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Taylor Blumer was honeymooning on the picturesque island of Madeira, when on June 10, 2024, she and her husband, Scott, embarked on a fishing trip they’ll never forget. Pesca Grossa captain Carlos Emanuel Pereira, a seasoned fisherman known for his extraordinary catches, put her on what would eventually reveal itself as a fish of a lifetime.
The 1,044-plus-pound blue marlin was subdued and ushered to shore in Calheta, where it took six grown men to transfer the beast from the boat to the water, and then ultimately to the crane and the scale to be weighed, a true testament to the creature’s size and proof of Madeira’s bountiful waters. At some 134 inches long, this blue marks the first grander plucked from the area, just one month into the marlin season.
As the crowd gathered to marvel at the team’s accomplishment, a biologist was onsite to collect valuable anatomical samples from the fish, including its liver and roe, for scientific research. The presence of the biologist underscores the importance of such catches in contributing to our deeper understanding of billfish.
As a last gesture, it was announced that the marlin’s meat would not go to waste. It would be distributed to those in need, including the poor and the elderly who live on this tiny island.
This unforgettable honeymoon fish will be etched in Taylor and Scott’s memory forever—a combination of a connection to nature, a love for adventure, and a push for triumph.
