A thousand pound marlin is arguably the most majestic thing a fisherman can catch. Known as “Granders,” marlins of that size are rare enough that only a handful of them are caught each year, all of them newsworthy.
The Azores Islands off the coast of Portugal just might be the Blue Marlin Capital of The World, and this time of year the only thing hotter than the weather in the area is the marlin fishing.
A gigantic 1,009-pound Blue Marlin was just caught in The Azores, and it’s one of the most beautiful fish I’ve ever seen. According to BroBible, it’s the 6th qualifying “Grander” that has been caught this year.
Caught by John Nicholes, who was fishing with Captain Zak Conde aboard a boat named the Amelia, the catch was recognized by the World Grander Club, a historic fishing club established to recognize the relatively few anglers, captains, and crews that collectively ever haul in marlins of 1,000-pounds or more.
The lure of choice was Moyes Dark-N-Stormy, a popular 14 inch trolling bait.
Marlin Fishing Around The World
There are several species of Marlin in the world.
The Atlantic blue marlin inhabits the eastern seaboard of the U.S. across the pond to the coast of West Africa. It is relatively common in the Bahamas and Caribbean. The largest recorded Atlantic blue marlin was more than 16-feet-long and weighed more than 1,800-pounds.
On the other side of the club exists the Indo-Pacific species of blue marlin, which range includes the Pacific and Indian oceans. The species was one known as the silver marlin before it’s genetic relationship to other blue marlins was fully understood. They can reach lengths of up to 16-feet and weigh in at up to 1,400 pounds.
The Indian and Pacific Oceans are also home to black marlins, which exist only in tropical and sub-tropical waters. The largest black marlin ever recorded was just over 15-feet-long and weighed 1650 pounds.
Several smaller species are considered marlins as well, including Longbill spearfish, Roundscale spearfish, Mediterranean spearfish, Shortbill spearfish. Sailfish are also considered marlins, and while they typically don’t grow much over 100-pounds, they are one of the fastest fish in the sea.
Back in May, a grander Pacific blue was caught off the coast of Hawaii. An even bigger fish of the same species was also caught in a Hawaii just a few weeks ago.
That same day, a 1,058-pound Black Marlin was caught off the coast of Tahiti. It’s the first time in documented world fishing history that two Granders were caught on the same day. During 4th of July weekend, a grander was also caught off the coast of Cape Verdes in Africa during the Blue Marlin World Cup.
The first grander of 2021 was caught in French Polynesia back in April.
