Author: Bullbuster Team
When the Bullbuster Team purchased the domain for "Big Game Fishing The World" we thought, there is no way that this could be true. This was once a legends website. Well, it turned out to be true and today we have restored some of the works of legendary Capt. Norm Isaac's. We take no credit for what you are about to read but instead insist on honoring a legend who helped shaped our sport.
INSIDE BIG GAME FISHING, HAWAII with Capt. Norm Isaacs
If you never watched this iconic fishing show growing up, watch the video below posted by " Paul Sige" to see what it was all about!
Tips For Catching BIG Marlin
"The largest fish I have ever seen... sawed through 400Lb test leader after a fight that lasted over 10 hours"
"The fish seemed to have a distance of about 30 feet that she was comfortable with."
The big one got away! When it's a part of someone else's fish story, it's a shame; but when it happens to you, it's a downright crying, dirty, no-justice tragedy. Personally, I know without a doubt that the largest fish I've ever seen, let alone been hooked up to, sawed through 400 lb. test leader after a fight that lasted a little over 10 hours.
"The lure got a proper burial at sea, like most good lures."
We were never able to get a hold of the leader, but we had the double line on the reel at least 20 times. In 10 hours, we never once pulled the fish toward the boat. We could get line on the reel fairly easily after the first three hours or so, but only by backing the boat toward the fish, never by pulling the fish toward us, and that was with 60 plus lbs. of pressure on the drag quite a bit of the time.
The fish seemed to have a distance of about 30 feet that she was comfortable with. Anything closer than that was out of the question. She appeared so unconcerned about it all, that it wouldn't have surprised me if she had started feeding during the fight. In addition to a new respect for the power of a really big marlin, when we parted company she gave us back everything we had started with except a small fish looking lure made by Greg Brown, my crewman at the time, one 10/0 stainless hook and about 3 feet of leader. The lure got a proper burial at sea, like most good lures. The hook and the small piece of leader stayed with the fish.
Find Out How To Make Your Own Marlin Lures
We've all heard about it, and most of us have had it happen to us, so what (if anything) can be done to prevent it?
I recently received a letter from Ron Akana of Waipahu, Hawaii. Ron is a regular viewer of INSIDE BIG GAME FISHING when he's not out fishing himself, and it was his letter that stimulated this bit for ESPN's SPORTSZONE. Ron explained in his letter how after a three hour fight, he and some friends had broken off a beast on 130 lb. test monofilament.
"Pulling hard from one angle, then quickly making the change and pulling hard from another angle is a tedious, back-and-forth deal, but it can pay off. "
The fish had hit a resin jethead that was rigged on 26 feet of 300 lb. test leader material with a stainless 12/0 hook. After an hour, they had 13 feet of the leader but couldn't hold it. After two more hours with the fish "under and around the boat," the mainline parted with a subtle "tick", not the resounding "crack" that we've all learned to know and hate. Ron's question was what could he have done differently to catch the fish.
Well, Ron, about the only one who might have that magic, works-every-time answer would be one of those fellows who has been fishing offshore for six months or so and has figured it all out. We've all run across a few of those guys. I've been splashing around out there for more years than I'd care to count, and I've frequently discussed the subject with guys who have been at it as long or longer than me. The consensus is that sometimes the fish wins - period.
"Keep in mind that it is not always the fish that gets confused, tired or careless, evidenced by the reality that it's not always the angler who wins the battle."
The way you described the line parting would cause me to be a little suspicious. If there is any flaw, no matter how tiny, a big fish will find it, even a small nick that might not have been there when you put the line out. The fish even could have swam back across the line during the course of the fight and put in a little scuff that took some extreme pressure to become a problem. A technique that has occasionally worked in the situation that you described is to let out a little line, if necessary, in order to be able to maneuver the boat to where the pull on the fish is from a different location. This usually takes several, if not a bunch of, maneuvers.
Pulling hard from one angle, then quickly making the change and pulling hard from another angle is a tedious, back-and-forth deal, but it can pay off. I don't know whether the fish gets confused, tired or careless, but this approach has shortened the fight on several occasions.
Keep in mind that it is not always the fish that gets confused, tired or careless, evidenced by the reality that it's not always the angler who wins the battle. Given the fact that there are many on this planet who have not, and never will, have the opportunity to engage in the battle, you're already a winner just to have been lucky enough to have been there.
Tight Lines . . . . . Norm.
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