Grander Numbers

[Wetspotnz]

Well this perked my interest big time, so I have been doing a little poking around and this is what Ive come up with ex New Zealand and whilst we are recognised as the land of the biggest Striped Marlin it seems that we may have only officially got over the mark 3-4 times which surprised me as we had some Blues in the late 800lbs landed last season alone.

1998 - 1007.5lb Blue

2002 - 1043.2lb Black

1960's - 1016lb Blue

Now I hope there are a few more so when I here back from the NZBGFC Ill come back .

I dont no how far the records go back, Ill have a look through Zane Grey's Anglers Eldorado as well !

[Wetspotnz]

Further to my above post I now have a list of Almost there Granders. They are in KG's but are as follows

1964 | D Lane | Tauranga | Black | 425.02kg / 936lb
1965 | M Lorine | Tauranga | Black | 406.87kg / 895lb
1968 | R Geig | BOI | Blue | 461.30kg / 1016lb
1972 | J Bloomfield| Whakatane | Black | 413.68kg / 910lb
1978 | D Hague | Whakatane | Black | 444.00kg / 978lb
1989 | J Hardstaff | Tutukaka | Blue | 412.00kg / 908lb
1998 | T Harding | North Cape | Blue | 456.80kg / 1005lb
1998 | | Tauranga | Black | 424.20kg / 934lb
2000 | B Firman | Cape Brett | Black | 406.00kg / 895lb
2000 | A Connor | Cavallis | Black | 430.00kg / 947lb
2001 | J Moncur | Te Kaha | Blue | 420.60kg / 925lb
2002 | A Jorion | Gisborne | Black | 473.20kg / 1042lb
2008 | R Meade | Waihau Bay| Blue | 443.60kg / 976lb

[Patudo]

Wandering a bit off topic here but that masher/kwagga kinda resembles the Big Dog more than the Ruckus to me, especially the older big dog with the shorter head length (thumbing through my prized 1993 Melton's catalogue ) - it has straight sides for a while before the nose starts to taper

Wetspot.. Thanks for the NZ stats, is it possible to find out how many were on lures and how many on baits? I recall Jorion's black was on a lure, as was the 976 from Waihau and I think the 420kg as well (Sea Tal lure?) but what about the others?

[Wetspotnz]

The last three fish on the list were all taken on Standup Gear out of Trailerboatys which is interesting and pretty kean i thought

Lures for the standup fish, what Im not sure but will put a post up down here to find out, The two grander blues were baits the first a Kahawai and Bob Ashs north cape grander was a skippy ( Skipjack not belly flap from a Kangaroo ) live bait so was Bruce Smiths "hole in the rock" Black.

[Deep C]

Wandering a bit off topic here but that masher/kwagga kinda resembles the Big Dog more than the Ruckus to me, especially the older big dog with the shorter head length (thumbing through my prized 1993 Melton's catalogue ) - it has straight sides for a while before the nose starts to taper

We were popping them out in the late eighties when tracy was just a little boy... Hell he still is a kid...

[Finnseeker]

Today's Wall Street Journal has an interesting Kona-based article about granders. In the article the writer says she contacted the IGFA and was told they have only 51 granders on record since the organization began in 1939. That gives the reader a really strange sense of how many granders have been caught over time. I want to put together some numbers to give a better sense of how many grander marlin (black and blue) have been caught by anglers world wide. That would include Australia, Madeira, Bermuda, Hawaii, Tahiti, and every other place grander blues and blacks have been caught on rod and reel. The list I have compiled from Kona, alone, has 74 since 1960. For your fishing area, if you know totals over time, please post them so I can do a quick tally of all areas.

One more thing related to the article. Does anyone have any authoritative information on the real size of the marlin that became famous in "The Old Man and the Sea?" I know the story was based on an actual catch and the fish was too chewed up to
give more than an idea of the weight. I've heard that someone researched this and came up with a number.

To find a link to the article, search for wall street journal kona granders.


Jim Rizzuto

Not sure where that originated from but can get you a list of Granders from South Africa and Brazil I have and they are many, far more than the IGFA 51 total

[MarlinMoz]

As far as I know 22 granders, all of which Black´s have been weighted on the Bazaruto Archipelago in Mozambique. Biggest fish there was taken back in November ´98 on a lure and was 1298 lbs.

Cheers,
Duarte

[Wetspotnz]

Immmm, at least another 7 Blacks over 1000lb out of Cairns in the last couple of weeks alone.

2 More sleeps and Im over there to get one myself

Yeeeeeehaaaaaa

[dknott77]

Oskie and crew just released one over 1000 in Ascension last sat. They just weighed a 1213 a bit back. Also last week, 4 fish from 8-950 and several yellowfins in the 200-315lb. range...

[Qualifier Chris]

That would make it a really nice fish. A grander is only a grander when the scales say so.