When the whopper bull dorado started jumping it was a long way off from the stern. It never stopped, even when it was in gaffing range. Montanan Cindy Norred had never been long range fishing, but by the fourth day of her seven-day trip aboard Independence she'd pulled in numerous yellowtail, along with some bluefin and yellowfin tuna as well as a couple of wahoo.

Shortly after lunch that day the Emergency Medical Technician and mother of two was flylining off the wide stern when the bull took her sardine and some serious excitement began. The leaper took her from port side to starboard , cruising the 32-foot width of Indy's stern several times, as it continued a great series of jumps, each followed by whooping from the 29 anglers watching the fight.

Every time the big bull jumped it came down on its flat sides with a flapping clap heard over the hoots and shouts of the anglers watching. Tension soared when she pulled it boatside between the gate and the corner some ten minutes into the scrap. Then the stubborn mahi dived under the boat and came up on the port side, to the surprise of the fishermen there, and showed off its brilliant yellow with another series of leaps. When the gal from Big Fork tried to follow her fish around the stern her line was hung up under the hull, while it continued to perform its antics.

That brought skipper Jeff DeBuys down from the tank in a hurry, and with crewman Doug Brink on the end of the fork (a metal Y on the end of a gaff handle, meant for such situations) the pair managed to free the line connected to Cindy's dorado. The mono was badly frayed for several yards.

With a dexterous series of moves, DeBuys cut and spliced the frayed portion, and Cindy went back to work, following the obstreperous critter back and forth from starboard to port again. At last she coaxed it back to the boat, but it eluded the gaff once more with a rail-high jump.

The unforgettable scrap ended when the bull was gaffed aboard, videoed above and below the waterline. Cindy posed with Brink and DeBuys for a series of photos with the gorgeous mahi, a fish and an experience she isn't likely to forget. Her first sizeable dorado weighed in at 41.2 pounds on the scales at Pt. Loma Sportfishing when Independence returned August 25, and won third place in the jackpot.