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.
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.
