Best fisherman in the World Ray Johnson

[wiperhunter2]

I was reading some old post the other day and ran across this:
http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gfo...ead#unread

I thought it was interesting, so I did a little research and found this YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E8WbLqzISc
Some of you might know Ray or heard of him, so I thought I'd post it to read some of your thoughts about him and his world famous lure that he claims is the best fishing lure in the world. The video is a little long but amusing.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]The phrase "A legend in his own mind" must surely have been coined with Ray Johnson as the inspiration.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]There is no disputing his verified records...and the MANY big browns he caught from Flaming Gorge "back in the day". But heck, anybody who would camp in snow caves and fish all night in freezing weather could have done the same thing. I don't know anyone who personally encountered him who would vouch for his sanity. He was dedicated and committed...or at least should have been committed.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]About his lures. Garbage. I was given a few by a well-meaning (former) friend. I gave them an honest trial...on several waters...including the Gorge. Never had a sniff on any of them. And I was appalled at how wacko the action was. Ray claims to have caught most of his big browns on them but I know several witnesses who swore that the only fish they saw him catch were on big Rapalas. About the only thing his lures caught were a lot of gullible anglers.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]He was humble...and proud of it.
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[wiperhunter2]

After reading that post and viewing that video, I totally agree. That so called documentary was little more than an advertisement for his lure. I've never read his book but from the comments on that thread, it was similar to the video.
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[ducksfresh]

My numerous encounters with Ray were quite unpleasant. He accused me of snagging kokanee on the gorge and cussed me in from of my young son. Then when the fish and game came over he showed them his video of us. They told him to calm down and told us we were fine. Silly old dude anyway.
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[doitall5000]

Yes I spent the day fishing by him at the sunken island at Linwood bay. Listen to him cussing everyone, saying get out of my way. This is my place. Real friendly old fart.
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[wiperhunter2]

After reading that post at the link above it sounds like you were one of the few that actually fished with him. Did you get a look at his famous lure?
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[mtncat1]

ray also has every trash fish record in Utah a real accomplishment []
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[doitall5000]

Fished with him? No , I fished in my boat that got in his area. In his water. Never saw what he fished with.
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[Fishrmn]

His lures were garbage. I think he named it the "Real Minnow" lure so he could say; I caught it on a real minnow, I mean "Real Minnow" lure.



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[Tarponjim]

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[jones4fish]

My dad and i fished with him in 84. we caught fish on his lure. we were in his aluminum boat. the wind picked up and water got really rough. we fished through it. another boat came across the lake to see if we were stranded. not long after that trip a man drowned while fishing with ray. he devoted his life for fishing and that is not crazy even if he is.
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[mtncat1]

i heard someone drowned he was guiding for ,any truth to that ?
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[Tarponjim]

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[wiperhunter2]

Thanks for the feedback Jim, I had a feeling you had some dealings with him at one time or another. Maybe when he trolled so close to you, he was just trying to get a close look at you and see if you were at kid that he took out fishing all those years before[]. I guess he knew who you were, he must see you out there all the time. You do have some stories, thanks for sharing them with us.
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[wiperhunter2]

According to the BFT thread I referenced above he also wrote a book called, "Big Trout". That book has gone up in value over the years and now cost $70 on Amazon. It has some pretty interesting drawing in it, one is posted in that thread. He also made claims that he would throw paddleboards at people he fished with and hit them in the head. Makes me wonder if that was what happened to the guy that died while fishing with him.
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[SkunkedAgain]

Guys I haven’t been paying attention to this post but it seems like we may be straying outside of our rules for personal attacks. Let’s let this one fade away. Later Jeff
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[fishroof]

I dont know ray johnson i saw him once at the gorge and have no reasons not to believe the storys.It just seems to me that trashing anyone on the public internet is very weak and something moderators should stop.I have read this site for a very longtime and i have seen lures i thought wouldnt catch fish and i have read alot of posts people giving advice on species they never catch.Maybe ray has relatives who read this site.
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[wiperhunter2]

That could have been true years ago but others have those records now, he does still have the record for a sucker taken by archery and angling methods:

Current angling record fish
Species Year Weight Length Girth Angler Location
BASS, Largemouth 1974 10 lb 2 oz 24 1/4" 20" Sam Lamanna Lake Powell
BASS, Smallmouth 1996 7 lb 6 oz 22" 16 1/2" Alan Iorg Midview Res. (Lake Borham)
BASS, Striped 1991 48 lb 11 oz 45" 31 1/4" Travis T. Jenson Lake Powell
BASS, White 1970 4 lb 1 oz John R. Welcker Utah Lake
BLUEGILL 1993 2 lb 7 oz 11 1/2" 14 5/8" Jack Rask Mantua Reservoir
BULLHEAD, Black 1999 3 lb 4 oz 16" 13" Jack Gilgen Cutler Reservoir
CARP 1993 32 lb 0 oz Couger Elfervig Lake Powell
CATFISH, Channel 1978 32 lb 8 oz 39 3/4" 22" LeRoy Mortensen Utah Lake
CHUB, Utah 2009 1 lb 15 oz 13" 10 3/4" Krystal Rasmussen Starvation Reservoir
CRAPPIE, Black 2009 3 lb 5 oz 18 1/2" 15 1/8" James Maack Lake Powell
GRAYLING 1998 1 lb 12 oz 17 1/4" 8 3/4" Terry J. Fieldsted Big Dog Lake - South Slope Uintas
MUSKELLUNGE, Tiger 2006 33 lb 9 oz 49" 21 1/2" Kelly Parry Pineview Reservoir
PERCH, Sacramento 1993 4 lb 5 oz 17" 15" Harlan G. Thomas Garrison Res. (Pruess Lake)
PERCH, Yellow 1984 2 lb 11 oz 15 1/8" 9 3/4" Ray Johnson Sevier Bridge Reservoir
PIKE, Northern 2013 26 lb 1 oz 45 1/2" 22" Vlad Zoranovic Yuba Reservoir
SALMON, Kokanee 2015 6 lb 5 oz 25 1/4" 14" George Sharman Flaming Gorge Reservoir
SUCKER, Utah 2003 6 lb 6 oz 25 1/2" 13 1/4" Jamin C. Buttars Weber River
SUCKER, White 1992 2 lb 8 oz 19 1/4" 9 1/2" Ray Johnson Flaming Gorge Reservoir
SUNFISH, Green 2003 0 lb 15.5 oz 10 1/4" 10" Sean Buchanan Glassman Pond
TROUT, Albino 1989 9 lb 2 oz 24 3/4" 17" Nick Manning Joes Valley Reservoir
TROUT, Brook 1971 7 lb 8 oz Milton Taft Boulder Mountain
TROUT, Brown 1977 33 lb 10 oz 40" 25" Robert Bringhurst Flaming Gorge Reservoir
TROUT, Brownbow 2000 1 lb 15" Benjamin Spencer Harward Mill Meadows
TROUT, Cutthroat 1930 26 lb 12 oz Mrs. E. Smith Strawberry Reservoir
TROUT, Golden 1977 0 lb 14 oz 14 1/2" Breck Tuttle Atwood Creek
TROUT, Lake 1988 51 lb 8 oz 45 1/8" 31 3/4" Curt Bilbey Flaming Gorge Reservoir
TROUT, Rainbow 1979 26 lb 2 oz Del Canty Flaming Gorge Reservoir
TROUT, Splake 2006 17 lb 4 oz 36 1/2" 21 1/8" Stacy S. Willden Fish Lake
TROUT, Tiger 2013 19 lb 2 oz 37 1/2" 19 5/8" Jake Trane Scofield Reservoir
WALLEYE 1991 15 lb 9 oz 31 3/4" 20 3/4" Jeffery Tanner Provo River
WHITEFISH, Bonneville 2013 4 lb 8 oz 20 3/4" 13" Eric Cockayne Bear Lake
WHITEFISH, Mountain 1997 4 lb 12 oz 21 1/2" 14" Roy L. Montoya Deer Creek Reservoir
WIPER 2017 14 lb 28 1/2" 22 1/2" Haydee Bullard Newcastle Reservoir
Current catch and release record fish
Species Date Length Angler Location
BASS, Largemouth 03/29/98 27" Dennis Miller Quail Lake
BASS, Smallmouth 07/04/03 23 1/2" Clifford Sackett Jr. Jordanelle Reservoir
BASS, Striped 05/11/00 32 1/2" Marty Peterson Lake Powell
BASS, White 05/07/05 19" Clint Lance Salem Pond
BLUEGILL 10/05/07 11 5/8" Derek Haryyman Pelican Lake
BULLHEAD, Black 06/11/14 14 1/2" John Harris Pineview Reservoir
CARP 6/10/18 38 1/2" Matt Eggers Starvation Reservoir
CATFISH, Channel 6/21/15 36 3/4" Cade Gill Kens Lake
CHUB, Utah 06/21/97 14 1/4" Sue McGhie Troff Flaming Gorge
CRAPPIE, Black 05/20/07 16" Dustin Gunrud Pineview Reservoir
GRAYLING 09/14/18 19 1/2" Brian Harris Ledge Lake
MUSKELLUNGE, Tiger 11/28/98 53 1/4" Ray Johnson Pineview Reservoir
PERCH, Sacramento 05/28/00 15" Lance Egan Pruess Lake
PERCH, Yellow 03/04/00 15 1/4" Brad Cutler Yuba Reservoir
PIKE, Northern 06/13/98 49 3/4" Logan Hacking Lake Powell
SALMON, Kokanee 05/29/04 26 5/8" Ray Johnson Flaming Gorge
SUCKER, Utah 10/11/09 28" Josh Moulton Bear River
SUCKER, White 04/26/97 19" Kirk Ray Johnson Flaming Gorge — Sheep Creek Bay
SUNFISH, Green 09/06/14 11 1/4" Jeremy Martinez Quail Creek Reservoir
TROUT, Albino 04/28/04 29" Duncan Bernstein Ogden River
TROUT, Brook 12/06/97 23" Travis L. Clark Boulder Mountain
TROUT, Brown 11/13/15 34" Stephen Hofer Upper Provo River
TROUT, Brownbow 06/13/97 12 1/4" Kirk Johnson Mill Meadow Reservoir
TROUT, Cutthroat 03/26/11 31 1/2" Curtis Robinson East Canyon Reservoir
TROUT, Golden 09/06/18 15" Adam Nielson Marsh Lake
TROUT, Lake 07/09/98 46 1/2" Ray Johnson Flaming Gorge
TROUT, Rainbow 12/30/00 29" Enich Mockli East Canyon
TROUT, Splake 11/13/17 30 1/2" Buckley Jolley Joes Valley Reservoir
TROUT, Tiger 4/26/13 29" Joe Bell Scofield Reservoir
WALLEYE 4/4/02 31 1/2" Enich Mockli Starvation Reservoir
WHITEFISH, Bonneville 11/30/09 23 1/4" Scott Tolentino Bear Lake
WHITEFISH, Mountain 6/20/04 24" Craig Shriner Weber River
WIPER 7/13/16 27 5/8" Trevor Davenport Newcastle Reservoir

Current spearfishing record fish
Species Year Weight Length Girth Angler Location
BASS, Smallmouth 2017 5 lb 2 oz 20" 14 1/2" Jacob Lords East Canyon Reservoir
BASS, Largemouth 2011 8 lb 8 oz 22" 20" Nick Anderson Kens Lake
BASS, Striped 2016 2 lb 10 oz 21 1/8" 10 1/4" Shelby Lynn Peterson Lake Powell
BLUEGILL 2009 14 oz 9 3/4" 10" Tony Arbaney Steinaker Reservoir
BULLHEAD 2009 1 lb 3 oz 12 3/8" 8 1/4" Russell Sexton Pineview Reservoir
CARP 2013 31 lb 33 3/4" 26 7/8" Casey Bird Flaming Gorge Reservoir
CATFISH, Channel 2018 8 lb 8 oz 26 1/4" 14 1/2" Mike Kennedy Lake Powell
CHUB, Utah 2005 1 lb 12 3/4" 8 1/8" Shane Forrester Starvation Reservoir
CRAPPIE, Black 2015 1 lb 8 oz 13 3/8" 11 1/4" Carl Wayne Cooper Deer Creek Reservoir
MUSKELLUNGE, Tiger 2013 28 lb 15 oz 46" 21 3/4" Jonathan Patrick Vail Fish Lake
PERCH, Yellow 2011 0 lb 13 oz 11 3/4" 7 3/4" Greg Porter Starvation Reservoir
SALMON, Kokanee 2017 2 lbs 14 oz 19 1/4" 13 1/4" Scott S. Parsons Fish Lake
SUCKER, Utah 2003 4 lb 15 oz 23" 11" Mike McGuire Fish Lake
TROUT, Brown 1983 21 lb 12 oz 35 1/2" 21 3/4" Bruce Boyd Fish Lake
TROUT, Cutthroat 2008 1 lb 9 oz 16 1/2" 8" Russell Sexton Causey Reservoir
TROUT, Lake 2008 32 lb 7 oz 40 1/2" 26 1/2" Bruce A. Boyd Fish Lake
TROUT, Rainbow 2017 4 lb 6 oz 22 3/4" 12 3/4" Matt Weaver Flaming Gorge
TROUT, Splake 2012 16 lb 7 oz 38" 17 1/2" Daniel James Boyd Fish Lake
TROUT, Tiger 2015 10 lbs 8 oz 29 3/4" 16 7/8" Richard Martin Causey Reservoir
WALLEYE 2010 13 lb 3 oz 31 1/2" 20" Shane Andersen Deer Creek Reservoir
WIPER 2014 11 lb 6 oz 27 3/4" 20 3/8" Carl Wayne Cooper Newcastle Reservoir

Current setline record fish
Species Year Weight Length Girth Angler Location
BASS, Smallmouth 2017 1 lb 1 oz 13 1/8" 8 1/2" Bryce Sweitzer Cutler Reservoir
BASS, White 2016 7 oz 10 1/4" 6 1/4" David Wilson Utah Lake
BULLHEAD 2016 1 lb 1 oz 10 1/2" 7" Scott Sweitzer Cutler Reservoir
CARP 2017 3 lb 7 oz 19 1/8" 12" Bryce Sweitzer Cutler Reservoir
CATFISH, Channel 1975 31 lb 0 oz 39" 20 1/2" Dorothy Lorenzen Utah Lake
CRAPPIE, Black 2012 7 oz 9 1/4" 8 1/12" Ben Davis Bear River

Current archery record fish
Species Year Weight Length Girth Angler Location
CARP 2015 38 lb 13 oz 41" 28 3/4" Brad Robinson Willard Bay
SUCKER, Utah 1992 4 lb 5 oz 19 3/4" 12" David W. Stuart Utah Lake
SUCKER, White 1992 2 lb 7 oz 18 1/2" 9 1/4" Ray Johnson Flaming Gorge Reservoir
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[wiperhunter2]

I heard many stories like that over the years, sounds like the Fish and Game knew all about him too.
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[catchinon]

I have followed this thread with interest. While studying state record fish I saw his name come up again and again. I formed a mental picture which was quite different from the one presented here. I appreciate knowing the truth. In my communication law class I learned that public figures are fair game as opposed to ordinary people (think National Inquirerer). And the first defense in libel cases is that it is true. Here we have firsthand accounts from those who had experience with him and printed sources from the man himself. If one of you tried to run me down in a boat or "blessed me out" you're darn right I would report it here.

The other side of me agrees with Thumper: "If you can't say nothing nice, don't say nothing at all."
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