Okay. We were ready. Each time we've crossed to the Abacos the fish have not been very nice to us. We've lost lures. We've broken line. And, only once have we caught a fish. But this time we were ready. I had my brand new - still a virgin - fishing rod and we both had our reels restrung with 100+ lb braided line. If we broke a line this year, we probably really weren't able to handle what was on the other end anyway.
So off we went, leaving Royal Island just after 6 am and out into open waters. The wind filled in nicely and we were clipping along at 7.5+ knots. A bit too fast for trolling, but hey, you can't catch anything if you don't try.
About mid-morning I caught my first fish. Unfortunately it was a barracuda so we threw it back. Nonetheless, my new fishing pole was no longer a virgin - not putting dinner on the table either though. not yet a moneymaker putting dinner on the table either though.
As time passed, we found ourselves constantly reeling in the lines to remove the seaweed that was picked up by the lures. By afternoon we were getting pretty weary of this task and were just about to call it quits when things changed. Dave's fishing reel (why wasn't it mine?! =( ) suddenly made a short whir. It was brief and we thought we'd picked up more seaweed. As the Captain reeled in his line we couldn't help but notice a dark dorsal fin and a sizable wake following the lure. About 10 foot off the stern Dave paused his reeling and the fish took hold of the lure and started hightailing it in the other direction. So to recap, we are headed 7.5+ knots in a northerly direction and the fish starts running full speed in a southerly direction. And let me tell you, there was no stopping this fish he just kept going and Dave kept tightening up the drag and the fish still powered thru and took more line out. We reached a point where the reel was getting warm from the tension on the drag. Holy cow!
So with Dave in full fishing mode, I let out the jib and pointed the Breezer into irons trying to stall us. Meanwhile Dave fought the fish. We have no idea how much time passed. The fish would pause and Dave would take the opportunity to reel in line. Then the fish would fight and Dave would lose some ground. On and on it went. Boats that had fallen far behind us and out of sight of the horizon began to reappear and still Dave fought the fish.
Finally we got it close enough to the boat and could identify it as a marlin. Holy crap a marlin!! About 5-6 foot long, a big beautiful blue tail. It reenergized us for the continued fight. As Dave brought the fish to the stern I grabbed the camera and began snapping pictures. He managed to grab onto the marlin's bill and release the line and lure but before I could get into position for a picture with Dave holding onto the marlin's bill the fish slipped out of Dave's hands and back to the sea.
Man what an afternoon!
The Admiral