"My Best Fish" By MPD Massie, Jan, 2000.
Number 1: 20lb (est.) Tarpon, Crand Cayman Dec 1998.
This fish is the largest I have ever caught on fly. The beast took about 20 minutes to subdue on an eight weight, and in cramped mangrove root-zones, in an epic battle of which I was surely the definite underdog. To confound my situation further, I had no gafflet nor any other device with which to assist the fish’s landing; I had to wrestle the goliath out by hand.
Numbers 2 & 3: 2lb 4 oz & 1lb 12 oz, Brown Trout, River Hamps, June 1980.
Whilst not being my biggest trout, they have to be my finest considering the circumstances. The larger fish shattered the then Stepps Beat's record by 3/4lb, and twenty minutes later, the smaller fish was landed, it being bigger than the previous record by a hefty 1/4lb!! Ironically, Peter Roberts, the late Fly Master of the Stepps Cottage beats, had given to me a tiny Iron Blue Dun that morning, with the words "here, try this, you’ll get something, but it probably won’t be big…" It was my first weekend fishing on a river, and I will never cease to be staggered by the amazing fortune I had to even see these fish!! My father gave great assistance in landing the brace, he ran some 80 yards at full gallop when he saw the full flex of the first fish!
Number 4: 10 lb (est.) Tarpon, Grand Cayman June 1999.
This tarpon was taken on a ten weight fly rod, and a beefy 30lb leader. However, double figure tarpon are notoriously difficult to land even in open water, and to get this fish single-handedly landed has to rate it so highly.