Alabama fishermen prepared for a battle that rivaled Old Man and The Sea when a record-breaking catch yanked away thousands of feet of line. The anglers didn't realize they had a bite until they checked the line.
By that time, the fish had taken off with the hook, unspooling more than 2,000 feet of line. Speaking with Outdoor Life, the fishermen from the Prime Time boat opened up about the experience. They had been competing in a saltwater fishing tournament off the coast of Mobile, Alabama on August 1.
"I got up about 4 a.m. and went out on the stern deck and I heard fishing line being taken off the rod we'd put out that deep bait on," Taylor Guidry told the outlet. "The reel clicker wasn't on, so the Shimano wasn't making any noise. That's why no one heard the fish [at first]."
He quickly told his dad and the rest of the crew. They began the long process of trying to reel in the line. It was not an easy task. "We think the fish was just doing its thing along the bottom, ate the hardtail bait, and kept on swimming," says Guidry. "The fish was 800 feet down, and we figured it took out 2,000 feet of line."
Fishermen Battle Fish
It was an exhausting process, but they managed to haul the fish aboard two hours later. It was a rare fish called an escolar.
"We got two gaffs into the fish, and we put a tail rope on it," Guidry says. "But it took us 30 minutes to maneuver it around and get it into our boat through its side doors. Once we got it on our boat deck it went nuts. Its tail was working so hard and fast that I think it would have broken my foot if I got close."
It was the biggest they had ever seen. In fact, it was a record holder.
"We checked and learned it was much larger than the current Alabama state-record escolar of 102-pounds, 10-ounces," Guidry says. "My fish on certified tournament scales weighed 161.6 pounds."
The fishermen ended up donating the fish.
"Escolars are good to eat, but we donated the fish to the scientific community for study. They're pretty rare, and one of that size is of great interest to them," Guidry says." I've had an ink print made of my whole fish rather than a standard replica mount. I think that's really better, and Destin canvas artist Harley Van Hyning is the best at doing that."
