70 kilo Marlin

Catch of the Year: 70 Kilo Marlin

As much as we loved the Bay of Virgins, we had to leave. It was time to start making our way toward Nuku Hiva.  Which is where we will pick up Shawn and Sharon and drop off Wayne.  We decided to make a slow trip north stopping at a few of our favorite places.  And of course, we were going to fish along the way.  Little did we know what was in store for us – a 70 kilo (150lb) marlin.

We left the Bay of Virgins and set course for Hanamoenoa Bay at Tahuata.  It is a 55nm sail so we left as soon as I returned from shore with bags of fruit, around 0800.  Under full sail (we had 1 reef in the main), with 3 lures out, we heard the zing.  We were about 20nm into our trip.  Lucky for us it was on one of the bigger poles and reels.  The fish was a fighter and spooled the entire reel.  We could see it jumping and twisting in the distance behind the boat.  It was not happy.  We slowed the boat down, pulled in our other lures and began the process of bringing her in.

It took Wayne about 90 minutes to slowly reel this beast in.  It did not do the in/out thing that the huge yellow fin tuna did with Matt, but it sure gave Wayne a work out.  Both boys struggled to bring her in.  She was heavy, huge, and armed with a pointy snout. 

70 kilo Marlin

70 kilo Marlin

Finally on the boat, now what?

It was a challenge to get this big fish on the boat as we did not want to puncture the boat with its sharp nose!  And it weighed 70 kilos (150lbs)

Getting her on the boat

Getting her on the boat

We filled both freezers and our fridge.  Man oh man we needed to share this wonderful bounty!

We filled the galley sink twice over.  Matt wore his trophy with pride.

Lots of marlin meat

Lots of marlin meat

Everyone was exhausted by the time we arrived to the anchorage.  Cold beers were enjoyed and then our friends on Flip Flops stopped by for some sun downers.  Of course, we promptly unloaded 25lbs of fish on them which left a whopping 125lbs in our freezers.

Proud fisherman

Proud fisherman

The next day, Flip Flops was going to follow us from Tahuata to Vaiehu, Ua Pou.  However, when we arrived to the bay it was really rolly and uncomfortable so we both decided to continue on to Nuku Hiva, Taihoe bay.

Arrived Taihoe Bay at 1130pm (left at 0530) little wind, motor sail.

Next morning played santa delivering pounds of the Marlin to Easy, Maple, Bella, Imani, Rhapsody, and Jolly Dogs.  So, basically or fish fed 8 boats (including Flip Flop and us) at least 5-6 meals each. 

We did not stay long as this was not our intended stop.  We headed a few miles west to Hakatea Bay otherwise known as Daniel’s Bay.

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