Giant blue marlin landed in rare, 'benchmark' catch off San Diego

A 648-pound giant blue marlin was landed this week aboard the Pegasus, a San Diego open-party fishing boat. Sportfishing says it’s the largest blue marlin caught by a San Diego-based open-party vessel, and one of the rare wins for a fleet that typically finds billfish in warmer waters off Mexico and Hawaii. The fish was caught last Monday after what the charter company called a true team effort. The catch surpassed Pegasus’s own “benchmark” of 583 pounds set in 1992 by the vessel Zaida. California’s blue marlin record is 692 pounds (1932), while the all-tackle world record is 1,376 (1982, Kona).