CHASING GIANTS

I read with great interest your top destinations for big blue and black marlin (“Chasing Giants,” June/July) and feel that we are fortunate to have two of those destinations right here in the US: the Gulf of Mexico and North Carolina. I would add a third to that list as well: the Northeast canyons. Specifically, Hudson Canyon, the largest one on the East Coast. The Hudson has produced some remarkable catches, including blue marlin over 1,000 pounds on several different occasions.

I will never forget one early morning when we were tuna fishing at the Hudson. We had spent the previous night offshore and put the lines out just as it was getting light enough to see, way before the sun came up. A school of 50-pound yellowfin came up on the surface close to us and scattered like baitfish several times, jumping in all directions. I turned to my fishing partner and said, “Something’s after those tuna.” A few minutes later, we saw this enormous blue marlin chasing a big tuna, splashing and raising hell. We trolled the area for a while but never had a bite—the tuna were too afraid of the marlin, and the marlin wanted something a lot bigger than our lures! Keep up the great work. Art McMillan

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