Ruben Jaen C.
1926 --
2007 Inductee
Ruben Jaen is a renowned cardiovascular surgeon and a legend in big-game angling. A man of science, he has applied the same research skills, dedication and enthusiasm to the sport of fishing as he has to his specialty of medicine. As a surgeon Jaen has pioneered procedures, including in 1957 the replacement of the carotid artery with a plastic prosthesis, served as chairman of cardiovascular surgery at Central University of Venezuela, authored six books and hundreds of papers, and received numerous awards for his medical accomplishments. He began fishing for peacock bass, payara, tarpon and snook at the age of 12. Offshore fishing in Venezuela was rare at the time because the available boats couldn't handle the rough seas. By the age of 22, Jaen had discovered billfishing. But he and other early anglers lost more fish than they caught, even though they were using the same baits, hooks and leaders as Zane Grey, Kip Farrington, and their other heroes. They soon realized that conditions in Venezuela were much different than those described in their favorite books. While tarpon fishing in Cuba in 1956, friends persuaded Ruben to try a lighter leader, insisting the fish were spooked by thick line. When he returned home, Jaen and Freddy Benarroch began experimenting with #4 wire for white marlin and sailfish. Two years later they put their 'Venezuelan rig" to the test on the international circuit with spectacular results. Before long they were out-fishing many of America's best at their own game. Jaen described these techniques in his 1964 book, Fishing in the Caribbean, and they were quickly adopted by anglers around the world. In 1966 the Venezuelans convinced the International Light Tackle Tournament Association (ILTTA) to bring its 20-lb competition to their country. When a then-record 281 billfish were caught over three days in La Guaira, a new angling hotspot was born. Fishing in the Caribbean also contained Jaen's theories about swordfishing. Since trolling for broadbills hadn't been successful, he proposed the Cuban method of drifting at night with baits at 200' depths. Venezuelan anglers remained unconvinced until 1976, when two swordfish over 300 pounds were caught off south Florida using that technique. On July 22, 1978, Jaen landed the first two broadbills on rod and reel in Caribbean waters. In 1992 he introduced deep-dropping for swordfishing during daytime hours. Jaen had always dreamed of catching a thousand-pound marlin, and when he landed a 1,018 pound bluefin tuna at Prince Edward Island in 1979 his search began in earnest. He made four trips around the world, then found the fish he had been looking for just three miles off La Guaira on December 30, 1994. At 1,056 pounds it was only the second thousand-pound marlin caught on rod and reel in Venezuelan waters, and Jaen became the only angler to catch granders for both Atlantic species that grow that large. With few exceptions Ruben Jaen has released all the billfish he's caught over the last 60 years. Since 1953 he has kept records of the fishing off La Guaira, documenting years of feast and years of famine due to natural cycles and commercial pressures. Armed with that data, Ruben spearheaded a 10-year campaign that in 1986 resulted in the creation of a 5,000-square-mile protected zone for the La Guaira Bank. The banning of commercial fishing and the safeguarding of this important billfish breeding area may be Ruben Jaen's greatest legacy. Jaen's relationship with the IGFA began in the late 1940s when he met Francesca LaMonte. In 1978 he was appointed an International Representative, the first South American member of the Board of Trustees in 1989, and Trustee Emeritus in 2005. In 2003 Jaen received IGFA's Gil Keech Heavy Tackle Award and that same year became the first recreational angler inducted into the Venezuelan All-Sports Hall of Fame. He was a member of the winning team at 12 international tournaments and held an IGFA 50-lb line class world record for blue marlin (804 pounds). This true sport-fishing pioneer developed and perfected angling techniques, set numerous records, propelled La Guaira into the international spotlight, and brought about billfish conservation in Venezuela. For his incomparable achievements, the IGFA pays tribute to Ruben Jaen.
23 авг 2012
