Blue Marlin release for Lil' Bit on first bite

Blue Marlin on May 11, 2013 alongside Lil 'Bit just seconds before release

Lil 'Bit crew on May 11, 2013

Every trip offshore in search of bluewater pelagic fish can be different, and the second week of May saw plenty of sportfishers head out into calm seas and return with a good catch of migratory dolphin. Then on Saturday May 11 the ocean perked back up with 3 to 5-foot waves that made for a sporty ride out to the fishing grounds, especially during one larger set of waves - the kind that blend in with a rolling sea. Captain Pete Loy dropped the boat out of gear just North of the 226-hole and fishing lines were deployed around 8 a.m. looking for a box full of fish for the dozen hopeful anglers onboard. By 10:00 a.m. it was clear that an early morning bite was not really happening, but the water was clear blue and a warm 81-degrees. At 10:15 the right long bait rigged with a J-hook goes off and nearest angler Trey Mathisen grabs the rod and line begins to peel off. Fish On FISH ON!! The Shimano 50-wide is spooled with 50-pound test, with a 100-pound mono leader, and it continues to scream. Could be a GOOD wahoo, a decent mako shark or.... a blue marlin. The crew springs into action to clear all the remaining six fishing lines in preparation for a hard-charging fish behind the boat. Just then the fish explodes on the water's surface about 150-yards to the left of the boat, and since it was not behind the boat, not many saw the fish. One crewman that saw it exclaimed two expletives and declared it a whopper 450-pound blue marlin, and I personally saw the whitewash hole in the ocean where the beastie has crashed.  We believe this was the moment that the blue marlin became aware that he was hooked, and the 50-wide screamed with a new vigor as it dumped roughly 500-yards of line and exposed the backing line which attaches to the reel. Something had to be done so Capt. Loy engaged his engines and chased the blue marlin until Trey could begin reeling in and gaining some line. The sportfisher then began to back down on the blue marlin starting a memorable battle that included a back and forth for the fishing line where the angler saw the backing on the reel exposed three more times, with lots of ocean waves crashing into and over the transom of the boat. On a 50-foot Post (boat) the fish boxes are on the floor, and when they fill up with ocean water then the deck begins to get flooded, and crew members had to be attentive to turn on macerator pumps to drain the boxes without leaving them on once dry and thus burning up the pumps. Two crew constantly kept a hand on the angler who was wearing a Black Magic stand-up fighting belt, since the rocking of the boat and the pull of the blue marlin had him vulnerable to a fall. Somehow during the two-hour ordeal, the blue marlin stayed hooked up and the entire crew began to sense the fate the the very first bite of the season would result in a stud blue marlin release. Sure enough, first mate Coy Myers grabbed the leader on the blue marlin and the great fish rose to the surface, still clearly lit up and surging, the fish was released and cheers went up from everyone. Using the 8-foot leader as a crude measure, I'll estimate that the blue marlin was 90+ inches in length and weighed 350-pounds or more. It took a solid hour of clean-up after the fight to square away the gear and get back to fishing, but with the 'daymaker' already a done deal, the crew enjoyed a panini lunch and some kite fishing. The seas laid down for the ride back into port, putting an end to a great day at sea

Angler Trey Mathisen and Capt. Pete Loy with panini lunch

Kite fishing set up for offshore fishing

. It is worth noting that Capt. Matt Key on the Sportsmann sportfisher also had a blue marlin release next to Lil 'Bit at the same exact time, reporting that they too had a lively fish encounter.

To view past blog entires about Lil' Bit fishing click here.