MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, Calif. -- Everyone knows the story when a buddy returns from a long fishing trip, battered and bruised, there is always the interesting story about the "one that got away." But when a coworker returns with a black eye, and claims he and the "big one" got into a fight, people may begin to roll their eyes.Fortunately for LeRoy Fearon, maintenance work leader for Installation and Logistics Department here, he got the best of the king salmon, and the 30 pounds of proof has been grilling on his barbecue for the past couple weeks.Fearon's fishing trip and Mother's Day weekend began immediately after work on May 9 when he drove all the way to the San Francisco Bay area."We had to wake up at 2 a.m. Saturday to get down to the boat, so I only got about two hours of sleep once I made it to the bay," said Fearon. "This was my first fishing trip of the season, and the first fishing license I had bought in years. I was hoping for a great day."According to Fearon, the weather was pristine. The swells were mild, the fog was light and the absence of wind made for a beautiful 3-hour voyage in the Rapid Transit from Emeryville, Calif., out to the Farallon Islands. The word on the docks said salmon fishing couldn't be beat on the north side.On the way out, porpoises and seals raced along next to the boat, keeping the fishermen company. As they arrived at their destination, the light fog retreated, unveiling bright sunlight and a warm day for the eager fishermen."We started trolling with anchovies on the north side of the islands, in what is known as Fanny Shole," Fearon said. "There was a nibble here and there, but we couldn't have had our lines in the water more than 10 minutes when the captain of the boat got word that the fish were being caught on the south side. We pulled our lines and hauled over to the better location."As soon as the Rapid Transit neared the popular location, the 20 fishermen dropped their lines and began to troll."Fish started jumping on lines left and right as soon as we got there!" said Fearon. "It was pure mayhem. Deckhands were darting back and forth trying to net all the fish and lines were tangling. It was crazy! There were guys that had double and triple hookups, and that's when I started to get excited. I knew I was going to get a big one."Around the boat, a pool was established to award the person who brought in the biggest fish, and it had reached around $100. The competition was fierce, and most fishermen were already reaching the two-fish limit early in the day.When Fearon got the hit, he was surprised by the power of the mystery fish."It was one powerful fish!" said Fearon. " I just wanted to get it in the boat as quick as possible, before the seals got a hold of it."The seals outside the bay are notorious for stealing fish. They have been known to steal an entire fish right off a line, or even bite off the majority, leaving a fisherman with just the head dangling from his line, according to Fearon.The fight lasted 20 minutes, and the fatigued fisherman called for a deckhand as soon as the fish approached the side of the boat."The boat was rocking back and forth so bad I needed to brace myself so I wouldn't fall off. When the guy netted the fish, I leaned forward to compensate, and he came back. As I stared into the net at my enormous catch, the butt of the net caught me right in the eye," said Fearon. "I almost passed out it hit me so hard. Needless to say, I was pretty dazed when the deckhand pointed to my fish and said, 'Boy, that could be the winnin' fish right there,' which made my day."Once all the men reached their limits, the boat came in, and so did Fearon's 30-pound salmon. As it turned out, Fearon's catch was the top fish of the day, winning him the pool."It paid for my trip out," said Fearon. "And then I got to go spend some time with my mom, who was a little confused about the black eye but comforted when she saw the size of the fish that gave it to me."Is a black eye worth at least a month worth of fresh salmon?As far as Fearon is concerned, there's no question that he wouldn't trade in that experience of bounty and blunder for anything, and the salmon dinners are a good bonus. The big one may have put up a fight, but it didn't get away. After all, there could only be one winner, according to Fearon."Boy I tell you what, talk about good eatin'!" he said.