‘We can’t lose this fish’: Anglers catch rare 9-foot marlin off Oregon coast

It was the first time Kevin Watkins had taken Afishionado, his new 27-foot aluminum boat, out tuna fishing. It was also the first time he’d ever gone tuna fishing in his own boat.

The trip would be one for the history books and would forever associate the Afishionado with good luck.

It began when Watkins, his two sons and a family friend left Vancouver at 3:30 a.m. for Garibaldi, towing the Afishionado behind. On the way, they imagined what it would be like if they caught something like a marlin. They’d heard of rare catches like this. They debated, “Would we keep it or let it go?” and joked that they wouldn’t worry about it until it happened.

Catching a marlin off Oregon’s coast is a story most anglers only dream about. Odds are, you’ve never met anybody who knows anybody who has ever