> It ain't the size of the boat that counts, its the size of the fight in the boat


No doubt!!


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

I was there at the Pass from 1988 until 1996, and never saw anybody like that. Countless times, we were the only boat out there. Never saw another boat fighting a tarpon, either. We lived in POC and didn't hear of any locals fishing there. There was an older guy who fished the Pass prior to those years, I met him a few times, but he didn't fish it when I was there.


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## TrueblueTexican (Aug 29, 2005)

*I talked with him several times*

He was likely in his mid sixties around 1988 --Mainly in June and again late September - 14' green Jon with ( I think) an old Evinrude, always had an umbrella up over him always had Penn Big game reels, (which looked out of place on that boat) - mainly he shark fished with some mongo baits - I saw him towed around more than a few times - as for hooked up with tarpon I am sure he was into a few because he fished mostly with 14" and bigger mullet (which is why I would see him at Tom and Jerrys, there were always big horse mullet in there)

His theory of big bait big fish always has worked for us in the pass, and he never fished em live, but kept them alive till he snapped back their heads a placed his hook where the head was , he would net till he had two five gallon buckets of mixed chum, which he would churn up, and almost always was anchored about mid pass fishing

He told me once that a live mullet with its head snapped off would pump enough blood out that it would be hit if you had chum in the water for 15 minutes - its almost unreal how true this is

The new mullet regulations has limited our size in the fall now , but we spend hours netting the biggest mullet we can find , I found you can't get one too big - the bigger the better especially for real big tarpon cruising the sand at the pass.

I've racked my brain tryin to conjure up his name - I know he was a POC fixture, also know he kept pretty mum about what he had out there.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

We might have just missed him. I moved the boat to Jimmy Crouch's front yard in POC in Sept. 1989 and hammered on the tarpon, that's all we fished for, but never saw anybody else out there. The Pass has changed a lot since then and needs a lot more water.


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## Capt. Lowtide (Jun 30, 2004)

Not for sure, but that was probably Authur Jennings from Edna. He was the father of one of my best friends Warren and was killed in a car wreck around '88 while in his late 40's. 
On occassion he would fish with a couple of older uncles out of that boat, but more than likely he was solo- with a fifth of sour mash and a bucket full of mullet he would fish for days. JAWS didn't have a chance when he hit the water! 

Myself, Warren and his cousin Alan took that boat out for one last time around '94 and put it through it paces. It was a 16' Quachita with a 35 Evinrude and a wooden side console they used to call the "South of the border fruitstand," LOL.

I still have a 9' Harnell blank he gave me to build up if I ever wanted to fish with a "real tarpon stick"- he was a legend, I think the devil is still fearful of him. 

Heck of an angler and a good man, missed by many- RIP


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## TrueblueTexican (Aug 29, 2005)

*Thanks*



Capt. Lowtide said:


> Not for sure, but that was probably Authur Jennings from Edna. He was the father of one of my best friends Warren and was killed in a car wreck around '88 while in his late 40's.
> On occassion he would fish with a couple of older uncles out of that boat, but more than likely he was solo- with a fifth of sour mash and a bucket full of mullet he would fish for days. JAWS didn't have a chance when he hit the water!
> 
> Myself, Warren and his cousin Alan took that boat out for one last time around '94 and put it through it paces. It was a 16' Quachita with a 35 Evinrude and a wooden side console they used to call the "South of the border fruitstand," LOL.
> ...


Yes he was a great guy , enjoyed visiting with him, thanks for the memory jog !!!


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## Bingo baits (May 11, 2011)

It was me


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Would you care to elaborate?


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