Spearfisherman lands First New Zealand Blue Marlin

While the spearfishing at home is a no go with the brown river water, some chap 'Nick Dobbyn' landed New Zealands first Blue Marlin on Spear. Check out the story and pics from www.fishing.net.nz:

Some of you know Nick, a very unasuming 18 year old .

As Nick said on Friday Pete aboard Azerack  had lots of tailing marlin not interested in feeding.

So we decided to move after broadbill drift, one broken rod and some gemfish aboard Assassin.

The water was was flat as it gets so sighting a tailer was not hard.

The first must have see our lures as it accelerated up to them as we past, not to be seen again.

Right lets get right into them . 

The boys set up the floats and lines . Just as they were getting organised out look out Michelle spotted a fish . I turned Assassin around .to follow it. Nick was on the side of the cockpit in boardies, fins  and the speargun at the ready. As we came to a stop I gave Nick the go ahead so he dove in the water and swam hard to the fish. 

The Marlin must have heard the splash and circled  around behind him. Nick stopped and looked around and the marlin  came in all lit up, then turned away. Nick swam hard and fired , not sure if he had hit home or not. Then his float line started whistling past . As he hit the surface he sait "yip I got it."

The floats shot past at incredible speed , this took about 20 seconds!!! Then the big swim after float with the second gun that our son Mark, Nicks friend  as support. Nick had told us that striped marlin stay on the surface  and aren't aggresive.

This fish didn't stay on the surface, as Nick worked his way down his float line with his second gun, the marlin turned on him. This is disconserting . After he finally got the second spear on a 20 metre float  into the marlin , the fish took both floats and Nick down several times. Nick worked his way down with the 3rd gun that Mark had got for him  having trouble with the fish coming at them. At one stage Mark though the marlin was going to eat him as it was charging at him within a metre!!! . Mark was gutted that his underwater camera he got for his 21st last October had died and was sent back to the repairers. 

After and hour and a half the fish was slowing down but still spnt most of the time circling the boys. When Nick got the 4th spear into it, it really slowed down so Nick manouvered it to the boat and with it's head out of the water a sucker fish leapt off, this must have been when the marlin passed away.

We got hold of the bill and pulled it through the door and onto the boat. This was a difficult excerise what with Nicks legs and arms like jelly, and four spears at all different angles we got it aboard.

Then the celebrations begun!!!!!

by Brett