Ascension Island is widely known as a big blue marlin destination — and for good reason. Six blues over 1,300 pounds have been weighed in the Atlantic Ocean, and Ascension is responsible for half of them, with very little fishing pressure. Roughly one in 10 blues you see there are granders. No place else comes even remotely close to those odds. On top of that, the possibly of seeing a giant marlin in excess of 1,400 pounds is also very good.
We were going to have a go at the women’s and men’s world records this past October through December 2015. Although the marlin action was subpar, we had a fish on that might have broken the men’s record. Then, late in our trip, we caught a fish that will be the new women’s all-tackle world record. Our angler, Jada Holt, made quick work of the beast in 20 minutes. Wireman Olaf Grimkowski had the leader a few times and finally got the fish to roll over at the boat, where Dan Holt and Chip Van Mols gaffed it. We caught the fish off Pilar Bay on Ascension using a Shimano 130 reel spooled with Amilan line on a custom Tim Stevens rod; the fish hit an Andy Moyes lure rigged with a single Dozer hook.
Once we put the fish on the deck and took a short measurement, it was clear the marlin was much larger than we initially thought. We made our way back to Georgetown, where we weighed the fish: 1,305 pounds. Needless to say, we celebrated quite heavily and were in no shape to fish the next day. In 2016, we will be focusing on the men’s record, and Jada will be looking for the 80-pound class record, so stand by for more great news out of Ascension Island!
