BOOM....
Old rebuilt stock Penn Senator 9/0, 80lb mono, 45min, no dart, no gaff, barefooted, pulled it in the boat by hand.
PB fish for me so far!
Hey brother, you can't just drop that on us!!!
Details: Where?? Bait? Rod? Trip write up? more pics???
Thats the real deal, on any reel....and on a 115. Solid. Very solid.
John
I am an Army Corps of Engineers employee stationed in Okinawa, Japan.
Marlin was caught Saturday 28 August, 2021 in the bay of the East China sea side of the island. The reel is a 30+ year old Penn 115L 9/0 that was put together with parts of two old reels I had. The rod is an Okiaya Tuna Tango 80-130lb (CHEAP $) solid glass rod. Line used was 80lb Shakespeare Super 7000 mono. Total cost of the rig...$150 + plus the no name hot pink jetted angle 9" lure with a single 9/0 hook. 10 Knots trolling speed on the long port spot. 300+ LB Black Marlin named "Hemingway"
We are able to rent small skiffs through our installation recreation program. They are 24ish feet center consoles with a Yamaha 90.
A couple friends and I often go out on these as the charter scene can get goofy here with folks who have not fished offshore before.
We have a limited area we are allowed to go with the boats but we have no problem catching quality fish in that area. Wahoo, Mahi,....Marlin ;D
We had fished all morning for Wahoo and had 3 decent fish in the boat, so just thought to try another area, which is now named "Barefoot"
Thought we had hooked a big hoo, and when I put a tiny bit of drag to it, BAM...it jumped out of the water about 200yds out and then it was on!
He jumped a few times during the fight but the 9/0 kept him within 400 yds.
My buddy was trying to steer the boat with his rump while attempting to get video with my cell phone, but mostly just audio of me yell-in! :D
I had stepped on a cheap #### gaff earlier in the day and bent the stew out of it so didn't trust it on this fish. Got him to leader and reached down with both hands and grabbed it by the bill and did not let go.
My buddy Scott dug out a tail rope I had put in my bucket for offshore trips (Glad I had that) and I was pulling as hard as I could to get him from being vertical in the water. The Marlin finally turned to my left and Scott was able to get the rope on and tied to the bow rigging.
I sat down and put my feet against the gunnel and pulled as hard as I could till Scott could get the bill in his hands, then we did one big pull and brought him in the boat.
Keep in mind that I have not let go of this fish yet!
I layed on top of him with the bill in both hands and did not let go of him till he was gone!
12 minutes or less later, we were back at the Marina with the first Marlin ever brought in by the rental boats, and the first Black Marlin caught here in years! On o 9/0 no less!!
Big day of firsts and nobody to compete with anymore but myself!
Gonna be a hard day to beat, but a lifelong moment for sure.
I will get some other pics up up as soon as I can
Quote from: thorhammer on September 12, 2021, 02:03:40 AM
Hey brother, you can't just drop that on us!!!
Details: Where?? Bait? Rod? Trip write up? more pics???
Thats the real deal, on any reel....and on a 115. Solid. Very solid.
John
Thank you Sir!
Some deets for ya!
Some more pics
Scott and I are 6'1" 220 for some reference
Great story!
Now those boats will be booked solid for the next year!
When I was at MacDill the pontoon boats were always taken but the 19' twin-vee was always available. I bet if I came dragin' a monster like that back in, it would be a different story.
Nice work
Fabulous job,,,, ;) i think the 9/0 can handle anything,,,,,, ;D
Great job, on a great fish !!
Whoa, dude! Epic day! Shaka's back at ya. I love the idea of on laying on him 'till he was gone. Thanks for the pictures and narration. More talk story/pictures on this one and fishin/livin in Okinawa, please.
Wow, absolutely the experience of a lifetime, congrats! And wrestlin' a big ol' fish on the boat, epic! :o
I think people sometimes forget the capability of those old school Penns.
I am curious, so what became of the fish after you left the dock?
This is one for the history books....Epic Adventure! Bill
Epic's the word for sure.
Great work and thanks for sharing the moment of a lifetime.
Congrats, Justin
Congratulations on a great catch. I'm sure you are stoked.
Quote from: nelz on September 12, 2021, 05:29:08 PM
Wow, absolutely the experience of a lifetime, congrats! And wrestlin' a big ol' fish on the boat, epic! :o
I think people sometimes forget the capability of those old school Penns.
I am curious, so what became of the fish after you left the dock?
I actually dressed it out and my buddy took half, I took half and fed a whole bunch of people. Plus kept some for myself.
I gave his wife the tail as she is an elementary school teacher and she is drying it out to have her students sketch it, then paint or decorate it, and it will stay here in Okinawa.
I have the bill and will get it polished and mounted with another bill I have from a Blue Marlin on a Samurai sword type mount.
That's a great ending to the story Mr. SearedTuna! I had actually noticed that tail, it looks very impressive, like it's sculpted, like a stealth aircraft, like a fearsome weapon.
Quote from: Gfish on September 12, 2021, 04:38:04 PM
Whoa, dude! Epic day! Shaka's back at ya. I love the idea of on laying on him 'till he was gone. Thanks for the pictures and narration. More talk story/pictures on this one and fishin/livin in Okinawa, please.
Living here in Okinawa is pretty amazing! The ocean is crazy beautiful! and I will get you folks some pictures up soon of the water here. It is stormy out right now but will clear up soon later in the week.
The fishing is very different here as you can imagine with it being Japan.
Lots of specific styles for target species. I target Pelagics mostly but the reefs have lots of exotic grouper and tons of other fish you will only see in books or aquariums.
As much as I would have liked to have more pictures of this Marlin, I was really concerned with getting it processed to keep it as fresh as possible since I eat what I catch and release what will not be used for food.
I have had 2 weeks to reflect on that amazing day and have thought several times....what if we would have, should have, ect. ect.
The truth is, it was exactly how it was supposed to be...., without bunches of crazy hero video and multitudes of pictures. Would I have liked to have had few more...absolutely!
When I embraced the fish who will forever be remembered to me as,"Hemingway",with my hands, I gazed into his eye, and he at mine...and in that instant, we both knew that this was our time.
The fact that I never let go of him until he passed, I truly believe that we became connected to each other and passed a part of ourselves to each one's spirit!
Sounds weird I know, but I have felt quite a bit different since the experience and cannot explain the energy that was encapsulated in that moment! Life changing is probably a gross understatement to be honest!
The fact that I did not harpoon or gaff him was also how he deserved to go. We both had a deep connection in the purest sense at that moment. It absolutely gave me a deeper respect of the majesty of this fantastic creature and an even deeper respect of the beauty of the Sea.
Some of my buddies have joked with me over the years about me being "The old man and the Sea"...well I guess I can say that I have lived a bit of what was written in that classic story to some extent.
I am forever grateful! And the fact that some of you old salts have congratulated this hillbilly fisherman, is somewhat of a validation to me for all the years I have spent fishing and learning. All I can say is never stop trying or having the best time, every time you are out on the water! You never know when the experience of your life will end up on the end of your gear! Set your spread, make noise, and have a good attitude!
I wish everyone blessings, tight lines, following seas, the chance to catch your dream fish, and the confidence to know that it is not about the latest and greatest gear..but determination to your craft and a big blessing from the God of all things!!!
I'm still gonna chase Marlin, but not too sure I will ever kill one by gaff or harpoon. I have seen it done up close, and it is not a very pretty sight, and certainly not befitting this magnificent animal!
One last thing to say.....I do not recommend that anyone grab a live, hooked Marlin by the face! ;) It could have been a much worse day for me...
Excellent write up. Keep the fish coming.
Quote from: thorhammer on September 13, 2021, 11:36:15 AM
Excellent write up. Keep the fish coming.
Thank you, and hope to be able to share some future adventures with you all! Soon!!!!!
Thanks for the report, heck of a job. Hand to hand combat with a marlin, fish of a lifetime!
When I embraced the fish who will forever be remembered to me as,"Hemingway",with my hands, I gazed into his eye, and he at mine...and in that instant, we both knew that this was our time.
The fact that I never let go of him until he passed, I truly believe that we became connected to each other and passed a part of ourselves to each one's spirit!
Sounds weird I know, but I have felt quite a bit different since the experience and cannot explain the energy that was encapsulated in that moment! Life changing is probably a gross understatement to be honest!
The fact that I did not harpoon or gaff him was also how he deserved to go. We both had a deep connection in the purest sense at that moment. It absolutely gave me a deeper respect of the majesty of this fantastic creature and an even deeper respect of the beauty of the Sea.
Every fisherman should have the same experience and respect that you have . Very well written , a clear vision in my mind ....
Thanks for a great report & pics, life time of good memories for you, congrats, cheers Don.