b"Mottle's Marlin Lands at Sailfish MarinaF ishing Club member JimAs luck would have it, we got Mottle recently called theanother dolphin bite. Then I heard WPBFC to see if we wanted histhe young lady say theres a shark blue marlin mount for displaybehind the dolphin.Then I said, inside the clubhouse.The onlythats no shark, thats a marlin, problem was the fish measuredrecalled Mottle, who knows what nearly 15 ft. and we didnt havea big fish looks like having landed the needed wall space.Next, Jimmany tuna off New England.Fu-reached out to the Sailfish Marina,eled by excitement and adrenaline who were very excited to give theJim quickly grabbed the nearest marlin a new home.The behe- rod he could find, a kingfish rod moth billfish now hangs in theloaded with 30-pound test and a marinas dockside tiki bar wherewire stinger rig. They had a fresh it can be appreciated by all who enjoy sipping rum drinks andbonito laying in the cockpit, so he cold beer by the water. hooked it in the tail and pitched it Mottles marlin has quite a fish story attached to it.It was Julyover.The marlin swam from out 6th, 2001, a day after the full moon.Jim and fellow WPBFC mem- under the boat and inhaled the bo-ber Frank Gunther were fishing off Jupiter aboard Franks boatnito without hesitation.The time the High Frequency, a 35 Gamefisherman.Also on board werewas 1pm.Almost immediately Franks stepson and stepdaughter, Thomas Totten & Catherinethe fish began greyhounding away Totten-Dimino, who were visiting from Staten Island, NY.Byfrom the boat for what seemed like noontime the crew had already landed several dolphin and bo- forever and spooled me.Gunther nito.They were planning on wrapping up their fishing day sincedid an excellent job backing down the two visitors had to catch a plane home early that evening.on the fish.I would gain some line and then the fish would dump the spool all over again.This IT TAKES ONLY ONE SMALL happened multiple times, CHANGE TO CATCH MORE FISH. said Mottle.The fight lasted SO WEfor hours with the fish push-ing offshore and continued to put on a fantastic aerial display. By this time the boat had drifted well north of Stuart Inlet. ADDED SIX. Finally, three hours and twenty minutes into the storybook battle, the fish was up on top showing signs of slowing down. Capt. Gunther seized the moment, backing down hard al-lowing Jim and the crew to get the leader in hand.The fish was much longer than the width of the boat.We took some quick measurements, Frank tagged it and we let her go.The fish was in good shape and swam away, but my legs were black and blue, Mottle said with a laugh.Based on a length and girth formula the fish was estimated to be 750 pounds.I had to have the replica mount made eleven-inches shorter than the fish actually was so it would fit on the wall in my house.I moved that thing three times, I wasnt going to move it again.The guys from Sailfish Ma-rina, Jamie, Jeff, Danny & Bryan, who transferred it from my house to the marina were fantastic.They are a real class act.Im glad its in a place not all that far from where it was caught, added Mottle.So, if you find yourself at the Sailfish Marina tiki bar one HOODING & SIDE SHIELDSSWEAT MANAGEMENT CHANNELSEYEWIRE DRAINS afternoon you can now tell the tale of Mottles marlinBy METAL KEEPER SLOTSADJUSTABLE NOSE PADS IMPROVED HYDROLITE TMRUBBER the way the two visitors onboard the boat that day missed2021 Costa Del Mar, Inc. Al Rights Reserved.their flight back to New York.CDM Silver Sailfish Derby - Offshore Pro Series 8.5x11 ad.indd 1 12/15/21 1:03 PM"