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Monster marlin
Whittier pals witness their friend landing 914-pounder
By MIKE CAMPBELL
mcampbell@adn.com
(02/09/09 21:39:50)
Larry and Shawni Gilman, David and Phyllis Pinquoch and Rex Jordan and Chrystal Roberts from Whittier were aboard the Hooked Up Jan. 29,2009, when they caught a 914-pound blue marlin off Kona, Hawaii. Crewman Rocky Gauron is farthest left, and Captain Chuck Wigzell is next to him.
The fish was huge -- at 914 pounds, the biggest marlin landed in Hawaii this year.
The day was ideal -- glassy waters, plentiful bait fish everywhere and the company of good friends from Whittier.
And the buzz was lasting -- free drinks and dinner for the party of Alaska anglers and people asking the captain all week if he's the one who landed the big fish.
Still, for David Pinquoch, owner of Alaska Good Time Charters in Whittier, the thrill of seeing his friend and fellow Whittier angler Larry Gilman land an eye-popping blue marlin on Jan. 27 didn't quite match the excitement of a leaping 16-pound silver salmon splashing down in a still Prince William Sound cove.
"Personally, I would rather reel in a silver salmon every day than a marlin," Pinquoch said. "I'm more into casting out, setting the hook, having the total adventure between you and the fish.
"Part of it is the way you're raised. I'm more of a light tackle fisherman. Marlin is slow; most days, it just doesn't have the action. I love seeing fish jump and I love seeing the whole thing out of the water -- and even though a marlin can do that, it doesn't happen every time."
Don't get Pinquoch wrong. He was plenty excited for Gilman who, as his wife Shawnee said, "got lucky to be the dummy in the (fighting) chair."
Hooked in 800 fathoms of water, the marlin swallowed a Joe Yee Super Plunger giant squid jig trolled at about 8 knots and ended up fighting for about one hour, 40 minutes.
"It was incredible," Pinquoch said. "When it was happening it didn't seem real. You didn't even realize the fish was attached to the line, it was so far out."
Once the blue was hooked nearly a quarter-mile from the boat, it leaped from the water and took off.
"I knew it was over 800," said Chuck Wigzell, captain of the charter boat Hooked Up. "The fish took about 600 yards before we could stop her. Then it did some explosive jumps trying to shake the hook. It looked like someone dropped a bomb; there was that much white wash coming from the fish as she jumped and shook her head."
The fight became a team effort led by Wigzell, who kept maneuvering the boat to ensure the line stayed tight. Crewman Rocky Gauron endured the most pain once the fish drew close to the boat.
Gauron would wrap the 24-foot-long leader around his wrist, yank and repeat. "When a fish is that big, you can just grab the leader and pull her in," said Wigzell. But it's not easy -- and a shark circling nearby looking for an easy meal revved up the anticipation.
"I'm thinking, this guy's going to lose his arm," Pinquoch said of Gauron, who gained three feet at most on each gut-wrenching pull. "He was maxed out. His legs were shaking, he didn't have any more energy."
Gilman wasn't in much better shape.
"There's not many people 50 years old who can get through that. There are times you push on the reel and nothing happens. The drag is so tight, the handle just won't move. It's much more physical fishing than the average halibut," said Pinquoch, who catches dozens of Alaska favorite flatfish each summer on his Prince William Sound boat.
Gilman's fish was Kona's biggest marlin since another client aboard Wigzell's boat landed a 975-pounder in November. Typically, summer is the best time of year for big marlin.
"The two 900-pounders were close together for me," Wigzell said. "Usually in Kona, out of four blue marlin bites you will probably land one. Some times you may go 10 bites in a row and lose all of them. They are the hardest fish to capture because of their speed, power and explosive jump, head shakes and very hard mouths."
This was Gilman's first time in the fighting chair, and he was so excited it took a while for him to settle into the pump-and-reel routine.
"The first time I saw the fish jump," said Gilman, who runs Custom Marine Services in Whittier, "I looked at it and said, 'No way.'
But once he had the rhythm, Gilman guided the fish near the boat three different times during the first hour. Each time, the marlin ripped off line.
"My arm is still a little sore," he said Sunday, 11 days after his battle.
The fourth time the marlin neared the boat, "We were able to turn her sideways and get her head going with us," Wigzell said.
At first, Wigzell wondered if it might top the magic 1,000-pound mark. Since the 1950s, only 121 "granders" -- both black and blue marlin -- have been landed in Hawaii, according to Hawaii Fishing News.
Alaskans have taken at least two, a 1,174-pounder taken by Fairbanks grocer Jeffrey Russell in 2002 and an 1,103-pounder landed by Kelley Everette, also of Fairbanks, in 1987. At the time, the latter set an IGFA world record for 30-pound-test tackle. Avid deep sea anglers, Everette and his wife Jocelyn moved to Kona to run the charter boat Northern Lights but have since returned to Alaska.
For many anglers, the memory of such a spectacular fish endures a lifetime.
Russell sees his every time he walks into Denali State Bank in Fairbanks, where the 15-foot, 8-inch marlin is mounted.
"There are lots of people who spent all their lives in Hawaii, never left the rock and didn't get so lucky," Russell allowed.
Afflicted with marlin fever, Russell returned later in 2002 trying to become the first angler to land two granders in a calendar year. He caught a big marlin -- but he came up 250 pounds short.
Still, even a memorable fish pales next to sharing a great day on the water with hometown friends. David and Phyllis Pinquoch, Rex Jordan -- who's fished for marlin 12 years and arranged the charter -- and Crystal Roberts all are avid salmon and halibut anglers back home who know all too well about enduring cold, rainy Prince William Sound days to bring home fish.
Each person had a role in Gilman's success.
"It was basically a Whittier reunion," Shawnee Gilman said. "This is what you dream of. Everybody on the boat feels like it's something they were part of."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporter Mike Campbell can be reached at mcampbell@adn.com or 257-4329.
Copyright © Tue Feb 10 07:26:59 PST 20091900 The Anchorage Daily News (www.adn.com)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
Monster marlin
Whittier pals witness their friend landing 914-pounder
By MIKE CAMPBELL
mcampbell@adn.com
(02/09/09 21:39:50)
Larry and Shawni Gilman, David and Phyllis Pinquoch and Rex Jordan and Chrystal Roberts from Whittier were aboard the Hooked Up Jan. 29,2009, when they caught a 914-pound blue marlin off Kona, Hawaii. Crewman Rocky Gauron is farthest left, and Captain Chuck Wigzell is next to him.
The fish was huge -- at 914 pounds, the biggest marlin landed in Hawaii this year.
The day was ideal -- glassy waters, plentiful bait fish everywhere and the company of good friends from Whittier.
And the buzz was lasting -- free drinks and dinner for the party of Alaska anglers and people asking the captain all week if he's the one who landed the big fish.
Still, for David Pinquoch, owner of Alaska Good Time Charters in Whittier, the thrill of seeing his friend and fellow Whittier angler Larry Gilman land an eye-popping blue marlin on Jan. 27 didn't quite match the excitement of a leaping 16-pound silver salmon splashing down in a still Prince William Sound cove.
"Personally, I would rather reel in a silver salmon every day than a marlin," Pinquoch said. "I'm more into casting out, setting the hook, having the total adventure between you and the fish.
"Part of it is the way you're raised. I'm more of a light tackle fisherman. Marlin is slow; most days, it just doesn't have the action. I love seeing fish jump and I love seeing the whole thing out of the water -- and even though a marlin can do that, it doesn't happen every time."
Don't get Pinquoch wrong. He was plenty excited for Gilman who, as his wife Shawnee said, "got lucky to be the dummy in the (fighting) chair."
Hooked in 800 fathoms of water, the marlin swallowed a Joe Yee Super Plunger giant squid jig trolled at about 8 knots and ended up fighting for about one hour, 40 minutes.
"It was incredible," Pinquoch said. "When it was happening it didn't seem real. You didn't even realize the fish was attached to the line, it was so far out."
Once the blue was hooked nearly a quarter-mile from the boat, it leaped from the water and took off.
"I knew it was over 800," said Chuck Wigzell, captain of the charter boat Hooked Up. "The fish took about 600 yards before we could stop her. Then it did some explosive jumps trying to shake the hook. It looked like someone dropped a bomb; there was that much white wash coming from the fish as she jumped and shook her head."
The fight became a team effort led by Wigzell, who kept maneuvering the boat to ensure the line stayed tight. Crewman Rocky Gauron endured the most pain once the fish drew close to the boat.
Gauron would wrap the 24-foot-long leader around his wrist, yank and repeat. "When a fish is that big, you can just grab the leader and pull her in," said Wigzell. But it's not easy -- and a shark circling nearby looking for an easy meal revved up the anticipation.
"I'm thinking, this guy's going to lose his arm," Pinquoch said of Gauron, who gained three feet at most on each gut-wrenching pull. "He was maxed out. His legs were shaking, he didn't have any more energy."
Gilman wasn't in much better shape.
"There's not many people 50 years old who can get through that. There are times you push on the reel and nothing happens. The drag is so tight, the handle just won't move. It's much more physical fishing than the average halibut," said Pinquoch, who catches dozens of Alaska favorite flatfish each summer on his Prince William Sound boat.
Gilman's fish was Kona's biggest marlin since another client aboard Wigzell's boat landed a 975-pounder in November. Typically, summer is the best time of year for big marlin.
"The two 900-pounders were close together for me," Wigzell said. "Usually in Kona, out of four blue marlin bites you will probably land one. Some times you may go 10 bites in a row and lose all of them. They are the hardest fish to capture because of their speed, power and explosive jump, head shakes and very hard mouths."
This was Gilman's first time in the fighting chair, and he was so excited it took a while for him to settle into the pump-and-reel routine.
"The first time I saw the fish jump," said Gilman, who runs Custom Marine Services in Whittier, "I looked at it and said, 'No way.'
But once he had the rhythm, Gilman guided the fish near the boat three different times during the first hour. Each time, the marlin ripped off line.
"My arm is still a little sore," he said Sunday, 11 days after his battle.
The fourth time the marlin neared the boat, "We were able to turn her sideways and get her head going with us," Wigzell said.
At first, Wigzell wondered if it might top the magic 1,000-pound mark. Since the 1950s, only 121 "granders" -- both black and blue marlin -- have been landed in Hawaii, according to Hawaii Fishing News.
Alaskans have taken at least two, a 1,174-pounder taken by Fairbanks grocer Jeffrey Russell in 2002 and an 1,103-pounder landed by Kelley Everette, also of Fairbanks, in 1987. At the time, the latter set an IGFA world record for 30-pound-test tackle. Avid deep sea anglers, Everette and his wife Jocelyn moved to Kona to run the charter boat Northern Lights but have since returned to Alaska.
For many anglers, the memory of such a spectacular fish endures a lifetime.
Russell sees his every time he walks into Denali State Bank in Fairbanks, where the 15-foot, 8-inch marlin is mounted.
"There are lots of people who spent all their lives in Hawaii, never left the rock and didn't get so lucky," Russell allowed.
Afflicted with marlin fever, Russell returned later in 2002 trying to become the first angler to land two granders in a calendar year. He caught a big marlin -- but he came up 250 pounds short.
Still, even a memorable fish pales next to sharing a great day on the water with hometown friends. David and Phyllis Pinquoch, Rex Jordan -- who's fished for marlin 12 years and arranged the charter -- and Crystal Roberts all are avid salmon and halibut anglers back home who know all too well about enduring cold, rainy Prince William Sound days to bring home fish.
Each person had a role in Gilman's success.
"It was basically a Whittier reunion," Shawnee Gilman said. "This is what you dream of. Everybody on the boat feels like it's something they were part of."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporter Mike Campbell can be reached at mcampbell@adn.com or 257-4329.
Copyright © Tue Feb 10 07:26:59 PST 20091900 The Anchorage Daily News (www.adn.com)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
