From left, Capt. Jason Duby, Bryce Dickey, Aiden Kragero and deckman Chad Quedding with their 500-pound marlin. PHOTO BY DONNELL TATE.

LAHAINA – The Reel Hooker joined the 500-pound marlin club with a 568.7-pound blue by Bryce Dickey. He was fishing with Capt. Jason Duby and deckman Chad Quedding.

They were heading back to Lahaina, near the end of their six-hour charter, and were in 175 fathoms off the Manele Bay Hotel, Lanai, when they had a triple striped marlin strike. Aiden Kragero landed a 39.6-pound fish during the flurry.

Chad had just gotten the pattern set back up when the long corner position came down. The fish took 100 yards of 100-test line out at a steady pace and then stopped about 50 yards away. It was strange, as the fish just sat there on the surface making no movement at all.

Chad asked Jason if he wanted to get the fly-gaff out, but Jason told him, “No, I think it’s another striper.” Chad didn’t bother getting the fly-gaff set up.

The fish dug down but wasn’t taking any line. Bryce tried cranking on the reel but couldn’t seem to budge the fish. Jason told Chad, “Maybe you should get the fly-gaff out.”

Right about then, the marlin jumped completely out of the water several times 50 yards away. The fish stayed on the surface, thrashing around in a wall of bloody whitewater. Jason could see blood coming out of the gills like it was hurt.

Jason started to idle reverse the boat after the fish as it lay on the surface. He thought that they were going to be able to back up to it and gaff it, and that it was going to die on them. They had the fish close really fast, with it right under the boat in about five minutes.

The marlin made a couple of last ditch runs of 100 yards and again stopped. With the marlin still on the surface, Jason reversed the boat after it as Bryce cranked it right back in, in about five minutes each time.

They had it to double line in 20 minutes. It came right in still on the surface. It didn’t put up any struggle at leader, with Chad pulling it right up and Jason getting it secured. It was the easiest big marlin Jason had ever caught. “The striped marlin fought harder,” mentioned Jason.

The marlin wasn’t even hooked when they finally got it in. It was bill wrapped by the trailing hook rig. It must have gotten gill-hooked when it swallowed the lure, with the hooks ripping out during the initial jumping sequence and luckily wrapping around the bill.