Before the Strike

• As a journalism major at Morehead State University in eastern Kentucky during the late 1970s, Richard Gibson landed a part-time job as a photographer for the school’s newspaper; the experience taught him that a career in news and sports photography was his calling. After graduation, Gibson went to work as a staff photographer for the Virgin Islands Daily News in St. Thomas, where he covered the annual marlin tournaments; it was his first exposure to the world of offshore sport fishing. With 58 Marlin covers to date—and counting—Gibson is still looking for that next great shot.

What was it like to fish the North Drop