A Gulf Coast grander caught Oct. 18 is the largest blue marlin ever caught in the Gulf of Mexico. The 1,145.6-pound monster was weighed at the docks of the Mobile Big Game Fishing Club and absolutely smashed the Alabama state record of 851.9 pounds. It also tops the Gulf-wide record of 1,054 pounds.
OBA, a community website in Orange Beach, Alabama, broke the news the morning after the giant blue was caught. Houston, Texas angler Scooter Anderson was fishing aboard the Orange Beach boat Best Trait captained by Chris Mowad.
“It feels pretty amazing to be able to encounter a fish like that. They don’t come very often,” Capt. Mowan told WKRG News.
Best Trait, a 55-foot Viking, was fishing 125 miles offshore near the Blind Faith oil rig over 3,000 feet of water, according to Outdoor Life. The giant marlin ate a live tuna, and with 130-pound test, it took Anderson about two hours along with some skilled boat captaining to haul the beast up. Friends fishing nearby helped the crew haul the fish through the stern door.
At the docks, the marlin measured 12.17 feet in length and had a 7-foot girth.
The previous Alabama record of 851.9 pounds was caught by Louisiana angler Ginger Myers aboard the Fleur de Lis in 2020. The Gulf record 1,054-pounder was caught off Mississippi by angler Barry Carr in 2002. The IGFA all-tackle world record Atlantic blue marlin weighed 1,402 pounds, 2 ounces. It was caught off Brazil in 1992.