Good morning all. I opened my season the other day (JUNE 4) with an 818. She got tail wrapped after one of those MEGA short corner strikes and took a full spool straight down after one of the most spectacular first runs I have ever seen. The fish was just under the surface and took off at lightning speed pushing a hump of blue water over the back. The tail fin was just visible throwing a two meter rooster-tail. I have never seen anything quite like it. God knows how fast she was traveling but it was fast. Then some crazy pirouetting and down for the count. It took 3+ hours to get back up. I had to plane the fish and in doing so ran into the shelf. The strike was right outside Funchal harbor as we were about to wind up. So the action was right tight on the shelf. By the time I had her half way up and obviously dead by this time; suddenly the line started to peel off the reel.
Scratched my head for a minute. This cant be true. The bloody thing has to be dead. Then I glanced over my shoulder at the sounder. Woops – 130 meters. Turned the boat around and dragged her off the shelf. After that event, a first for me, we started getting some line back again.
Article posted by Capt. Peter Bristow – Katherine B
THE INEVITABLE.
Written by Peter Bristow for Paul Watson at Marlin World Video Magazine [http://www.marlinworld.tv/]
The fish in the photograph would have been tagged and released without any doubt or discussion on the matter.
I had already called it 800 and was happy with that. My time in Madeira has been very eventful over the past few years with the biggest blues on the planet. There have been times during this period when we have considered boating record fish. Two fish were 1500 or so and the other two were potential Ladies W.R. Both of the ladies had no intention hanging up a fish for a record. I have no problem with that and I admire them for their conviction. Even in a tournament I think they would have done the same thing. This is the way people are these days and I think the dramatic change of attitude is refreshing compared with the old days when we thought nothing of hanging anything up at all. We have come to realize that the great fish of the ocean do not represent a boundless resource for us to plunder.
Looking at averages on these big fish in Madeira there is a very small percentage that get themselves into trouble and no matter what you want to do there is almost no way of saving them from ‘THE INEVITABLE’. On my records so far it is less than one percent. The big fellow gets tail wrapped and takes a death dive. The harder up pull the more the tail is lifted and in that attitude the fish makes it go straight down. The end for the fish comes very quickly but to plane the beast up takes time, even on 130 lb tackle.
The one John caught took 3+ hours to get back a full spool of line. By the time the fish was at the boat there was very little that could be done. Rigor mortis had set in and the fish was stiff as a board. So this dilemma in a tournament can complicate matters. This might be a tag only event so what do you do ? I am certainly against leaving a dead fish in the ocean for many reasons. When the fish we caught the other day came up like this, John Eckland asked me what can we do? The answer was simple. We take the fish in and weigh it at the market and donate it to an orphanage headed up by Dr Frank Zino. That way we have given it to a charitable organization where it will be graciously received and most appreciated.
The dilemma in a tournament becomes a matter of compassion and understanding. The fish is dead through no fault of the angler or any ill conceived intentions of captain or crew. Discretion must prevail on any decision by the committee and penalty for such an occurrence should in my opinion be waved.
Article posted by Capt. Peter Bristow – Katherine B