FORMER PRESIDENT BUSH CATCHES MAMMOTH TARPON IN KEYS

ISLAMORADA, Florida Keys -- Former President George H. W. Bush caught and released a 135-pound tarpon in the Florida Keys recently, one of the largest gamefish the 41st president of the United States has ever scored.

The fish bit a live crab and finally yielded after a 45-minute battle on 25-pound-test line, spooled on a Shimano Triton 15 conventional reel.

"It was a thrill of a lifetime," responded Bush via e-mail. "A great fighting fish was finally baited."

Bush fished with Islamorada guide George Wood. The weekend fishing sojourn was arranged by former Olympic skier Andy Mill, an accomplished fly fisherman and Bush's angling friend.

Bush, 84, who has enjoyed fishing in the Keys since his vice presidency, has always had the goal of catching a giant tarpon, especially on fly tackle.

"He came to me about two years ago and said, 'can you do an old man a favor?'" Mill said. "We thought we'd try to catch the president a fish on bait first, then worry about fly."

Both Mill and Wood were impressed by how the president fought the tarpon.

"It was remarkable to see a man of this age be so persistent in battle," said Wood. "This was an 84-year-old man pulling against 15 pounds of drag.

"After we released the tarpon, he was immediately ready to fish for another," Wood said.

Even though the boat had a legal State of Florida harvest tag, and the tag was attached to the fish before landing it, a decision was made to release the fish alive and have a reproduction mount commissioned.

"When released and he swam away, I had great respect for the big fish," Bush wrote, adding he intends to hang the mount in the Presidential Library at Texas A&M University.

"Anyone who catches a 135-pound tarpon has bragging rights for a long time," Mill said. "When they start flying through the air, they put immense holes in the water."

Bush's ties to Florida Keys angling go beyond his fishing vacations. He lent his name and presided over a bonefish tournament, most years from the early 1990s through 2003, staged at the Cheeca Lodge & Spa, the same resort where Bush spent this past weekend. The hotel continues to produce the Cheeca Lodge Presidential Sailfish Tournament on an annual basis.

The next day, Bush went back out with Wood and Mill, hoping to catch a tarpon on fly, but their efforts were not productive.

"To catch a tarpon on a fly rod is the pinnacle in fishing," said Mill. "Knowing President Bush and how competitive he is, he'll be back in the Florida Keys throwing that fly again."