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Angler's Profiles
by Mike Lanni
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| A series of articles introducing RISAA members to the rest of the club. |
| (From the June, 1999 Newsletter) HARLEY BENTON |
Somewhere off Point Judith, a large bass is living on borrowed time.
The magnificent predator, survivor of perhaps 15-20 migrations from the Chesapeake
Bay to the northern reaches of Cape Cod, will one night in the coming weeks,
under the cover of darkness, move into shallow water in search of prey.
As the tide begins to run, the fish will select a point of ambush - perhaps
a clump of rocks, and lie in its eddy. As the current sweeps by, the
fish will wait and watch, steadied by the slow back and forth motion of its
huge tail. Peering up into the moonlight, the bass will suddenly see
the silhouette of a snake-like object slithering slowly through the water.
As the eel enters the strike zone, the predator will, like it has so many
times before, make its move with uncanny timing and a burst of speed in an
effort to stun its prey. As the bass rushes forward with the eel in
its mouth, forcing water through the wide open gills, however, it will feel
a strange resistance in the opposite direction. Instinctively sensing something is wrong, the striper will attempt to spit the eel, but it will be too 
late, for attached to that eel via a 20 lb. test line will be a razor sharp
hook. As the hook sets firmly in the side of its mouth, the fishes'
head will momentarily be turned, and a fierce battle for its life will ensue
and once again, for the God-only-knows-how-many-nth-time, Harley Benton will
have fooled a bass.When we think about great bass fishermen on a local level, names like Tim Coleman, Charlie Soares and Capt. Al Anderson always seem to surface, and with good reason. Their reputations are based on the thousands of bass they have produced over the years using a variety of techniques. Its not because he's not equally as talented as those men, rather, it is because Harley has, throughout the years, kept a low profile. Only those who know him well can attest to the fact that since the late 1950's, he has quietly boated big fish in staggering numbers. When we think of big fish today, we think of fish 40 pounds and over. When Harley thinks of big fish, they weigh in the 50's and 60's. For the record, he's had four bass over 60 pounds and 14 over 50 pounds! As for 40-pounders, there have been hundreds, most caught back in the 60's when big fish were plentiful. So what's his secret when it comes to finding big fish? There are many, and he's always willing to share them with those who will listen. Harley catches big fish because he knows their habits and their habitat. Fishing predominately with live eels, he casts and trolls them along the rocky shoreline that stretches from Point Judith light to Annawan Cliffs, in areas most of us wouldn't dare bring out boats. He is able to fish these striper haunts for two reasons. One, he fishes from a 16-foot aluminum boat that draws less than a foot of water. Second, he knows every rock, dropoff, cove, point and other configuration that are to be found along our southern coast. Fishing a Penn 704 on 8-9' glass rods, he pokes in and out of these hot spots looking for fish. There are a lot of little things that he does that no one else would do, such as fishing without a leader. His hook is tied directly to 20 lb. test Berkley Big Game. He will tell you that leaders and swivels become illuminated by phosphorous-laden water, and the bass will see this and sense something is wrong. He knocks his eels out before hooking them through the lower jaw and out an eye socket, so that when they move through the water, they have a more natural appearance. He is adamant about people making as little noise as possible in the boat. All these things may appear to be small in significance, but they can all add up to catching fish. Personally, every amount of advice that Harley has given me on bass fishing has had amazing results, and because of him, I'm catching more fish. If he's not out there murdering the bass, he can at times be found wreaking equal havoc on other species of fish. He's had bluefin tuna to 600-700 lbs., bluefish to 23 lbs, and tautog to 14 lbs. His biggest fluke was 11 lbs, caught one bass fishing one night on a live eel! Mostly though, its bass fishing he loves to pursue. 
One thing I've noticed about Harley is that he is a meticulous person who
does everything with a flair. A skilled cabinetmaker for most of his
life, Harley's craftsmanship is second to none. His truck, boat, tools
and equipment are always kept clean and in perfect working order. He's
a perfect match for newlywed wife, RISAA treasurer, Peg (Hanley).
Peg is quite meticulous herself, and recently has been teaching Harley the
fine art of rod building. As for Peg, she's had the advantage of improving
her bass fishing by fishing with the guy who, in my mind, is pound-for-pound
the best striper fisherman in the state.Harley Benton has come a long way since his boyhood days growing up on a ranch in Colorado. The only son of Harley Benton, Sr. and Florence Benton, he would awaken early to do chores before hopping a freight train to school. He was forced to quit school at an early age due to the demands of running the ranch. He later completed his high school equivalency, as well as doing a stint in the U.S. Navy. Don't let his lack of formal education fool you though, he's a very well-spoken and intelligent man. In Peg, Harley seems to have finally found his soul-mate. Together they seem to be very happy. As a fishing team, they will be tough to beat. We wish them all the luck in the world, and should consider ourselves lucky to have them as members of our find organization. |
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ANGLER PROFILES
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