Big Blue Marlin on Fly
January 17, 2011
Casa Vieja Lodge, Guatemala
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BLUE MARLIN ON FLY! The next chapter begins here, at 3: PM we were getting ready for the long two hour ride back to the dock, Ken, Greg, and George were sitting inside talking about this awesome day, I was in the cockpit with the mates when I heard captain Mike yell "MARLIN", "BIG MARLIN". I calmly picked up the TFO Bluewater HD fly rod with the Mako #9700 fly reel, rigged with a RIO Leviathan fly line , 20 pound tippet and a Cam Sigler Marlin Fly, with the drag set at one pound of pressure and got the fly ready to cast. Ken moved the sailfish rod out of the way, as I asked him if he wanted to take a shot, He said "You show us how it is done" so, when the big Blue Marlin came in hot I made the cast.
The marlin swam around trying to eat the teasers, I cast again, she swam under my fly and then chased another teaser which Flaco had cast to get her to come back in. I made the third cast and this monster fish attacked my fly within 25 foot from the boat. Within 10 seconds that marlin was 200 yards out gray hounding away and then back at the boat. Much of the next 30 minutes is a blur T me, I just did what I have been teaching anglers to do for the last 25 years of my Billfish Schools, "Relax and let the rod and reel do the work" "don't squeeze the rod, loosen your grip, rod tip low, when the fish is going away then the angler should relax, then apply maximum pressure on the fish when she is facing you".
During the next half hour I ate some icecold pineapple and drank 2 bottles of water, took off my sun glasses, and worked through several Charlie horses in my legs, all while applying pressure on this big marlin. Captain Mike Sheeder who has caught 6 other Blue marlin on fly with me as his angler, maneuvered the "Intensity"
perfectly, we circled that fish at least a dozen times as we tried to get an angle to bring her to the surface. At some point I was winding line in from behind the boat when she surfaced and jumped 3 times 100 yards in front of the boat, Mike swung the boat and I gained 250 feet of line and was on the fly line after an hour of battle.
One hour and 15 minutes into the battle I got within 20 foot of her and then she ripped off 50 yards of backing, she really looked big to me. I was thinking about "Oh lord, this fish is so big and my boat is so small" and then I was wondering just what this Marlin was thinking? With cheering from Ken, Greg, and George, I began to feel that marlin begin to tire, I had been resting and felt strong. I was on the fly line 25 foot from the leader and a release of another Blue Marlin on fly, the drag on my Mako reel was now set at 6 pounds of drag and she was coming up slowly. At 4:23 I got the leader through the rod tip and secured the technical release, she surged and I let her have back 15 foot before stopping her and lifting her close to the surface, and then at 4:27 mike slipped Intensity into reverse one more time and I wound the fly rod tip all the way down to the class tippet, confirming that this was a really big female Blue Marlin. She was really thick and deep, and was longer than the transom of the Intensity is wide, About 11 foot I think. I said that she was the largest fish that I had ever caught or even seen caught on fly, Mike said well over 400 pounds, the crew agreed. We got in after dark.
My 400 pound Blue Marlin, caught on 20 pound IGFA Class tippet, aboard "Intensity" with Captain Mike Sheeder out of Casa Vieja Lodge , just a few days after My Sailfish tournament set all kinds of numbers records for fly fishing for Billfish events, Made January 17, 2011 by far the best fish and the best day in my life. Thank you all for allowing me to share my passion with you, I do really love my job, more reports to follow.
Regards:
Jake
Captain Jake Jordan
Jake Jordan’s Fishing Adventures
PO Box 309
Havelock, NC 28532
252-444-3308
www.jakejordan.com
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