In the summer of 1987, a friend of mine, Dr. Stan Rude, asked me if I wanted to go blue marlin fishing. Without much thought I agreed to go. The time and place, etc. will be detailed below. I didn’t care.I’ve fished my whole life, so agreeing to go without thinking wasn’t exactly a reach for me. But, after I stopped to think about it to tell you the truth, I had never practiced sport fishing before and didn’t know much about blue marlin. What the hell. I had been deep sea fishing before so I thought I was up to the challenge and besides, fishing is always fun.
When I received the details about the trip, my enthusiasm began to grow. We had booked a 35 foot cabin cruise called “Miss T”. It was a nice fairly new boat using top quality equipment and the latest electronics with a flying bridge. The ship was docked at “South Jersey Marina” in Cape May, New Jersey. We were scheduled to leave the pier at 2 a.m. M. From August 24, 1987. At the time, I didn’t realize it was the best time of year for marlin. fishing in this area. We were heading for the canyons of Baltimore. This was a 3 to 3 trip 1 | 2 hours with the west wind at your back. Getting home took longer due to the west wind that usually blows in his face.
Captain Dan and his partner Wayne were very capable sailors and certainly gave confidence to everyone on board deep sea fishing costa rica. Not only in his ability as a fisherman, but also in the ability to have a safe and accident-free fishing trip. Being so far out to sea, almost anything can be happy. Because the boat had a partner, he was responsible for all the bait, rigging, and mounting of all outriggers. The famous “Canyons” of the Mid-Atlantic are a deep part of the ocean, where yellowfin, longfin, and big-eye tuna can be fished along with wahoo, white and blue marlin, and dorado. This area is known for the big fish. If you like big game fishing, the long boat ride is worth it. Actually, the trip is not bad, it is the return trip that kills when you are tired.
We caught our first fish almost immediately, a pretty 70 pound yellowfin. Not long after that, we nailed a couple of little mahi mahi. That’s when the fun started. We had a strike that appeared to be a good size tuna. But Captain Dan, who was spying on the bridge, flew down the ladder yelling “get the line out, there’s a scoop on the line.” This is a nickname for Blue Marlin. We were hooked on a big one and we were in the fight of our lives. The first time she made her jump out of the water, she was at a distance of about 100 yards, so it was difficult to understand how big she was. We finally got him close to the boat and he did another jump right next to the boat. This fish was huge. Captain Dan’s best estimate was 800 pounds.
Four and a half hours later, after getting tired, we had it up to the first leader. This was a battle. All five members of the trip participated by taking a turn to stagger. My forearm was dead. At this point, Captain Dan approached each of us and asked “do you want this fish?” None of us were prepared for this. I know myself, I never expected to catch such a big fish the first time. I think we were all stunned. We decided to return this huge and beautiful fish to the ocean. After launch, we all sat still and quiet for quite some time. I guess we were taking it in. We feel good about making an athlete gesture with the launch. Why waste such a magnificent fish? The fact that the fish was brought to the first leader makes it an official catch.
Captain Dan said we would have the honor of flying the Blue Marlin flag on the ship to return home. And it was an honor and an emotion. Then I heard of fishermen who have fished marlin for thirty-five years and have never smelled. Beginner’s luck, I guess. I give Captain Dan and his partner Wayne all the credit in the world. Very professional and the “Miss T” was a good boat.
