A 464kg black marlin, landed by Ross Tuydor on board Raptor, was caught on December 18, 2022, off Northland’s Cavalli Islands. The beast was landed at 9 pm following an exhausting battle that lasted for more than 10 hours.

Skipper Paddy Bohane said the marlin was “the fish of a lifetime.”

Apart from joining the exclusive grander club for a fish weighing over 1,000lb, Ross will also hold the NZ black marlin record for 60kg tackle if his catch is ratified.

The fish was hooked in 1,200m of water about 35nm from the coast, and the bite left a “giant hole in the water,” says Paddy.

Raptor owner Phil Marra, skipper Paddy Bohane, crewman AJ Barton-Barry and angler Ross Tuydor with the grander black marlin. Photo: Ken Lousley.

“We didn’t see it initially until it jumped. Then we knew how big it was.”

The fight began with 12kg of drag. By the third hour, the drag was up to 21kg and stayed at that for the next seven hours, with the fish no more than 50m from the boat.

“I’ve done a bit of fishing, but I’ve never experienced a thing like that in my life. And I don’t want to again. It was nuts, absolutely nuts,” says Ross.

The all-tackle record, set by Alain Jorion off Gisborne in 2002, is a 473.2kg black marlin on 37kg line. The world all-tackle record is 707kg.

– Nick Jones