Sierra Blogging Post Archives

Sound dangerous? It is. But it also sounds pretty exciting. And that's exactly why fishing for Marlin (a powerful billfish that's larger than most kayaks) out of a kayak has become an obsession for elite-whitewater-kayaker-turned-kayak-fisherman Jim Sammons.

Apparently Sammons accidentally hooked a Marlin in 1998 while fishing for Yellowtail off the California Coast and it gave him quite the wild ride - towed him 8 miles out to sea. He eventually hooked (and proceeded to release) the giant fish - the first Marlin ever caught in a kayak - and since then he's been casting for more.



This article in Paddling Life is a great read. Sammons talks about his Marlin-fighting adventures and what he calls the "Baja sleigh ride," or when a hooked Marlin tows his boat at speeds he could never reach by paddling. Sounds a little like hitching your skateboard to the back of a pick-up truck. Only he's hitching his kayak to a 300-lb sea creature.

"The speed is pretty amazing, says Sammons in the article, but what is more impressive is the power. We once had a Marlin pulling four kayakers plus a in-the-water camera man and it was like we weren't even there. On our last trip we had a Blue Marlin pull the kayaks over 15 miles for 5 1/2 hours and even at the end it never slowed down or lost strength. Eventually, it broke the line. Now that is power."

You can check out Sammon's new film, Kayak Fishing: Game On when it comes out next spring. The movie follows Sammon as he gets towed by a 300-pound Marlin in Baja, attempts to hook tarpon (for the first time ever in a kayak) in shark-infested waters off the Florida coast, catches halibut in Alaska and more. Check out the website to view the trailer.

Thanks to The Adventure Blog for the scoop on this one.