A dream and half an idea

By Kadin Willis

“Marlin! Marlin! Marlin!” Gene yelled, “get in the water!” All hell's breaking loose. I slipped into the water and as soon as the bubbles cleared I was met by a solid striped marlin fully lit up. A mental image I will never forget.  

Pushing out with my gun, I sent a spear thundering through him and instantly he was off. Gene had front row seats watching it all unfold on the surface, only 2m off the side of the tinny. The marlin took off at full pace doing a half leap out of the water. This is when he really put the power on and he had me planing along on the surface holding onto the floats. 

Then heartbreak suddenly sets in, when in an instant the floats come to a screeching halt. The fish of a lifetime was gone. Unfortunately, the small D-shackle created a pinch point in my Dyneema shooting line and it failed.

We were absolutely buzzing from the experience, we couldn’t believe it. Gene's goal was just to raise a fish and mine was to put in a good holding shot if the opportunity arose. 

I had travelled to Northland from the mighty south with a dream and half an idea. Ever since I was a pup, shooting a marlin was the top of the to-do list for me, the absolute pinnacle. I linked up with my best mate Gene Gray from Backridge Taxidermy, and being an avid game fisherman he held the knowledge I needed to find the fish of a lifetime.

We spent the first two days of the trip inshore searching for the elusive snapper. Eventually the time had come and the weather window was shaping up perfectly. We spent the evening getting the 14ft tiller steer dinghy ready to go wide the next day, giving all the gear the once over.

After the heartbreak of losing the fish of a lifetime, we were feeling full of the pure stoke that we raised a fish and created an opportunity, so we both had the shakes setting the lures out the back again. 

Come day three, only 20 minutes had gone by when Gene suddenly yelled, and up ahead was a marlin free swimming with its fins out of the water. Considering I’d only seen my first ever live marlin the day before, I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing; I was literally living my childhood dream.

The anticipation was through the roof as we were heading out on day four. We had a much better idea of what we needed to do if the opportunity arose, but the reality was we had done about 10 years’ worth of game fishing on the first day, so it was going to be hard to match.

We neared our mark from the day before when out of nowhere a bill and fin appeared in our spread. “Fish!” I yelled and instantly went through my process to make sure I had all my kit on. Gene put his knowledge into action and ripped the short right in out of the way, gave me the green light and I slipped in as he slowed the boat, then turned it around me and ripped the back left in with a marlin hot on its heels. 

I looked up to see a solid striped marlin lit up heading right towards me, it was surreal to watch. He turned broadside and I unleashed the big gun, hitting him hard with a really good holding shot. 

I jumped on the boat to catch up with my floats. He was digging deep, trying to pull the first float under with his first run. Jumping back in it was now time to roll the sleeves up and go to work. 

I got up to the first float, which was attached to the 25m float line via a heavy duty shark clip, then the bungee was connected to a 5m hardline and my big Mahi float, which is a good way to have it set up in case the shark clip failed. I started working the shark clip towards the fish bringing the fight higher up in the water column. I couldn’t believe it, if I looked up from the float I could see him clearly 25m away powering forwards. I’ve never seen water so clean.

Gene chucked my second gun to me and I placed another really good holding shot. In the blink of an eye he was gone, he had the hammer down. I had to jump on the boat to catch up again. 

It was now time to seal the deal and I jumped in with the reel gun. Working my way back up the float line again I was absolutely exhausted. I got right in his zone trying to place a shot into his head, and he was turning hard left and right with his head so he could see me closing in on him. 

I tell you one thing for sure, this young southern bloke was feeling pretty intimidated by this big powerful fish. I was lining the shot up when he suddenly turned on a dime and came straight at me! That’s not the way you want a bill fish facing in a fight! I think he was trying to intimidate me and I tell ya what, it worked! I absolutely butchered my shot sending it straight over his head. 

I quickly reloaded, this time placing a solid shot and I knew things were sooner or later in our favour. 

He was trying to dive but now it was time for me to put the acid on and bring this fight to the top of the water column, and with every kick he pulled me 2m underwater. Kicking hard I finally got him close, and reality set in that I was going to have to grab and wrestle this marlin now. I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t super keen on the idea, but I took a deep breath and swam in to grab him by the bill. I had watched a video of Darren Shields earlier in the week explaining how to do this safely. I had him by the bill with my legs around him, and I sealed the deal. 

There were yahoo’s all around, I swear all of Northland would have heard. We were absolutely buzzing! This was the fish of a lifetime for me, a dream I never thought I’d achieve being a kid from Marlborough. I had come up with half an idea and went on a hell of a mission with my best mate, we threw everything at it and we were absolutely exhausted.

It’s amazing what can be achieved when you are keen and have half an idea.