# gladiator goes BLUE



## daddytime (Oct 1, 2007)

WOW-most exciting day fishing of my entire life. Started out yesterday with people backing out, ended up being TCAT, bowfisher and myself. Put the spread out in clean green water at the edge yesterday about 3 pm. Short time later, Keith sees somthing free jumping off in the distance. Turn to go see and we get a little sail up in the spread. He swats 2 or 3 lures but no hookup. Keep heading south and end up 10 miles north of the spur at dark. Pull the lures in and we end up one short-cut off:banghead

Keith sets up some sword baits and out they go. Decent water-ton of current,nothing all night. Except the royal red shrimp boat that refused to change course while we were at drift. At 1/2 mile Keith hailed him while I started the engines, he told us we needed to move as he was trying to hold his depth. I think it was crap, but of course we moved. Morning comes and no sword joy.

Out goes the spread at daylight and sometime around 9 am we find a little push. Thin grass line, but lengthy and the water was blended blue. We are on this line about an hour with Keith in the tower driving, I'm on the bridge and Zach is in the cockpit. Short center goes off and wouldn't you know, it is a regular 50. We all hit the deck and start clearing lines as Zach takes the rod. 30 seconds and the man in the blue suit is greyhounding 300 yards plus behind the boat. We look at the spool and it is past half way. I leave the line clearing to Keith and take the helm. Now Zach is screaming to back down, but now the spool is real thin and I floor it forward and swing around up on plane trying to catch the fish. There is about 10 wraps on the spool when we start getting some back. Line starts slacking up and I back off....next thing you know I run over the line and...cut off on the prop. OK, now the way I wrote that in know way can express the adrenalin, cluster, BUCK FEVER way that went down. Total excitement to total devastation. Like Jim Carey in Liar Liar, I started kicking my own a#@. CHOKE.

Eventually, Keith jumps in and gets the line off the prop and we try again. Back to the line and trolling again, trying to figure out what we could have done different. REAL BIG FISH and no choice but to try and chase him down.

30 minutes and Zach lands a 20# range cow. OK, not a total loss but :banghead

20 minutes later and a chicken mahi comes into the spread and eats a islander/ballyhoo combo. Zach is hauling him in and...our day got a lot better. 20 feet behind the boata marlin explodes on the Mahi and misses. Keith starts screaming from the helm and I tell Zach to freespool, and another explosion and wait 20 seconds put in strike...screaming drag. OMG did that just happen. Next 1 hour and 15 minutes was picture perfect as this guy put on a show which Keith caught on video while driving the boat. I got the leader at the transom and we have a legal catch. Fish pulls away and we tell Zach to bear down on him. 10 more minutes and I got the bill and....the leader did a loop around the fishes girth right in front of the dorsal and the hook is around the leader. Lift the fishes head a little and the leader falls out of the hook and free. I saw no wounds and the fish was kicking, so I let go and he turned a way and swam straight down. SCORE.

To finish the day, I was taking a nap while we headed north and got woke up to haul in a hoo in the 30's. Finish the trip 1 for 3 on bills and e gladiatorsfirst blue marlin. 

If I'm lying or forgot somthing, Im sure TCAT and bowfisher will sing out. Watch for visual effects shortly. 

TH


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## AUBuilder (Sep 27, 2007)

Congrats and wow...heck of a day. Glad you got the second chance and it worked out for ya.


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## STICK MAN 22 (May 4, 2009)

that does sound like a damn exciting day.:hoppingmad


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## bluffman2 (Nov 22, 2007)

DAMN FINE REPORT :bowdown :clap


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## biggamefishr (Oct 26, 2007)

good job guys and congrats on the first blue of many to come on the new boat


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## TCAT (Oct 9, 2007)

Hell of day. I thought I was going to be able to post video but my handycam utility doesn't support Tom's HD camera. Oh well. We'll see if we can make it happen tomorrow. It was extremely difficult to film and drive the boat at the same time especially when you got a hot and nasty blue but a prelim review of the tape looks like we got some good footage. Of note while the fish was about ten feet from the boat it launches completely out of the water and away from the boat like footage from Harvey's portraits of the deep. I sprung a huge boner!!

The first hook up was absolutely insane. The fish nailed one of my all time favorite lures...one that I've had for at least ten years. It was a pink, blue Sadu with the pink horse hair in the middle. We watched in amazement as the blue dumped the 50. Tom made a make or break decision to turn the boat in the direction of the fish and hammer down the pins. Tom managed to stop the bleeding with a few wraps left on the reel but as we tried to settle back in it seems the fish made a drastic turn and pulled the line under the boat before Tom could react. This was the end as it got tangled in the props.This all happended in a mere 5 minutes. I've got to admit that experience was a first for me. I've never had a 50 dumped like what we experienced. Sometimes I guess you got bring a real gun to battle. 

Never did I think we had a second chance and I was seated front row in the nose bleed section of Tom's tower. It was crazy watching a blue marlin go nuts trying to each poor little peanut dolphin which thought a nice release was forthcoming. Little did he know the man in the blue suit had different plans. This was Zach's first Blue Marlin but it didn't show. This guy is like marsha bearman on meth. 1hr 15 min on standup. You da man. 

I'm hitting the sack. More details/photos/video hopefully tomorrow. 

Keith


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## NaClH2O (Feb 14, 2008)

Congrats on the blue. Great report, I can't wait to get out there.


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## David Ridenour (Sep 28, 2007)

Great report! So am I reading this right? The marlin ate or knocked off the dolphin and managed to snare itself without the hook ever really catching any meat?

Priceless


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## Butcherpen (Oct 8, 2007)

Way to go Gladiator! Lassoed a blue marlin...that is something for the books. Sounds like you made all the right moves given the options. I'll see you at the Outcast Family next weekend.



Tommy


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## DISANTO (Oct 1, 2007)

AWESOME!!!!.....a trip to remember, for sure...congrats guys! Wish I was there.


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## whatcon (Oct 3, 2007)

Great report Tom. Got the Gladiator a taste of it now!!! Keep them coming.


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## pogie1 (Oct 4, 2007)

Congrats:clap Sounds like a kickass trip.


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## Pinksnappertrapper (Dec 7, 2007)

CONGRATS on the First BLUE..One day hopefully ill get the chance...:clap:bowdown


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Congrats on the blue. Did ya'll get any rough measurement?


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## TCAT (Oct 9, 2007)

Chris,

There was only three of us on the boat so there wasn'tmuch we could do (i.e. take picutures, measure, etc)once I had the fish to the boat. I would venture to guess around 100 inches. If I were fishing a tournament this guy would have gotten some serious consideration.


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## MSViking (Oct 11, 2007)

Very very very cool!

MScontender


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## Downtime2 (Sep 27, 2007)

Congratulations fellers. Keith, you hadn't had a beer or two when you called me last night, had you???


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## polar21 (Nov 5, 2007)

Dang Tom, thats awesome!


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## daddytime (Oct 1, 2007)

Thanks guys. Wow, I'm more fired up today than yesterday. I did not give enough credit to Keith and Zach in my original post. Zach manned up BIGTIME with the stand up gear. I don't think we really ever got everything postioned right, but he said it was all good. You should have seen him trembling when it was over. As for Keith, well you guys know what kind of offshore angler the guy is from his reports. He's the first guy I look for to join me on an offshore trip and this trip is an example of why. The guy kept the boat in prime position the whole time while shooting video. As for the video, hang in there you won't be dissappointed. :usaflag


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## deeptracks (Oct 2, 2007)

Great job guys and many thanks for allowing Zach to join you. He was pumped big time when he got in. Thanks again.


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## Hammertime (Feb 17, 2008)

Great post guys. What a story when you loose a fish and then get another chance to redeem yourself. Fishing w 3 isn't easy. I'm headed out on the first offshore trip for Hammertime this season tomorrow. Hopefully we will find some good color.


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## Ultralite (Oct 1, 2007)

great report tom! congratulations to you and the crew...looking forward to the video...


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## ilander (Oct 2, 2007)

Heck of a trip. :bowdown :bowdown


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## 4wahoo (Oct 23, 2007)

Great job guys, you sound just as fired up now as you did when I called you at the Spur!


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## Caspr21 (Oct 4, 2007)

sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## TCAT (Oct 9, 2007)

Here's some porn:























































More porn to follow...


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

:bowdown:bowdown:bowdown:bowdown


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## TCAT (Oct 9, 2007)




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## TCAT (Oct 9, 2007)

This photograph shows how big the fish was...


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## Team Triple X (Oct 9, 2007)

Congrats on the Blue! Awsome pics, hope we can get on em tomorrow.


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## Reel Rowdy (Oct 4, 2007)

Real Nice!


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## inshorecatch (Oct 1, 2007)

very nice :clap


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## curtpcol (Sep 29, 2007)

Way to go guys.

Keith the pics are awesome can't wait to see the video . Sure hated to here about the lure. You caught your first blue on a little Sadu .


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## Capt. Mickey Locke (Oct 4, 2007)

Awsome Report! Congrats!


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## Xiphius (Oct 10, 2007)

Wow, first blue out of Pensacola Pass..... Congrats Keith was still shaking today showing us the vid...We still have a couple more Sadu lures


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## Seegul51 (Oct 1, 2007)

Great report Guys, Tom, you need to repower to catch the fish on the run....


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## Sir Reel (Jun 14, 2008)

Congratulations....A story like that gets my blood pumping. It's like viagra for fishermen.


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## mpmorr (Oct 3, 2007)

Way to go guys, I have been out of town all weekend and have been looking for this report since I got back. Way to go Tom, congrats on what was one heck of a trip, hooking up Two Studs is really something.:bowdown Sounds like one hell of a team effort:clap


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## daddytime (Oct 1, 2007)

Here is the video. Hang in there through the first few seconds as Keith had to get focused. Also, did not have record on when wired the fish and turned him loose. Hope you enjoy it


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## Pursuit24 (Feb 22, 2008)

That is a great video. Congratulations Tom.

Larry


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## Bill Me (Oct 5, 2007)

:bowdown Very Nice. Good job multitasking on that video.


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## John Becker (May 2, 2009)

Your hand said he was foul hoooked, did you manage to put him on the boat or just release him? Nice fish!


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## daddytime (Oct 1, 2007)

The hand was yours truly. Zach Brannon (pff bowfisher) was the angler and TCAT was at the helm and on the camera. We took the drag down a little past strike and Zach put the pressure on. I got the fish by the bill and jiggled the leader and the hook came off the line and we got the whole leader/lure/hook back. I saw no marks on the fish. He was still kicking pretty good so I let go and he turned a swam almost straight down. Fish was still in great shape. Only thing that went wrong at the end was TCAT pushed the record button once to many and we did not get the release on camera.:banghead


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## true-king (Oct 2, 2007)

Dang, nice video!


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## tailfisher (Oct 7, 2007)

Thats just awesome


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