Talk about a catch of a lifetime.
According to Outdoor Life, South African citrus farmer Ben Vorster was fishing on the 37-foot charter boat, Smoker, alongside Capt. Ryan “Roo” Williamson on May 19th.
The crew was fishing off the coast of West Africa, near Mindelo, Cape Verde, when they reeled in one of the biggest blue marlins ever caught in the Atlantic Ocean.
One of Williamson’s best friends, Steve Andrews, recalled the wild moment:
“At 7:30 a.m. Roo noticed a monster marlin rise on a far back trolling lure just 15 minutes after setting up for fishing.”
Andrews said the blue marlin took the bait right away, and Vorster hopped into the fighting chair in an attempt to seal the deal, using an 80-pound trolling reel with 130-pound test line.
Andrews continued:
“After hooking the fish, it never jumped, so they couldn’t confirm how big they believed it to be. Ben is a strong, tough farmer, and a big game hunter.
He did an incredible job fighting the fish and getting the marlin to the boat in only 30 minutes.”
Once the blue marlin got closer to the boat, the crew then realized just how big it was, and knew they might have something extraordinary on their hands.
At the marina, the marlin was placed on the scale, officially weighing in at 1,370 pounds, and measuring 12.6 feet in length with a 6.6-foot girth. Its tail fin alone was nearly three feet across.
Andrews said it was an incredibly important moment for Vorster:
“It’s a dream come true for Ben Vorster. He’s an avid marlin fisherman and boat owner, just like his brothers Gerhard and Michiel, who were alongside him during the catch.
The last morning of the charter trip was when Ben caught his giant marlin. The Cape Verde area is just a spectacular blue marlin fishery.”
The massive blue marlin is officially the second heaviest blue marlin ever caught from the Atlantic Ocean, with the IGFA All-Tackle World Record belonging to Brazilian angler Paulo Amorim, who caught a 1,402 pounder back in 1992.
The catch of a lifetime.
