1,305 pound Blue Caught off Ascension Island

By Mark Johnston

The fourth largest blue marlin ever weighed in the Atlantic, and pending women’s 130 lb. World Record, was caught off Ascension Island on November 27th. Jada Holt, fishing onboard the 36’Rampage Harmattan with Captain Bryan Toney, along with an excellent crew, remarkably caught the fish in 15 minutes after it ate a Moyes XL Pushermen lure with a dozer single hook. Toney said “the fish smoked half a spool and we chased it down, Olaf had the leader a couple times and then turned it over for the last time, it only took 15 minutes.” Capt.Toney, from Kona, Hawaii, went to Ascension Island in hopes of catching a big one for his clients. After 40 days of marlin fishing and only 3 fishing days remaining, he made it happen.

Holts, an exceptionally experienced angler who holds a Junior World Record, has been traveling the world in search of world records after a successful tournament season on the Luna in Kona, Hawaii. The cockpit held a veteran crew of Capt. Olaf Grimkowski, Capt. Chip Van Mols (Jada’s father) and her husband Dan Holt. All three captains onboard have granders under their belts and this was Capt. Olaf Grimkowski’s second blue over 1,300 pounds caught off Ascension Island.

Worth noting: the fish was: 154” short, 79” girth and a 21.” tail. Equipment used: Shimano reel, Amalon 130, 2.45 Marlin hard, Dozer hook, and Aftco gaffs were used for the catch.