Surprised Fishermen Hook Marlin Off Coast

Two longtime fishing buddies, Mike Halbert of Issaquah and Dick Miller of Cle Elum, got the surprise of their fishing lives yesterday when they hooked a marlin off the Washington Coast.

"We were pretty shocked at first. We thought it was a tuna, but then it jumped six to eight times," said Halbert, 55, a retired plumber.

Marlin, considered trophy game fish by saltwater anglers, are usually caught in waters off Mexico and sometimes off Southern California, but never this far north, said Halbert. He heard of a marlin caught some years ago off the Oregon coast, but "this is the first one off Washington," as far as he knows.

There's no doubt in Halbert's mind why the species was so far north. "El Nino," he said.

El Nino, the warming of Pacific waters off equatorial South America, is a phenomenon that recurs about every 3 to 5 years, producing climate abnormalities around the world, including warming Pacific Ocean waters further north than usual.

Miller, 69, a retired contractor, played the 104-pound, 8-foot marlin for one hour and 20 minutes before they could haul it into Halbert's 24-foot boat, the Kemika.

The friends were fishing for tuna about 30 miles off the coast, opposite Grayland in Grays Harbor County.

They had been fishing only a few minutes and Miller had reeled out 40 to 50 feet of line when the marlin grabbed the bait, a "tuna jig" that resembles a small squid.

Approximately 200 yards of the 40-pound test line screamed out of the reel before the fish ended its initial run, Miller said.

"I thought it was a tuna," Miller recalled, but tunas don't jump, as the marlin did several times and then disappeared deep in the water. "We didn't see it for another hour," Miller said. The fish finally tired, and the men were were able to get their catch into the boat.

Back in Westport, with the marlin and 10 tuna they also caught, Miller and Halbert created quite a stir. People on the dock, Westport veteran fisherman and even TV crews showed up to see the marlin.

Even if the large fish had gotten away, Halbert and Miller were ready for skeptics who may have thought this was just another "fish story."

"We got quite a few pictures of the fish (while Miller was playing it). In case we lost it, we'd have proof," Miller said.

Dave Birkland's phone message number is 206-464-2177. His e-mail address is: dbir-new@seatimes.com