Robert Lalah, Staff Reporter

Lauriston Reid (right) shows off his big catch, a 150-lb tarpon. Mr. Reid caught the fish from the sea along the Palisadoes Road leading to Norman Manley International airport in Kingston yesterday. Helping him is Kevin Bailey. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

At 8 o'clock yesterday morning, Lauriston Reid, a veteran fisherman from Kingston, was standing alone along the Palisadoes main road with his fishing line in the waters of the Kingston Harbour. It was a slow morning, not a bite since dawn. Suddenly, he felt a tug on his line. He held it tighter, brimming with anticipation. There was a massive pull on the line and the man, as experienced as his 25 years of fishing made him, was nearly pulled right into the murky water.

It didn't take long for him to realise that the fish on the other end of the line was no ordinary catch. "Mi feel it a pull and a fight! It full a strength and power, so mi just dilly-dally and hold on tight!" he said.

After fighting with the fish for the better part of two hours, Mr. Reid finally managed to secure the catch and pulled it out of the water.

Giant of a fish

"Mi frighten fi realise seh is a giant of a fish!" he said. And a giant of a fish it was indeed! The tarpon that the man caught measured 6 feet, 6 inches long and weighed more than 150 pounds. The average tarpon weighs about 50 pounds.

A huge crowd descended on the man and his fish yesterday morning right along the Palisadoes roadway. At one point, traffic on the roadway came to a complete standstill. People were jumping out of their cars to have a look at the giant catch. "Is a mermaid! Mi haffi go buy cash pot today!" one woman shouted.

Mr. Reid seemed to have been relishing his moment in the spotlight. He posed for pictures and related the story of how he came to catch the fish to any and everyone who asked. The man said he planned to sell the fish but, up to midday, he still had not figured out just how he was going to move it.