After a successful career as a Florida kayak fishing guide, Adam Fisk moved to Panama to ply his skills at the new Los Buzos Offshore Kayak Fishing Resort. Every day, Fisk targets tuna, roosterfish, grouper and other exotics in the Pacific Ocean. His black marlin though, is truly something remarkable.

How a 450-pound black marlin put Fisk’s skills to the test

After fighting the black marlin for more than four hours during a 10-mile sleigh ride, Fisk may have made kayak fishing history.

Adam Fisk's Black Marlin
Adam Fisk’s Black Marlin Shows

WHO

I’ve been kayak fishing for 14 years. After catching pretty much everything swimming in my home waters of West Palm Beach, Florida, I took a job with Los Buzos Kayak Fishing Resort. Two winters ago, I hooked a marlin estimated over 600 pounds. The fish towed me at 10 miles an hour for three minutes before dumping my spool and breaking the line. My thumbs were blistered for weeks. The experience opened my eyes. I would be ready for the next billfish.

WHERE

Los Buzos is a seaside resort catering to kayak anglers. The day was calm with light wind and no current. I was a mile-and-a-half offshore fishing for bottomfish in 120 feet of water. The marlin hit a live bigeye trevally I had freelined just below the surface.

WHAT

The marlin looked 12 feet long. After reviewing photos and watching the video, several professional marlin captains estimate the fish weighed 450 pounds. As the huge marlin towed me offshore, I called the resort and had them send a Panga to back me up. The fish was towing me at three to four miles per hour, all the time heading farther offshore. The power and size were overwhelming. I had the fish on my heaviest outfit, an Accurate BV2-1000 spooled with 80-pound braided line and a topshot of 80-pound Diamond monofilament. The fish jumped a half-dozen times then dove down and dragged me for 15 minutes before repeating the show. It showed no sign of slowing down.

WHEN

I hooked the fish on August 26, 2018 at about 1:30 p.m. I held on for four and a half hours. The sun was setting when I finally touched the leader. During the fight, the fish dragged me offshore. At one point, it turned 180 degrees and charged me while greyhounding across the water. I got nervous thinking the fish might stab me with its bill. Thirty feet from the boat, the marlin turned and headed offshore again. The fish dragged me almost 10 miles before I got the leader to the rod tip. With the release official, I tightened the drag and broke the line.

WHY

Catching a black marlin shows the limitless capability of a fishing kayak. I never felt at risk. I think I could release a bigger one.

Previous articleOld Town Topwater 120 Fishing Kayak Review
Next articleKayak Fishing For Suicide Prevention
“Thank God my dad wasn’t a podiatrist,” Ric jokes about following in the footsteps of a famous outdoor writer. After graduating from Radford University and serving two years in Russia with the Peace Corps, Ric returned to Virginia Beach and started writing for The Fisherman magazine, where his dad was editor. When the kayak fishing scene exploded, Ric was among the first to get onboard. His 2007 book, The Complete Kayak Fisherman is one of the first how-to books to introduce anglers to paddle fishing. In 2010, Ric took on the role of editor at Kayak Angler magazine where he covered the latest trends in kayak fishing tactics, tackle, gear and destinations. A ravenous angler, Ric fishes from the mountain to the sea chasing everything from smallmouth bass to striped bass.

Leave a Reply