It took a crew of anglers to land a catch for the record books off the coast of San Diego this week — a 648-pound blue marlin, smashing the state fishing record.
The sports fishing charter, piloted by 32-year-old captain Alec Stockfelt, showed up at the docks of the Southern California city earlier this week, wowing onlookers as the nearly half dozen fisherman wrestled the giant fish to a weigh station at Fisherman’s Landing.
Once hoisted on the scale, it became the heaviest fish ever weighted at Fisherman’s Landing. The previous record at that location for any fish caught was some 598 pounds, the captain said.
An adult male grizzly bear weighs about 600 pounds, for comparison.
It has not been reported how long anglers fought the fish once it was hooked. Massive catches in deep sea fishing often require several anglers to take turn reeling in the catch in shifts.
The captain reported that anglers on his 65-foot boat hooked the fish about 40 miles off the coast.
However, the marlin is not the first fish to impress people at the landing this year.
Less than a week prior, the California Post reported, a pair of San Diego fishermen caught a 500-pound potential record-breaking bluefin tuna.
However, the catch wasn’t one for the record books because it was caught by a commercial fishing boat.
Only sport-caught fish are eligible for setting records, according to the Post.
The blue marlin should be going into the official record book for the Golden State once it is verified.
The previous blue marlin sports fishing title holder weighed in at 395, caught in the waters off San Diego in 2021.
Anglers and captains expect 2026 to be a robust year for records due to El Niño weather patterns bringing in more exotic sea life.
Breitbart contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more