Bahamas Blue Marlin Record

While fishing in the Treasure Cay Leg of the Bahamas Billfish Championship (BBC), the crew on Double Dog caught a monster blue marlin that not only won the tournament but now stands as the largest blue ever caught in Bahamas waters.

Double Dog established a new Bahamas record when they boated their blue marlin which weighed in at 1,119 pounds (507 kg). The record-breaking blue was caught on the second day of the Treasure Cay Championship, the fifth and final leg of the 2011 Bahamas Billfish Championship. Angler David Albury of Man-O-War Cay in the Bahamas fought the big blue for three hours and 17 minutes before he finally got the fish close enough for the crew to sink the gaff.

“When we saw the fish in the spread, we could not believe our eyes,” said Double Dog owner Don McKinney of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “We scrambled to clear the light tackle and get the 80s in position just in time for the giant blue to crash the port short. After years of tournament fishing, we knew the fish was over 900 pounds but we never imagined it to be over 1,100 pounds.”

The team on Double Dog are no strangers to fishing for blue marlin in the Bahamas, and they’ve been competing in the BBC for more than 10 years and took home the championship title in 2009.

“I was so excited that I never realized that I was in the chair for more than three hours,” said an exhausted David Albury. “It wasn’t until we attempted to boat the fish that I began to realize its size.”

According to the Double Dog‘s captain, Jason Parker, “It was team work all the way, especially when it came to getting the fish into the boat. We quickly realized that we were going to have a difficult time getting the fish through the transom door. We rigged a come-along to keep the fish straight while everyone pulled the monster fish aboard.”

Sam Jennings of Miami, Florida, caught the previous Bahamas blue marlin record, a 1,060.5-pound fish that he landed in 1979 while fishing another BBC event, the Bimini Summer Blue Marlin Tournament. According to BBC president Al Behrendt, “All of the blue marlin over 900 pounds caught in the Bahamas have been caught during BBC tournaments. What is significant about the new Bahamas blue marlin record is that, for the very first time, the record it is held by a Bahamian, David Albury.”

Now celebrating its 38th season, the Bahamas Billfish Championship is the oldest billfish tournament series in the world. Anglers can fish any or all of the tournaments with cumulative points determining the overall Bahamas Billfish Champions.

For more information on the BBC, visit www.bahamasbillfish.com or call 866-920-5577.