Landing a fish that you’ve hooked is usually the biggest part of the battle, but you generally don’t want it to go down like this.
Catching billfish is dangerous enough as it is, not even including when they fly into the boat on their own like this marlin does in the video. A prolonged, controlled reel-in quickly turned into utter chaos on the back of this fishing boat, and the anglers aboard are lucky that they all came away pretty much unscathed.
Earlier this week (July 25th to be exact), a hooked blue marlin was on the line, and the men on this fishing trip in Costa Rica weren’t prepared for how quickly things would turn from an exciting reel-in to a game of “dodge-fish.” And to misquote the great comedy classic Dodgeball, “if you can dodge a marlin, you can dodge a ball.”
The heart-pounding video was posted onto the sports fishing boat Sugaree’s Instagram account, and was shot from the “tuna tower” of the 64-foot vessel. Sugaree’s voyages are based out of Los Sueños, Costa Rica, which is a sprawling marina and luxury resort on the coast of the small Central American country. The offshore fishing that can be accessed from Los Sueños is said to be some of the very best in the world.
These anglers were certainly experiencing that world-class level of fishing, and really got to experience it in a way that was “too close for comfort” when the marlin came flying out of the water right at them. At first, the video captures a pretty normal fight between the massive marlin and the fishing reel. One man is reeling for his life as you can see the big fish jump out of the water in the areas surrounding the boat, trying to break free from the hook.
Things get a little worrisome when it appears that the marlin lines itself up right at the Sugaree, and pretty soon after, the billfish comes rocketing out of the water and right into the back deck of the boat, barely missing a man who was standing near the back left corner of the vessel.
Knowing that the marlin could easily impale one of them with one quick flip of its front half, the men scramble to safety as the fish knocks over all kinds of equipment, with some of it falling overboard into the ocean.
Eventually, every person has made their way off the rear deck of the boat, and the marlin tires itself out and its violent thrashing begins to subside. A whip of the tail occurs here and there, but the crew can now relax knowing that they have landed the big fish, even though it wasn’t how they drew it up. Who knew fishing could be so exciting and life threatening?
Take a look at the wild video below, which is captioned:
“Wild one that took a quick turn and got a little to close for comfort!”
I love that one of the hashtags that was included in the caption for the post was just “damn it.”
Yeah, I’d say a situation like that calls for a curse word hashtag to really drive it home…
1,000 Pound Blue Marlin Hauled In Off Coast Of Hawaii
There are fish. Then there are big fish. Then there are really big fish.
Then there are fish so rare and special that they’re truly the fish of a lifetime. A “grander,” the nickname given to Marlins that tip the scales at more than 1,000 pounds, are truly the fish of a lifetime for any of the few anglers ever lucky enough to land one.
In order to have a chance at landing big marlins, you have to be willing to put in some serious work, and maybe most importantly, some serious money.
Chasing marlins generally requires traveling long distances by boat, as the fish have expansive ranges throughout the sea. Marlin fishing most commonly takes place off the coasts of Florida, Hawaii, Portugal, Mexico, Australia, and South Africa.
Captain Kevin Hiney, alongside Angler Tara Thompson-Disnard, recently hauled in a 1,028-pound Blue Marlin off the coast of Kalaoa, Hawaii, aboard the Captain Hiney’s boat, the Sundowner.
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.
“Kona, HI – Lighting can strike twice, even if in different oceans. We have our 2nd Grander of the Year. Sundowner weighed a 1,028 lbs. Blue Marlin.“
“Mahalo’s to everyone for all the support. My peers recognition means the world to me. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this fish!
This is a reminder of why we go through the grind day in and day out! Broken boats to broken hearts! To be able to do this in my back yard w a 20+yr friendship on a boat with amazing mana! I am blessed!”
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 its 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.
Check out this grander catch from a few years back.
Kayak Fisherman Is Dragged 15 Miles By 500-Pound Marlin
This is the dream.
I mean 15-miles, that’s a long way to get pulled by a fish. But a man would like to think that if the fish is pulling you that far, it’s one helluva fish. A fish far larger than the boat your on, in water that’s plenty deep and rough… this isn’t exactly my idea of a relaxing day of fishing, but an exhilarating one nonetheless.
Going and targeting marlin on a fishing boat is one thing, going after them in a kayak is another level.
The video starts with a group loading up to do some Marlin fishing in Panama. They head out and one of the kayak fisherman hooks into a good one. The boys are fired up, a proper fishing trip. The marlin starts to pull the fisherman and there’s not a whole lot he can do about it except enjoy the ride.
The best part of the whole video is when the fish finally shows itself. It’s far from the end of the battle but the Marlin comes fully out of the water. Everyone loses their minds and it’s hard to blame them.
When’s the last time you had a 500-pound fish on and have it jump clear into the air? That’s not an everyday occurrence even for someone who targets these fish often. All while in a kayak too? Although the video is 30-minutes long, it captures the 6-hour fight pretty good.
Eventually the fisherman gets onto a power-boat because the fish had pulled him 15-miles out from the shore. He gets it into the boat and the get some awesome shots as they release it back. What a fish.
That’s one of those bucket-list items that is now added to the extremely long list.
