140kg Blue Marlin

[pnoddie]

Hey Guys!!!

You probably read the report of the 140kg Blue Marlin off Browns from R_Zee well I thorght I'd rest your minds and fill you in with the rest of the story as I was behind the wheel while it was all happening......

Left Roseville ramp @ about 6am Sunday morning & headed out for some live bait,They were very slow so we headed out to the 12 mile with only a few.

We tried to find a school of kings but had no luck so we decided to head to Browns for some Yellowfin as we heard they were out on the shelf.

We trolled deep divers & skirts around for a few hours but couldnt find a fish,There were boats everywhere so we just trolled up & down the coast,We noticed a few guys hooked up on fin so we decided to cube as not many boats were trolling.

There was alot of talk on the radio of guys hooked up but one that got my attention was a tripple hook up of fin so we listened in closely to the conversation apparently they had already got there bag limit & called there mates to take over there spot as the fish were still biting.The location was given on another channel so we punched it in the gps and headed over!!!!!!

Sure enough there were 2 boats in the location so we started cubing with our fingers crossed.No sooner we got there the boat next to us hooked up to a fin on an egg beater! We all know how this ended up...Sure enough the fish won the battle,Then another boat hooked up onto one & landed it after a good fight,The crew screamed out as it hit the deck!!!! What a feeling............There were hugs & kisses all around the boat as the crew yelled out to us it was there first fin.......Congratulations if your reading this!

Hours passed & we still hadnt hooked up to anything,One of our crew was sick by this time & we were all thinking of the fuel bill & still no fish.We decided to troll back in to the 12 mile.

We noticed a school of fish boiling on the surface & sure enough a stripe tuna hit a deep diver,By this time our stomachs were in our mouths as we thought it was the big one we were after.We decided to call it a day & reel in the lures.................This changed our luck

As the only skirt we had in the spread was reeled in a Blue Marlin was onto it,The water came alive as the beakie splashed the surface in an effort to catch the lure,Boy was it a shock to Jack as he yelled out that a shark was chasing his lure,I was behind the wheel & new it was no shark.By this time the marlin lept out of the water & a blue light filled the area around it,I told the crew to hang on & gunned the boat......He was hooked & we only had a coule of hours before dark so we had a battle on our hands.I was the only one on board who had caught a marlin or had even witnessed a marlin being caught so you can imagine what these guys were in for.I grabbed the flying gaff tied it to the bollard & gave the guys a quick run down on how we were to land it.

I new how a blue marlin would spool you in no time if you were not ready & I was not gonna let this one win the battle,Luckily the conditions were on our side so no matter where it took us we were there!!!!

We harnessed up Jack & the battle was on.

The fish was not gonna give up to easy as it tried everything to shake the hooks,At one stage it charged towards us on its tail I thought it was gonna land in the boat,It was incredible to see how it changed directions so quickly.We lost sight of it for a while it went deep,Maybe to rest in the current but I new it was our chance to get some line back & maybe land the fish so Jack was into it.

R_ZEE traced it a couple of times & Im sure he has bruizes on his knees as he leant over the side with the trace in his hand & was shook from side to side as the fish tried to get free but it was still green & I had experienced once before what happens if you gaff them too soon,Yep i was pulled out of the boat but it was not happening this time...By the time we gaffed the fish it was stuffed but the problem was getting it in the boat,There was no way it was coming over the side so we tied a rope around its belly & 4 of us dragged it over the back.

It sure was a great effort as this was Jacks first Marlin,For some time now Jack has been on charter boats chasing these great fish of the sea but who was to know he was gonna land one himself in his mates boat.Im sure its a trip we will never forget.

Coincidently we arrived back at the ramp & met the guys who were given the co-ordinates that we over heard but the funny thing was that they never got there as they got onto a school of fin on their way out.

I have attached a picture of the crew & the 140kg Blue Marlin.

Happy Fishing......................................

[R_Zee]

Hey Guys!!!

You probably read the report of the 140kg Blue Marlin off Browns from R_Zee well I thorght I'd rest your minds and fill you in with the rest of the story as I was behind the wheel while it was all happening......

Left Roseville ramp @ about 6am Sunday morning & headed out for some live bait,They were very slow so we headed out to the 12 mile with only a few.

We tried to find a school of kings but had no luck so we decided to head to Browns for some Yellowfin as we heard they were out on the shelf.

We trolled deep divers & skirts around for a few hours but couldnt find a fish,There were boats everywhere so we just trolled up & down the coast,We noticed a few guys hooked up on fin so we decided to cube as not many boats were trolling.

There was alot of talk on the radio of guys hooked up but one that got my attention was a tripple hook up of fin so we listened in closely to the conversation apparently they had already got there bag limit & called there mates to take over there spot as the fish were still biting.The location was given on another channel so we punched it in the gps and headed over!!!!!!

Sure enough there were 2 boats in the location so we started cubing with our fingers crossed.No sooner we got there the boat next to us hooked up to a fin on an egg beater! We all know how this ended up...Sure enough the fish won the battle,Then another boat hooked up onto one & landed it after a good fight,The crew screamed out as it hit the deck!!!! What a feeling............There were hugs & kisses all around the boat as the crew yelled out to us it was there first fin.......Congratulations if your reading this!

Hours passed & we still hadnt hooked up to anything,One of our crew was sick by this time & we were all thinking of the fuel bill & still no fish.We decided to troll back in to the 12 mile.

We noticed a school of fish boiling on the surface & sure enough a stripe tuna hit a deep diver,By this time our stomachs were in our mouths as we thought it was the big one we were after.We decided to call it a day & reel in the lures.................This changed our luck

As the only skirt we had in the spread was reeled in a Blue Marlin was onto it,The water came alive as the beakie splashed the surface in an effort to catch the lure,Boy was it a shock to Jack as he yelled out that a shark was chasing his lure,I was behind the wheel & new it was no shark.By this time the marlin lept out of the water & a blue light filled the area around it,I told the crew to hang on & gunned the boat......He was hooked & we only had a coule of hours before dark so we had a battle on our hands.I was the only one on board who had caught a marlin or had even witnessed a marlin being caught so you can imagine what these guys were in for.I grabbed the flying gaff tied it to the bollard & gave the guys a quick run down on how we were to land it.

I new how a blue marlin would spool you in no time if you were not ready & I was not gonna let this one win the battle,Luckily the conditions were on our side so no matter where it took us we were there!!!!

We harnessed up Jack & the battle was on.

The fish was not gonna give up to easy as it tried everything to shake the hooks,At one stage it charged towards us on its tail I thought it was gonna land in the boat,It was incredible to see how it changed directions so quickly.We lost sight of it for a while it went deep,Maybe to rest in the current but I new it was our chance to get some line back & maybe land the fish so Jack was into it.

R_ZEE traced it a couple of times & Im sure he has bruizes on his knees as he leant over the side with the trace in his hand & was shook from side to side as the fish tried to get free but it was still green & I had experienced once before what happens if you gaff them too soon,Yep i was pulled out of the boat but it was not happening this time...By the time we gaffed the fish it was stuffed but the problem was getting it in the boat,There was no way it was coming over the side so we tied a rope around its belly & 4 of us dragged it over the back.

It sure was a great effort as this was Jacks first Marlin,For some time now Jack has been on charter boats chasing these great fish of the sea but who was to know he was gonna land one himself in his mates boat.Im sure its a trip we will never forget.

Coincidently we arrived back at the ramp & met the guys who were given the co-ordinates that we over heard but the funny thing was that they never got there as they got onto a school of fin on their way out.

I have attached a picture of the crew & the 140kg Blue Marlin.

Happy Fishing......................................

bruised knees allright!

and a bleeding nose with scratches all over me!

[johnno]

Sounds like a great day but a long day

Well done on the catch

[James]

wow top post mate and a beaut of a fish congratulations to all involved

[Red]

Looks like a nice big "Striped Marlin" from where i'm sitting??? Trust me boys, this is not a Blue Marlin!

Congratulations to all involved

Cheers

Red

Edited August 14, 2006 by Red

[The Iceman]

Nice beakie but definately a striped marlin

[Aero]

Nice fish guys,

Like everyone else has said its a decent sized striped. Out of curiosity did you guys acctually weigh it? as it seems to have grown 10kg since R_Zee's post, and looks just under 100kg from what I can make out in the picture.

Regardless she's a nice capture.

Chris

[netic]

Great report and great catch fellas, Its is a Stripey and dont worry its a easy mistake to make if you havent seen many.

Well done, how long was the fight??

Edited August 14, 2006 by netic

[harold]

congratulations on a fantastic report and a wonderful catch. They sure are a wonderful creature. Having never caught a Marlin, i am unsure whether i would keep it nevertheless congratulations once again.

[pnoddie]

Looks like a nice big "Striped Marlin" from where i'm sitting??? Trust me boys, this is not a Blue Marlin!

Congratulations to all involved

Cheers

Red

Hi Red

I was not sure but we showed alot of people & compared alot of photos as i had never caught a blue!! I even took the photo to the local fishing shop for advise.

I thorght if the dorsal fin is shorter than the tail it is more than likely a blue as the striped dorsal fin is much higher.

The fight was 1 hr 40 min

Thanks for the input

[pnoddie]

Nice fish guys,

Like everyone else has said its a decent sized striped. Out of curiosity did you guys acctually weigh it? as it seems to have grown 10kg since R_Zee's post, and looks just under 100kg from what I can make out in the picture.

Regardless she's a nice capture.

Chris

Hey Chris,

We asked guys at the ramp to confirm if it was a blue as i had never caught a blue before!!!!!

They were members of sydney game fishing,so i thorght they would know for sure.

I thorght if the dorsal fin is shorter than the tip of the tail its a blue????

We couldnt weigh it as we got home after dark,I called my uncle fron jervis bay if he saw it he would call it straight away but he told me to take the following measurements to work out the size...

we measured the inside fork of the tail to the bottom jaw line of the fish & compared it to a sydney game fishing chart that gives you the weight of the fish,game fisherman swear by it!!! if it is a blue the measurements of 2.51 give it a weight of 140kg if it is a striped it works out to be 100kg so now you have me stumped!!!!

Have you heard of this graph to weigh fish?????

if not i will find it & send you a copy

[Red]

I think Chris is on the money. Definately a Striped and around the 100kg mark. A great fish regardless, especially in August. I'm suprised a game club member called it for a blue. Blues are quite easy to pick and very different to Stripes When you get one you will know what i mean.

Congrats again

Red

[Gibbofisho]

the fact it had stripes leads me to think its a striped marlin.

top fish either way!

[Captain Pugwash]

Stripe, Blue, 140kg or 100kg

I care not.

That is an awesome fish and having experienced the same thing just a few months ago with Ross Hunter I can only say well bloody done!

It is such a rush to see those things tail walking!

Well done fellas

Cheers

Pete

[Martin]

As soon as I saw the photo I thought its a Striped Marlin, it does not have the big shoulders or depth in the body of a blue. Striped Marlin also have a longer thiner bill. Time of year and water temp would also work in favour of it being a Striped Marlin. Despite that its a great first Marlin capture.

Well done guys, I'm sure there will be a few recalling of the fight many times over a or two

Cheers

Martin

[pnoddie]

the fact it had stripes leads me to think its a striped marlin.

top fish either way!

blue marlin have stripes too

but they fade once killed,but they dont always dissapear

[Gibbofisho]

yeah i was just cracking wise, but striped marlin are the nerdy little brother of blues, they are freaking brutes of fish!

like i said though, top catch!

[davester28]

Top stuff RZee and Noddy. Fantastic effort and a great capture. Care to tell us what gear and rig you were using? I thought you needed a heavier trace for marlin due to the thrashing bill.

[Guest bluecod]

By the sounds of it you can chalk that one down as a great team effort for the boats first beakie!

Congratulations all round - the next one will come easier

[djmac]

nice fish but definetly a striped marlin.

[insolent]

Stripe, Blue, 140kg or 100kg

I care not.

That is an awesome fish and having experienced the same thing just a few months ago with Ross Hunter I can only say well bloody done!

It is such a rush to see those things tail walking!

Well done fellas

Cheers

Pete

Ditto

Tremendous fish.

[Bashir]

either way its a ripper of a stripe! Great fish.

[R_Zee]

Top stuff RZee and Noddy. Fantastic effort and a great capture. Care to tell us what gear and rig you were using? I thought you needed a heavier trace for marlin due to the thrashing bill.

24 kg line, Shimano tiagra, 200lb trace, pakula devil 20cm in dark blue and red.

the trace marks are still on my hands, i think i will invest in some heavy duty gloves

[R_Zee]

one thing i woul like to add, 3 of us were leaning on the side of the boat, tried to lift it twice and there was no way we were gonna put it on board. It felt so heavy! i am not sure i can agree with it only being 100kg. May be it just seemed different being on a boat... we all are solid boys and we had it on a rope, by the beak and by the tail and thats handle grip!

Not that it makes any difference, i just thought i'd mention it

[Flattieman]

Congrats to the team! Well done! Can't wait to experience my first marlin! The bluewater action seems to be fantastic at the moment - everyone appears to be catching fish! Good stuff.

Flattieman.