Art's 26 lb. Striper

August, 1964 - 7 years into it already!

Stanley Meltzoff's 65 lb. Striper

Fish: 65 lb. striped bass

Date: June, 1963

Equipment: Airmatic gun with Airmatic detachable head.

Speared by: famous artist, professor, illustrator and a "father" of New Jersey spearfishing, Stanley Meltzoff. Photo by: Asbury Park Press staff..1963

Story:

This record bass was taken from a moving school of big bass (20-40lbs.) on the Point Pleasant side of the Manasquan inlet (New Jersey). Though weighed in on a certified scale,

Stanley considered Mr. Church's 73 lb. rod/reel caught bass from 1913 as the record. He never applied for spearfishing record status for him and the fish. He is considered by many to be the best in the world at that art genre.

Sadly, Stanley passed at almost 90 on November 9, 2006. I loved him.

Stanley Meltzoff's 21.5 lb. Bluefish

A second record, that of a 21 1/2 lb. bluefish, which Stanley also didn't seek recognition for.

Taken at the "the little jetty in Allenhurst" August 1960. It was so big that, at first, no one recognized it as a bluefish.

Sam Watson, legendary New Jersey freediver with a 61.5 lb. striped bass

Photo taken at Monmouth Beach in the late 1960s. Note Airmatic gun by his side. Weigh in was probably at Giglio's tackle shop nearby. Sam now runs a charter dive boat business in Fort Pierce, Florida. He is known as Capt. Sam. He has always maintained that in 1973, he got an 82 lb'er at Block Island. When that newspaper clipping surfaces, it will appear here.

Still from 1993 video

A still from my Sept. 1993 video.....

Striper estimated at 65-75 lbs. The record?? just swam away.

It's head bigger than a basketball