SCHENCK, Franklin
SCHENCK, Franklin (1836-1902) of Brooklyn, New York, caught the then world's record black sea bass with rod and reel in 1900. Schenck was a member of the Santa Catalina Island Tuna Club.
In the News~
July 5, 1899 [LAT]: “A new tuna record. Moorhouse's fish weighed 250 pounds. Avalon, July 4 — the world's tuna record was broken last evening by Colonel C. P. Moorhouse of Pasadena, who landed a 251 pound tuna with rod and reel after a battle which lasted three hours and twenty minutes. The tuna was hooked off White Rock about sundown and the greater part of the battle was fought in total darkness. The movements of the tuna were exceedingly hard to follow and great care had to be exercised to keep the line from parting. [James Gardner was boat captain.] Frank V. Rider captured a 175-pound tuna this morning off Long Point, after two hours and thirty-one minutes of rare sport. Schenck landed a 150-pound tuna in two hours this morning. This is Mr. Schenck's first tuna and he is now a member of the famous Tuna club.”
June 18, 1900 [LAT]: “Tuna fishing in now par excellence. Great schools of the leaping monsters are seen daily and seldom is the anxious angler compelled to come in without a strike, although he may not land his fish when hooked. Friday morning and afternoon schools of tuna played back and forth across the bay not over a hundred yards from shore, pursuing a school of mackerel which had run in. Every day from three to ten of the huge fish are brought to gaff, and the smaller ones have almost 'ceased to count.' Friday three were landed, two of which weighed 108 pounds and the other 120. The largest was caught by Franklin C. Schenck of New York, an enthusiastic fisherman, who has landed eight tuna since his arrival several weeks ago.”
August 27, 1900 [NYT]: “Catalina Island, Aug. 18 — The world's record for the heaviest fish landed with rod and reel was broken yesterday afternoon by F. S. Schenck of New York, who brought in a jewfish, or black sea bass, weighing 384 pounds, which was captured on a twenty-one-thread Cuttyhunk line after a twenty-minute fight. The record has previously been held by T. S. Manning, who, on Sept. 16 last year, took a 370-pounder after a two hours' contest.”
“The late Mr. F. S. Schenck, of Brooklyn, was the most devoted and untiring of all the jewfish anglers. The first summer his efforts were fruitless; the next he simply couldn't miss. Day after day, with Harry Elms as boatman, he would hook, fight, and boat fish, within a hundred feet of launches, which never had so much as a nibble. His largest, and for some time the world's record fish, weighed 384 pounds. His plan was to take great quantities of bait to throw over, at the end of the day whatever was left. This naturally resulted in drawing herds of all manner of fish to the place, including the jewfish. But this method also attracted tremendous sharks, which gave considerable annoyance by often taking the baited hook. This left the angler to choose between a lengthy, exhausting contest or the loss of so much line. However, such inconvenience was finally overcome by the substitution of a cod line leader for the piano wire, which quickly severed against the shark's teeth, but held the bass. Its nonkinking quality was an advantage over the wire also. This 'chumming' was also tried with success by Mr. T. S. Manning, formerly of Philadelphia, whose work at a certain abrupt promontory christened it Jewfish Point.”
