A Look Back:

Legendary Newport Beach dory fisherman Shorty Gunther once hooked a 580-pound swordfish and had a St. Bernard that was trained to rescue swimmers in distress at local beaches.

Tales of how Gunther powered his boat with a salvaged airplane engine survived long after Gunther last fished off Newport Beach.

Gunther had a knack for catching fish.

He set a record for catching black sea bass during the 1926 season, the Times reported on Nov. 13 of that year, catching 67 of the massive fish, all weighing between 200 pounds to 800 pounds. The Times estimated Gunther brought in about 26,000 pounds of black sea bass over the course of three months.

He once designed an underwater trap to try and ensnare a live shark, according to a Los Angeles Times article dated Oct. 25, 1940. The fisherman had hopes of selling the live sharks to motion picture studios to use in films, the Times reported.

“Each trap has a wide mouth which gradually narrows, much after the fashion of a rat trap,� the Times reported. “To lure the potential screen stars in side, a smaller cage is placed in the middle, wherein fish are placed to swim enticingly.�

Gunther also designed special shark tackle with large hooks attached to a rope, to catch even larger specimens, according to historical news accounts. No records could be found on the success of Gunther’s shark hunting efforts.

Gunther and two other fishermen once netted a 16-foot long, 580-pound sword fish after a heroic struggle in the waters off Newport, the Los Angeles Times reported on Sept. 19, 1930.

Another fisherman, Dick Johnson, hooked the massive swordfish on one of his fishing lines. The great beast then bolted at top speed toward Gunther’s nearby boat.

“[Gunther] put steel into the swordfish’s back and it then made off with both boats, towing them for miles before it eventually was tired and weakened enough to be dragged close and killed.�

The fisherman was known for fishing up all sorts of strange creatures from the deep. He once captured a 16-foot shark that was on display for several months in Newport. Gunther also captured a three rare specimens in one day in 1927, including a ribbon fish, and two creatures described as a “pin fish,� and a “rabbit shark,� the Los Angeles Times reported on Feb. 26 of that year.

“The rabbit shark, so named because of the shape of its head, is a highly colored fish. The specimen captured by Gunther is about 15 inches in length,� the Times reported. “The shark is equipped with a stinger on its back and extremely large fins.�

The Times described the “pin fish� Gunther caught as six feet long, but “no larger around than a lead pencil.�

The fisherman also netted a ribbon fish, a long, thin fish that lives only in very deep ocean waters and is rarely seen alive.

Gunther’s loyal, 200-pound St. Bernard, Prince Pluto, rescued at least six people from the waters off Newport over the course of his life. After Prince Pluto died from a black widow spider bite in 1940, Gunther trained the St. Bernard’s pups to become a team of beach rescue dogs for the city.