Blue marlin isn't typically a species that jumps to mind as a target for the spearfishing angler. There's a number of reasons for their absence in typical conversations within the sport, but none more obvious than their size—up to 15 feet in length and 1,300 pounds—and their blazing speed in the water. As one of the fastest fish in the ocean, let alone the world, marlin don't make things easy for ambitious spearfishermen, but that's not to say it doesn't happen. We see a fisherman find success in the following video, as YouTuber deermeatfordinner takes to the saltwater in a 2006 clip trying to accomplish one of sportfishing's greatest feats via the most challenging methods.
Robert speared this gigantic, 11-foot, 400-pounder off the coast of Panama while hoping to catch a mahi-mahi. To make matters even wilder, the fish would have been a world record with a speargun at that time. He relives the tale in considerable detail, and explains why it was never officially entered into any of the record books.
We're fortunate to live in an age that allows a great fishing story to be accompanied by video footage that takes us on the journey. Few people would have the guts to drop into the middle of the ocean and subjecting themselves to the fierce predators that swim throughout. We cannot blame him for getting nervous when the marlin arrived. To be fair, though, an 11-foot fish is enough to spook anyone when it's in the water with you, especially when it has a long, sharp bill like that.
In the video's description, Robert explained that the fish was cleaned and distributed to the locals, who completely ate the fish within a couple days of the catch. Most people would not dream of doing that with a world-record-class catch, but it adds a little extra feel-good energy to cap off the tale. Those taxidermists also did an excellent job with the replica to bring that fish back to life. Thank you, Robert, for sharing your incredible story with the world!
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
