Last week we shared a story about an Alaska-caught rockfish estimated to be 200 years old --without question one of the oldest fish ever landed by an angler.
But perhaps as remarkable were the exploits of Arizona's Ralph Wilson, who on the Fourth of July celebrated his his 102nd birthday by reeling up rockfish and barracuda out of San Diego.
Without question one of the oldest humans to have enjoyed a deep-sea fishing excursion.
The four-hour trip, planned by Wilson's family, was aboard the charter boat Alexes , which runs from Seaforth Sportfishing .
Capt. Gary Abbamonte was nervous at the outset--the tossing has reduced much younger anglers to a shambles. But that changed the moment Abbamonte shook Wilson's hand.
"He shook my hand like a man, and pulled me close, like I'm a whippersnapper," Abbamonte said. "And he told me: 'I hope you know what you're doing, because I'm here to catch fish."
Though family members were always close by, and crewman Jeff Steinhoff was there to assist Wilson with baiting his hook and unhooking fish, the venerable angler handled the actual fighting of fish on his own.
"He caught something like 14 fish, all by himself," Abbamonte said.
The captain added: "It was emotional to be in the presence of someone who has seen so much, and I was honored to have been chosen for this occasion."
Wilson, who sat in a deck chair at the rail, is not the oldest saltwater angler.
Ed Zieralski of the San Diego Union-Tribune found reference to 107-year-old William Ware having fished in England.
But centurion deep-sea anglers, most likely, can be counted on one hand.
Wilson can thank his granddaughter, Debi Moore, for planning the memorable voyage.
Among those who also were aboard were Moore's daughter, Kathryn, 15; her uncle Haskell Waddle, and cousins, Neil and Alexa Waddle.
Hopefully, this will become a tradition and the family will be back for Wilson's 103rd.
--Photos show 102-year-old Ralph Wilson (top and bottom, in chair, with barracuda catch) and family aboard the charter boat Alexes. Crewman in dark shirt is Jeff Steinhoff. Credit: Alexes Sportfishing