The Spencers’ Marlin! A Whopper!
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - No one seeing the mighty Marlin brought in by the Spencers and company on Friday could feel anything but awe!
“Todville’s swordfish was a baby to this!” observed one bystander. Readers would have seen Todville’s amazingly large sword fish reported on last week (July 18, 2011) The bystander turned out to be right, for this fish – a marlin – was 11 feet long and weighed a whopping 420 pounds. Todville’s swordfish weighed only about 250 lbs, we later learnt.
This giant of a fish – the marlin – was caught just about four miles off Sandy Point. “Baits are put out at night,” explained Jack Spencer "and we go out next morning to see what we attracted."
For a while, the marlin must have thought s/he was lucky for the squid/cuttle fish is their favourite food, but alas, this was to be its last meal.
It took Jack and Marcus Spencer and their helpers three hours to overpower and bring this 400 pounder on to their motorized fishing boat. Then they sailed triumphantly in to the Porte Zante marina to land their amazing catch.
But landing a fish this size is not easy. A backhoe had to be called in to lift the fish out of the boat (see photos). It was then landed on to the back of a pick up vehicle and driven through town (by then there was a little motorcade behind them) and down to Old Road.
The Spencer Boys (Jack and Marcus Spencer) are the proud proprietors of Sprat Net, a very popular restaurant in Old Road, noted for its fresh catches of fish. So not only do they catch the fish themselves, but it is also prepared and served to patrons under their and their sister's (Alison) watchful eyes.
So if you go to Sprat Net sometime soon, chances are you will be getting your protein and omega oils from this gigantic fish, which, like Rupert Murdoch – the giant media tycoon – had been ‘humbled’ on Friday by the skills of our watchful and skillful marine entrepreneurs.
Congrats to the Spencers and Crew! May you have many more such catches!!
