Massive blue marlin breaks Texas record by nearly 100 pounds

Legacy Fishing Team reeled in a record-setting blue marlin on July 11, 2014. The fish weighs 972.7 pounds and measures 137.5 inches. Legacy Fishing Team reeled in a record-setting blue marlin on July 11, 2014. The fish weighs 972.7 pounds and measures 137.5 inches. Photo: Courtesy, Kevin Deerman Photo: Courtesy, Kevin Deerman Image 1 of / 57 Caption Close Massive blue marlin breaks Texas record by nearly 100 pounds 1 / 57 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO - An enormous blue marlin caught during the weekend has shattered the previous state record by nearly 100 pounds.

The Houston-based Legacy Fishing Team reeled in a 972.7 pound blue marlin that measured 137.5 inches off the coast of Port Aransas on Friday. The massive catch scored the eight man crew first place in the Bastante John Uhr Memorial Billfish Tournament and a cool $40,000, according to the Victoria Advocate.

"It was amazing," said Capt. Kevin Deerman, 50, of Galveston.

The prior record was held by James Farrow, who in 1988, landed an 876.5-pound blue marlin in the Gulf of Mexico off South Padre Island, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The Legacy crew was about 130 miles offshore Friday when they caught the record-setting fish, which took all hands on deck and nearly an hour to reel in, Deerman said.

"The fight lasted 20 minutes," Deerman told the Advocate. "The fish had a series of jumps out of the water. It would stay down deep for 15 minutes at a time and then would come back to surface."

Last year, the crew caught a 561-pound blue marlin during the same tournament, Deerman said.

The world record for a blue marlin is 1,376 pounds caught off the coast of Kaaiwi Point, Kona, Hawaii, in 1982, according to the International Game Fish Association.

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