all fisherman lie (sort of)

[seapower]

What an awesome trip, what an awesome fish! Maybe a special thank you for the Captain and crew. Seem's pretty good enough for me. Just sayin', Frank

[TunaTeaser1]

A few more numbers:


C-Ya- 128 x 74 = 1005
Que Mas - 128 x 74 = 1005

It's cool seeing the measurements of all these fish in one thread. What amazes me is how big a difference girth and carrying weight to the tail can make on these fish in comparison to length.

We had one come up dead a couple years ago off NC that was 124x64=647.

[frankypettolina]

James- when someone who has hung a grander blue or black calls a released fish a grander it definitely carries some "weight" pun intended. I have had the pleasure of fishing with Ross FInlayson in OZ and MArlin Parker in Kona- both big fish guys for sure. If they were to call it a grand, I dare say it was a grand. The interesting thing is that Ross (at least at the time I fished with him) would call a released fish as accurately as he could (he called 2 fish a grand plus for my friend Brooke) but he would not call fish a grand on his website reports. 950 plus was as high as he would go. You have hung big fish and you have the right to call them what you want to call them.

I have a technical question when you are saying short length I am thinking tip of lower jaw to fork of tail. Is this correct? Are you measuring over the curve of the fish or on the straight line along the deck? We had this discussion on the boat today, and I was throwing some of the lengths that were talked about on this thread out for discussion and my gaffman, who has an *** load of blue marlin to his credit, was thinking the 110 to 120 inch fish would weigh more similar to what my guesses were. Thats why we were wondering if we are talking about the same measurments?

Thanks again for the exchange of info. I am learning quite a bit.

BTW- had a first for me today. BAcking down on whitey we were getting beared down on by dragging longline gear. Poly balls, staffs and dobs moving at a good clip, perpendicular to us. Started about 200 yards from us, our fish ended up swimming into it. We lost the fish but got hung hook to hook with the gear.

[Wound Up James]

Franky. We are measuring along the body/curve, not in a straight line. We have caught some nices ones, but Captains like Ross and Marlin are in a totally different league...they have killed more than most have caught. We released that Grander ten years ago (not my choice )...now that I'm on the wheel and it is my decision; if I call the release on another 'grander' - call b*llsh*t !! My intent would be to take her...and if your intent is to kill a fish and you do not - that is not a release !

Hope to have another measurement for you soon...

[dirtyj]

Visiting Carolina boat, Southern Exposure caught a doubled header in the Big Game Classic in 2005. They turned one free and boated the other and called her 800...She
weighed 1023. The mate, Jared 'Dingo' Boshammer is an Aussie that grew up fishing on the Barrier Reef, spent many seasons in Kona, and fished many other places including Brazil and Bermuda....big fish experience he is not lacking. A week after weighing the 1023 he said he thought it was 800 on the deck. A few years later I asked him again 'honestly, how big did you think it was?'.........'Honestly, I thought it was 800!!' This estimate was taken with aid of a tape measure on a fish laying on the deck.


.

Here are 2 pics of that fish - they don't do it justice but this thing looked almost "square" - it was so short and fat

[Double D]

if your intent is to kill a fish and you do not - that is not a release !

Damn, James, you just knocked out an assload of my "catches"

[frankypettolina]

I always hate when someone calls a fish they intended to kill, but it later broke off on the leader, a release.

I remember a few years ago in the Open when a boat wieghed a 500 pounder. I congratulated them on their catch and the response was, you should have seen the one we let go before it. They had broke off a bigger fish in the moring on the leader and called it a release (i am guessing the gaffs never broke the plane of the covering boards or whatever). Not a release in my book, but to each their own.

And James- i am with you, if it is that big and I get the chance it will not live to get any bigger. One of the last things on my fishing bucket list is to have a pic of me next to a 4 digit fish that i was involved in killing. Fish huggers can bash me all they want, but I promise the meat won't go to waste and the fish will have had one last glorious fight in its life!!!

[Breakin Loose]

True, I like to think of it as "an elaboration to enhance the story"

Works in reverse when the wifes asks "how many beers did you have?"

Mike

"just 2 honey, and I even had a water in between"

[Bud Man]

Great read, some serious info in here.