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Originally Posted by BretABaker
yeah that shark took a ton of meat. wow! that's awesome. mrbill - was your grander the one that spooled the 130?
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Yes. I was on the "Marlin Magic" with Marlin Parker. We we only about 30 minutes into trolling when it happened. That marlin was way to big for a International 130. I was spooled with the drag set at 45 pounds in less than one minute. The marlin never slowed down. I might as well have been hooked up to a freight train. Backing down with the water flowing over the transom while trying to get into the harness was exciting for that brief period. My biggest marlin in Kona was in the 600lb bracket. They also catch small ones and the practice of catch and release is still not great in Hawaii. Those Capt's sell them at the dock for $$$$$.
It's a good idea to find out the boat's policy before booking. Jeff Roger's normally doesn't kill a marlin. I don't blame him for killing his first grander. He smoked the meat and feed many friends.
I've also been spooled in the gulf on a 80W twice. A cow tuna might pull off 250 yards at 40-45#s of drag. A big marlin will take off 1000 yards at the same drag setting. The charter Capt's in Kona and Australia have always wanted a bigger reel just for the few fish that spool them every year.
I haven't been to Kona for two years, so maybe they are using 200lb JB with ATD 130's set at 60#s of drag. That's what I would troll if I fished every day. The big problem they face is their customers. Some have never fished before and just book a boat at the hotel for an outdoor experience.
It's a tourist destination and I would guess that 75% of their clients have little or no experience with tackle.
