iStockphoto / Kelly Dalling
- The 6th qualifying ‘Grander’, fish weighing over 1,000 pounds, was caught this week
- Captain Zak Conde and mate Patrick Brogan assisted angler John Nichols in catching the 1,009-pound Blue Marlin aboard the ‘Amelia’
- Read more BroBible articles here
The Blue Marlin fishing in the Azores Islands this time of year is hot. Like really hot. So hot that you might go as far as saying The Azores are the Blue Marlin Capital of the World this time of year for anyone trying to catch a grander. And that’s exactly what went down on Tuesday aboard the Amelia.
Angler John Nicholes reeled in the 6th grander of the year, a 1,009-pound Blue Marlin. He was assisted by Captain Zak Conde and mate Patrick Brogan.
Interestingly, they were fishing using a Dark-n-Stormy lure from Moyes and this is the 8th grander landed using that lure. So if you’re in the business of trying to catch granders, and you don’t have a Moyes Dark-n-Stormy (made by Andy Moyes, available at tackle shops) on your boat you’re clearly not doing it right.
6th Grander Marlin Caught This Year
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSZ7oP0rpaA/
Look at how massive this fish is when you see it next to the fighting chair on the boat.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSZzXJeLBkY/
I mentioned above that the Moyes Dark-n-Stormy was the lure used to catch this grander. Andy Moyes is the man who makes all of these lures by hand, and I thought you guys would appreciate this.
Here’s a set of custom ‘Catch 23’ lures he made for Michael Jordan back in 2019. ‘Catch 23’ is the name of Michael Jordan’s boat for anyone out there wondering about the name:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0uUMGrF9en/
For anyone out there wondering what a lure like that costs, they start at around $109 online. I don’t need to tell anyone how expensive that is for a single lure but big game fishing is an expensive sport. Michael Jordan’s boat is estimated to be worth $8 million! So a bunch of $109 lures here or there isn’t even a drop in the water compared to what a crew like that spends on gas, salaries, travel, gear, tackle, permits, tournament fees, docking fees, etc.
Anyway, if you’re in the market for catching a grander blue marlin you need to target The Azores (island chain off of Portugal) this time of year. The big fish show up and it’s your best shot at catching a grander in the Summer.