Bill had fished about
two weeks prior with guiding legend Captain Steve
Huff. With Steve, Bill caught and weighed in a 41
lb Permit; quite an incredible catch on 4 LB test
AND the new world record for Permit in that line
class.
 Ironically,
Bill and Captain Huff's 41 pounder beat the existing
record of 29 pounds that was set 2 months prior
by Bill Boone using me (Jose) as the Captain.
The funny thing is that Bill Reisendfeld was predominantly
my client and rarely fished with Steve Huff. Bill
Boone was predominantly Steve's client and rarely
fished with me. The one day each of the anglers
fished with some one other that their regular
guide, they each caught a world record... funny
how that works.
Right about the same time that Bill had captured
that 41pounder with Steve, I was fishing some
other clients in Key West on a spot where I usually
find big fish. I looked over and saw this huge
permit rooting in the mud for a crab. His head
was buried in the bottom and he making such a
mess that all I could see was his tail on the
surface. When he finally swam past the mud, I
could see how truly big he was.
The folks I was fishing with at the time were
casting for barracudas with these huge lures that
would have scared that big permit to death. Luckily,
they had not seen the fish and because I knew
that Bill Reisendfeld was coming soon to fish
with me, I pointed the bow away from the permit
and quietly poled off the flat muttering something
like "tides not right here" for the
benefit of my “cuda lure hucking”
clients.
 Two
weeks later with Bill in the boat with me, we
were rigged and ready for battle. I went to the
exact same flat at the exact same tide and that
monster permit was tailing within 50' of the exact
same spot. The rest is history, Bill made the
cast, the fish ripped off the flat and into channel
bordering it and that's where the fight went on
for 2.5 hours. I was not convinced that the fish
Bill had on now with me was bigger that the existing
record, the 41 pounder he had caught the two weeks
before with Steve Huff. So we made a decision
not to gaff or net it. When the leader finally
came within reach after 2.5 hours we very gingerly
pulled on it till the fish came to the boat. Even
that close, the fish did not look that big. So
I just grabbed it by the tail and pulled him in
the boat.
I think it was then that we both got a look at
the length and girth of the fish and said "HOLY
SHIT!!!!!” We got some pictures and ran
to the dock and it became official: Bill Riesendfeld
had the new world record for 4 pound line, a 44lb
12oz fish!! Bill outdid himself by catching a
world record 41 lbs permit on one day, an incredible
catch in it's own......... then went out and beat
his own record two weeks later with a 44lbs. 12oz.
fish on 4!
Bill Riesendfeld was a pain in the ass sometimes
to fish with, but we had fun together in the boat,
he became a good friend of mine and I liked and
respected him. He was a kind and generous man.
He passed away last year and I hope he feels us
thinking of him..... See ya willie..... Jose
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