iStockphoto / Kirk Fisher/Ventura Romero
Striped Marlin fish next to a Welcome to Washington state sign
The great state of Washington is known for incredible fishing but primarily Salmon fishing as Chinook, Coho, Pink, Chum, and Sockeye can all be caught. It is also a world renowned Steelhead Trout fishery. The offshore fishing in the Evergreen State does not get the same hype as the salmon fishery but at certain points throughout the year Pacific Albacore Tuna are a highly-prized species.
Notably missing from that list of game fish above is the Striped Marlin, one of the four primary marlin species (Black Marlin, Blue Marlin, Striped Marlin, and White Marlin). That is because catching a Striped Marlin in Washington is an incredibly rare feat… But it does happen!
Oregon Angler Smashes Washington State Fishing Record For Striped Marlin During Tuna Fishing Trip
During an August 15th tuna fishing trip off Ilwaco, Washington, angler Tim Durheim of Prineville, Oregon managed to crush the state’s 21-year-old fishing record for Striped Marlin. He broke the previous record by a whopping 17 pounds.
The previous state record was set back on September 2, 2005. Fishing out of Westport, Grays Harbor County, angler Phil Wolff hooked and landed a 134.00-pound Striped Marlin that would go on to hold the record until this past weekend.
Tim Durheim was fishing aboard the F/V Four Sea’Sons 40 miles off the coast of Ilwaco in search of Albacore Tuna when he hooked up with the once-in-a-lifetime fish. Durheim told the Chinook Observer “we were trolling and it came up once hit, disappeared, then came back two minutes later and hit again right at the surface and went down. Then we proceeded to battle it for a little over an hour.”
The fish struck a black and pink jig that and nearly spooled the reel with 80lb braid after an electric run which would’ve been the end of the battle but he was able to stop the fish before the line ran out. He said the fish never came to the surface until they got it to the boat. It wasn’t until an hour into the battle that they finally got eyes on the fish and saw the stripe(s) on the marlin.
Once they got the fish into the boat around 2pm on August 15th they took it to the Ilwaco Marina and then measured it on the certified digital scale at Sportsmen’s Canning where the fish registered at an even 151 pounds. That puts it a whopping 17-pounds heavier than the previous state fishing record for this species.
Additional photos were shared on Facebook along with information for anyone seeking to book a charter with them out of the area.
How Rare Of A Catch Is This?
While Striped Marlin do prefer cooler temperatures than other marlin species, and can be found in waters ranging from 68°F to 76°F, it is still exceedingly rare to catch them off Washington and certainly at this size. For context, Black Marlin tend to be found in water temps ranging from 78°F to 80°F and Blue Marlin are commonly found in temperatures ranging from 75°F to 85°F.
The Northern Pacific is cold. That should go unsaid but I’ll say it anyway. Typically in the month of August, the coastal temperatures off Washington range from 53°F to 63°F which is well below the range listed above.
It is also worth noting that we are currently on track for the largest ‘Super El Niño‘ ever recorded, but 2004-2005 was also an El Niño year and 2005 is when the previous Washington state fishing record for Striped Marlin was caught. So there could be something at play here with warmer Pacific water pushing these pelagic marlin slightly north above their normal range during El Niño years similar to how California anglers don’t have to travel nearly as far offshore during El Niño years to find tuna.
The first-ever recorded Striped Marlin caught off Washington was back on September 3, 1997. That was also an El Niño year with warmer water to the South pushing these fish north. The first-recorded Striped Marlin in WA tipped the scales at 104 pounds.
For context, the IGFA all tackle fishing world record for this species is 224.1 kg (494 lb 0 oz), just an absolute BEHEMOTH of a fish. That was caught by angler Bill Boniface in Tutukaka, New Zealand back in 1986.