S.w.a.t.

[iLLest]

I remember back, 3 years ago, when I decided to join one of the Team 57 events. It was at the Legends event and I took my 2 boys with me.
That day I met, in order of greetings, Dana, Danny ( Pineapple Express ), Chris ( Trolly ) and then Arthur ( Wingnut ) walking around handing out his Moms egg rolls. There were others but I can't remember there names and I apologize for that.
My boys and I had a good time and I told myself that I wish there were some saltwater events of the same nature. I prefer salt over fresh due to the simple fact that I have enjoyed the ocean since I was a child.
When I came across the Hunting for Giants event, on the rendezvous section, I was ecstatic and you know what, not one person on that thread was being condesending, making backhanded comments or just plain rude to another person.
For that particular event I made over 60 breakfast burritos, starting at 1:00 in the morning, so they would be as fresh as possible when people started to show up for the event.
I didn't do it to show off or to try and come across as being better than anyone else. I did it because I was taught at a young age that the best way to get to know someone was to share a meal with them and I enjoy doing it!
Kinda like the way the bible says to do it...
Moving ahead, I started to meet some people, some genuine some not. I don't mean just good God fearing people, cause not all of them are genuine, but people that just have a good attitude about life, have a gentle spot in there heart and are kind to others.
There are people that have invited me on there boats to fish, to have lunch with them ( and pick up the bill ), to come to there house and celebrate or just share something very personal going on in their lives.
Those people that do that don't do it to be part of a club, they do it because they are kind people and have trusted others to be with them or know that what they have shared will not be divulged with the masses.
I have not written these things to belittle anyone or to hurt anyones feelings. Simply put, I have been taught to respect other people and to pray for them, good or bad!
Please do not think for a moment that I think I am some kind of saint, farrr from it!!!!
I will flip you off, in a heart beat, if you cut me off on the freeway...
If you offend my family or friends I might chime in, after all, sticks and stones....etc
If you hurt my family or friends....Lord have mercy on me!
But that's just me, others might take things more seriously and they have their reasons for it. You don't have to like it, but just think about it for a minute, why is that person so adamant about that particular subject?

The reason I have explained all these things is for one purpose, I believe it is the reason that I was asked to join a group of people and to share life with them.
The majority of it didn't have a thing to do with fishing, but fishing is what brought us together and in particular a guy named Dana ( Team 57 ).

God Bless,
Robert
<><

Man, it honestly bums me out that some people are taking jabs at S.W.A.T. They simply don't understand what we're truly about... we're just a group of friends, more like brothers and sisters now actually, who enjoy the sport of fishing. The best thing about this is that once you get to know everyone in the group, you realize how each and every single individual, in their own way, has respect and a caring heart for everyone around them. I dont ever, I mean EVER recall someone from S.W.A.T belittle someone. In fact, many of us take the time to post detailed reports and answer multiple PM's that we are sent often. Do we have to? No. We simply do it out of the kindness of our hearts.

I wasn't able to make it to that event. Wish I could have gone and met you all. Hopefully the next saltwater event I will be able to make it.

What's up Fysher, keep an eye out for Hunting Giants 4 around Oct-Nov. Details will be posted as the time nears...come on down and have a blast.

Hey Robert! Great post. I've been a reader on this board since way back in the days. I've always come here because of the great people and being able to read about their fishing experiences. The thing I appreciated most about this site and the reason I keep coming back is the welcome I got in my introduction post from Dana, yourself and the others that took a minute to welcome a noob! I finally got back out to do some fishing recently and it's cool to be able to contribute some pics and reports now. That said, I think (and I don't think many on the board would disagree) the reports from the S.W.A.T. guys are some of the best on the board when it come to info, pics, and entertainment value. I've never really fished the salt before but I have no doubt that any of the S.W.A.T. guys would lend a hand and share some knowledge out on the beach if I (or anyone) needed it! I think it's cool that you all have that friendship and camaraderie whether the S.W.A.T. moniker is attached to that bond or not.
All the best,
Alex

Hey Alex,
I appreciate the kind words and it makes me glad that some of our reports have aided you in your quest. I guarantee you that any of us will give you a hand in whatever troubles your having learning how to fish the surf. If you need some further help, PM me, I'll be happy to help you out.

Oh man, I remember your breakfast burritos Robert, they were delicious. I think that was the day I broke my ankle on the beach.
Kudos to you for going the extra mile for strangers. I can see why you are an obvious choice for the Brotherhood.

Let me tell you a couple of stories about our Commander, the one who brought us together, the one following in Dana's footsteps.

One night a few years back Arthur and I was having dinner at some restaurant in L.A. It was pouring rain outside. He looks out the window and saw a homeless guy with a kid around 10-12 years old huddling in the corner on the sidewalk. We talked about how you can’t help people by handing them money, the unfortunate issue of the homeless situation in this country and how our trouble pales in comparison to that of others. When we were done eating, Arthur went outside, walked up to them and asked them to come inside the restaurant. He had the restaurant manager sat them down in the back and told them to order anything they want from the menu. After they ordered, he paid for their meals and we left. You should have seen the look on that restaurant manager’s face let alone the smiles on the two homeless individuals.
Walking out, I asked Art why he did that? It surely won’t make any difference because tomorrow they will be back out here hungry again. Art turns to me and said ‘Well… they won’t be hungry tonight.”

Another time, Arthur and I were walking and we saw an elderly lady giving money to a panhandling couple. I think she handed them a $10 bill and said “I don’t have much, but here you go…” She was very old and looks pretty disheveled herself. I could tell that Arthur was touched by the act. He walks over to her and put some money in her hand. He didn’t know it, but I saw how much it was. The look on that old lady’s face was priceless, tears was rolling down her wrinkled cheeks as she stammered to ask why.
Art just said “Stay beautiful…” and walked away. I asked him how much did he give her and he never answered… it was a $100 bill.

I will always remember these moments and I see this kind of generosity and kindness in every SWAT member. Don’t ever change my brothers & sisters.

Thanks for sharing that Phong
I know Arthur has a huge heart, but this right here just goes to show what kind of a person he is. I've said this before, and I'll say it again, people like him dont come around often. I'm blessed to know him and am very thankful to be calling him a brother. I've hit the surf with him plenty of times and noticed many unselfish "lil things" that he does on a constant basis that make me re-think the way I look at life in general. I wont go into detail but lets just say he "pays it forward" and you know what? This type of generosity has a expanding effect. I've noticed others in S.W.A.T, myself included, catch on to this as well and let's just say we "pay it forward" as well. Some of us were actually raised sharing this same philosophy, but never to Arthur's extent. At least not myself. But over the years, let's just say I've pushed myself a little further...I'll just leave it at that.

Robert,

Great post My Friend!

I'm not going to soon forget the last session we had with NT and Bachiboy down south. You made it your personal mission to help NT complete his own mission and made catching any fish yourself secondary. That was true SWAT style.......Give it forward and it will be repaid.

Thanks for the post and I hope to see you on the beach real soon.

Whats up Terry,
That's not the first time he does this, Robert is a sneaky one and when you least expect it, he's putting himself behind other peoples success.
I remember once him and Art were chasing WSB, Robert knew exactly where the WSB were going to be most active and willing to bite, and let's just say Robert all of a sudden "got tired" and went to rest. In reality he wanted to put Arthur on a WSB so bad that he decided to remove himself from the surf so that Arthur had the best chance of landing a WSB.

It's the little things guys.

Dude I need to step up. Never have I heard of such unselfishness.
Me, I try everyday to do right. That's the least we can do. I always think, What would my Mom think of me.

Phuong, thanks for sharing that story. You know Arthur is gonna give you grief for doing that right?
WWO

Sup Bill,
Like I said above, I knew Arthur had a huge heart but man, this dude is unselfish isnt he?
Awesome guy right there.

[DockRat]

Man, it honestly bums me out that some people are taking jabs at S.W.A.T.

No kidding. That's terrible. With all the time you guys put in and posts for us to read.
Thank You SWAT Team.
DR

[DockRat]

Just noticed the other thread got locked down.

Hey Ray Lopez my friend. That last line was


I can tell you the japanese market they buy all those fish at...for a price. hahahahahaa. :P

[trollmiester]

wow what a nice thread.I REMEMBER ONE DAY I GOT A CALL FROM PONTOON AND HE WANTED MY MAILING ADRESS.I Gave it to hiom the next thing i know i got a large box from fed.ex.It had many lucky crafts.crocdiles.hooks,drop shoot rigs.The thing you strap on your leg thats holds your rod while surffishing,pliers and many other term inal tackle.It was from wingnut and we were invited to a surf session the next morning.We arrived laughed caught fish with pontoon,bones and wingnut.Well i did not catch as many as them but it was a blast.Wingnut made sure i had enough tackle and i said hell yes.Well what elese can i say when he donates like fifty lucky crafts to our raffle. It was a great Sure.--Was-A--Trip. I M,EAN SWAT SESSION THE ONLU COMPLAINT I HAVE WITH SANTA CLAUS IS THAT HE IS VIETNAMESE NOT ARMENIAN LIKE ME. I SWEAR THE DISCOVERY CHANNELL SAID THAT SANTA CLAUS WAS ARMENIANEMURRITA ANGLER THANX FOR THE MEMORIES I HAVE BEEN A FNN MEMBER SINCE 1998 WHEN IT WAS THE FISHING HOT PAGES.

[Fysher]

Thanks Illest, I'll keep an eye out for the dates. By then, my daughter will be 2 so I will be able to head out and join in all the fun =0)

Agree with previous post about SWAT never belittle anyone. They are all full of help. ToadsToadsOnly helps me out with questions I have and I don't know him personally but yet, he still helps out.

How I see it is this: If you have a problem with a group of fishing friends that post awesome reports with pictures, helps others out even when they don't know the person, take the time to answer your questions, never talks bad about anyone and so on... then I think there's something serious wrong with ya.

Quotes that should be kept in your mind:

"Make friends for Life, not friends for a Day"
"Live life to the fullest"
"Do good and you will be re-warded"
"Do good to others even if they do bad to you"

[Badbeat]

Oooooo, you guys are in trouble now. You know the Commander’s unwritten rules don’t you??? Always pay it forward and NEVER thank him publicly for anything.

But since everybody pretty much ignored that on this thread, we might as well all get in trouble together.
I’ve known and fish with Arthur for a very long time. He's my vietnamese brother from another mother. I mainly fish freshwater for striped bass, trout and catfish. Art have always tried to convince me to give surf fishing a shot for a long time. He tries to invite me out with him many times over the years. For one reason or another, I never took him up on it. Yeah how stupid huh? Turning down an offer to fish with SWAT. But last November he finally convinced me and a friend of ours, Sokha , to go to the Hunting Giants 3 event. Arthur set us both up with waders, gear, lures, you name it, we got it. We kinda look like a couple of SWAT guy with no clue of what we’re doing. Well, after that day meeting and fishing with SWAT, we were hooked for life. One of the SWAT guys, Andrew, who we’ve never met, took us under his wings for the day and made sure we caught fish and had a great time. I look around and every single SWAT guys were out helping other people catch fish. Most of them not even fishing themselves. Like Robert Murrieta Angler helping the mom with those two young kids catch their first ever surf fish, priceless I tell you. Then I met another SWAT guy name Mikey Exfactor who shoves a plate of smoked Albacore in my hand and told me to enjoy. Then Mike Bones came up and put his arm around me and said he was glad that we came. I met just about every SWAT member there that day and the kindness was the reoccurring theme.

Arthur surrounds himself with good people, people just like him, the good guys, and just like Fisherman 57. I met Dana at one of the legends event at Irvine Lake. The man didn’t know who I was and gave me and my entire family Team 57 shirts. I can totally see that kind of generosity running thru the bloodline of every SWAT brothers.

The people who knock SWAT for whatever reason just don’t get it. Setting all the BS aside, it probably all boils down to petty jealousy. People tend to criticize what they don’t understand or can never be a part of. I’m not a SWAT member, I’m on the outside looking in like most of you. But I was fortunate enough to experience what they are all about and I get it. If only people would open their mind and their heart a little, they will get it too.

[murrieta angler]

Arthur set us both up with waders, gear, lures, you name it, we got it. We kinda look like a couple of SWAT guy with no clue of what we’re doing.


Hey Binh,
You had me cracking up..
What makes you think we know what we are doing?!?

Take Care,
Robert
<><

lol

[Troutman65]

All I am going to say is Arthur "Payed it Forward " to me and that meant a lot to me . I am not going into any detail on what it was and that is not important here . I hope to someday pay it forward to another when the time arises . I know that's the right thing to do . Back to Swat , I know some of the members and they are good people . If you get the chance to be invited to join them cool . If you read their surf fishing reports and get inspired by them , go out on your own , fish, have a great time, then cool too . Life is very short people . Enjoy your friends and life .

[Which Way Out]

Arthur set us both up with waders, gear, lures, you name it, we got it. We kinda look like a couple of SWAT guy with no clue of what we’re doing.


Hey Binh,
You had me cracking up..
What makes you think we know what we are doing?!?

Take Care,
Robert
<><

lol

Robert you must be talking about me, my ear's were burning.

Last year was my first HG. And let me tell ya, I was blown away by the effort that everyone put out. Me I kinda felt like a fish out of water. I tried to contribute anyway I could. I know that next time I am gonna be more active with the people fishing. My knowledge was very limited at the time. Ok it still is but what can you expect, I am uncoachable, Right Arthur?
So if anyone that shows up at an event that we are hosting, look me up I will do my best to get you set up and on fish.

I have only One request, please be able to cast. I can't teach casting for *$%@

WWO

[troublehook]

I’m not a swat member either, but like Badbeat said, I get it too. Yes, I agree Arthur is a generous soul, more than anybody will ever know as he doesn’t like to advertise his good deeds. If you ever meet him on the sand he might hand you a lucky craft and say hey, try this pattern, thank you sir! I’ve had the opportunity to fish with a few of these guys, Bones, Murrieta angler, Nipple Twister, SP Dan and Wingnut and their kindness is totally genuine. There’s nothing superficial about these guys at all. They fish responsibly, they share information thru reports on a regular basis, they have the deepest respect for the ocean and their sport, they are courteous and helpful to fellow fishermen and they contribute positively to the fishing community. What more can anybody ask for? I don’t know much about Dana or Team 57, it was before my time. But if Dana believes in family, friends, fun and fishing, these swat guys not only talk about it, they live it every day.
People who complain and talk **** about swat are just a bunch of sour grapes. And for somebody to cry about being alienated and excluded from a group they don’t belong in the first place just makes them look foolish. You don’t need to be a swat member to appreciate what they are all about and what they stand for. Keep up the great work guys, the haters are a very small minority.

Oh yeah, talking about haters, the Miami Heat still suck.