Enlarge Photo

We all know what a dead grander marlin looks like, a few of us from having seen one hanging upside down from a gantry or scale, an end most degrading for one of the world’s greatest and most magnificent predators. Many more of us have seen “dead hangers” on the internet or in magazines (though not Sport Fishing) for many, many years.

On the other hand, we have had the chance to see few huge marlin caught and released unharmed. But increasingly these days, with video so omnipresent, such opportunities occur. And the video below is just that — the chance to see the end game with an estimated 1,100-pounder released on August 2 to live, spawn and fight another day by Capt. Allen DeSilva on the Mako off Bermuda. 

That estimated weight, by the way, is likely to be pretty accurate: Grander blues are no stranger to DeSilva who has both caught and released his share. 

It’s amazing to see a marlin of that size by the boat, and it’s profoundly gratifying to see it released rather than killed and hauled back to be strung up for a weight and photos.

.