The day starting off well.
The crew on the Reelin’ ‘n’ Dealin’ had gone one-for-three on white marlin and had released a small blue marlin. Sixty-pound class tuna were wearing the crew out.
So the move was made to switch to heavier tackle to get the tuna in quicker to avoid sharks and wear-and-tear on the arms and shoulders of the anglers.
Not long after baits on the larger rod and reels had been deployed, a great day changed to the stuff of dreams.
Most anglers never see a big blue marlin, much less catch one.
But the fish that crashed into the team’s bait spread was anything other than a big blue.
It was, says man-in-the-chair Reese Bowles, “the fish of a lifetime.”
“I’ve fished forever and never seen one that big,” said Bowles, a certified tournament observer for blue water tournaments that comply with International Game Fish Association Rules. “We were just hoping to horse in the tuna better and that’s when the big girl came in.”
Captain Taylor Christian had a better view of the fish from the tower and knew immediately that it was big. How much so, nobody had any idea.
At first, everybody on the boat – including Bryce White and Sterling Becraft – figured the fish to be larger than 600 pounds when they saw it get air.
Closer to the boat, it was; “At least 800,” Bowles said. “I’ve fished in a lot of tournaments and seen a lot of fish caught, so you kind of get an eye for it.
“It was huge.”
After an hour-and-a-half battle between Reese and the fish, with the entire crew making sure everything went as well as possible, the fish was boat-side.
“Zach leadered the fish to the boat in about 35 minutes and it took at least another 35 to get it into the boat,” Reese said. “It took all of us.”
Word spread on the radio that the team had a huge fish and was bringing it to the dock.
Once it hung on the scales, the fish weighed 944 pounds. The team had been denied their grander (1,000 pounds), but had the second-largest blue marlin ever caught from a Virginia port – second only to a 1,093-plus-pound fish caught by Mike Romeo.
A surprisingly large late evening crowd cheered for all they were worth.
It was an experience few fishermen could ever even dream of.
But despite the effort, the catch still troubles Reese. Social media isn’t helping, with cries of “why kill that fish.”
“I hate that we killed her, but the shot at registering a grander warranted us brining it in,” he said. “I volunteer with the IGFA and it’s conservation-based. I’m a conservationist. But some fish are killed and rules prevent too much of that happening.”
Reese emphasized that much of the fish was dispersed to those on the boat and several of others who stuck around the weigh station. Most will be used to make smoked blue marlin, which is delicious. Lots of the fish will be used for Zach’s upcoming wedding.
“And anything we didn’t hand out there will go to the food bank,” Reese said. “Nothing about that fish will go to waste.”
Nor will the memory of the fish of a lifetime