A rare trophy in the Indian ocean: the catch of a short-billed spearfish

A few intense days of fishing have passed with our guests. Of course, there were marlin and plenty of other fish, and overall, everything went exactly as you would expect from good days out on the Indian Ocean.

But there is one episode I would like to highlight separately, as it became something of a record.

One of our groups caught an extremely rare fish — the short-billed spearfish (Tetrapturus angustirostris).

The thing is, this species of ray-finned fish is one of the rarest representatives of the marlin family and is, in fact, extremely rarely caught in sport fishing. Therefore, catching such a billfish can be considered a true event in the world of big game fishing.

In appearance, the short-billed spearfish resembles a marlin but has a shorter and more robust "bill," which is how it got its name. Its length usually reaches 1.6–1.9 meters, with a maximum of up to 2.3 meters, and it weighs up to 52 kg.

This fish tends to stay at greater depths, so the chance of catching one is always minimal.

It is moments like these that make ocean fishing truly exciting. Sometimes, what you remember is not the quantity of fish caught, but a single catch that stays in the memory of both the guests and the crew for a long time.