Rare 'grander' marlin (1,119 pounds) caught in the Bahamas

By: Pete Thomas, GrindTV.com

After a marathon battle Dave Albury had alongside his team's boat a 1,119-pound blue marlin that shattered a 32-year-old Bahamas Billfish Championship series tournament record, and represents a new record for the Bahamas.

The remarkable catch also placed Albury, who lives in the Bahamas, into the elite club of fishermen to have landed a "grander," or a marlin weighing 1,000 pounds or more. Only a handful of granders are caught each year around the world.

Albury fought the marlin for 3 hours, 17-minutes during the the final Treasure Cay leg of the recently-completed BBC tournament series.

"When we saw the fish in the spread, we could not believe our eyes," Don McKinney, owner of the Fort Lauderdale-based Double dog, told the Florida Sportsman. "We scrambled to clear the light tackle and get the 80s in position just in time for the giant blue to crash the port short."

In other words, when the monstrous billfish surfaced and began to close on the lures being trolled behind the boat, the crew hurried to reel in the lighter lines to ensure that the marlin went after a lure attached to a heavier rod and reel.

Said Double Dog Capt. Jason Parker: "It was teamwork all the way, especially when it came to getting the fish into the boat. We quickly realized that we were going to have a difficult time getting the fish through the transom door. We rigged a 'come along' to keep the fish straight while everyone aboard pulled the monster fish aboard."

The catch helped propel Double Dog, which also released a smaller blue marlin and two white marlin, to victory in the three-day Treasure Cay event. It finished only sixth overall in the five-event series, but stole the spotlight at the end when it brought in the grander.

According to the Billfish Report, it's only the sixth grander ever caught in the Bahamas. For the sake of comparison, the International Game Fish Assn. lists as the all-tackle world record for Atlantic blue marlin a 1,402-pound specimen caught off Brazil in 1992. The all-tackle world record for a Pacific blue marlin is a 1,376-pounder caught off Kailua-Kona in 1982.

-- Image showing Dave Albury (gray shirt, with sunglasses) and teammates gathered around the prized catch is courtesy of the Bahamas Billfish Championship series