El Diablo, the baddest Dorado I ever met.

We already had the first Sail at about 9:00, about a half hour later we saw a large branch with about 4-5 Boobies on it. Cruised over and spotted a large bait school, a few small Blacktip Sharks and one Bull Dorado. Caught two of the sharks flipping the bait around trying to find the Bull. Caught a glimpse of him and the mate flipped a bait in that direction but the Adian didn't see him when he barely missed it and went under the boat. I told him throw it again and he did. Bam, and there went about 100 yards of line and three good jumps as he ran from the boat.

The fight was on! I don't think I have ever hooked a finer fish. This mother was BAD. Clock running, it took 20 minutes to get him to the boat the FIRST time. I had been to both sides of the cockpit twice, he had cleared the water by 4 feet another 19 times. The captain would get the leader in his hand 3 more times and the Dorado would clear the water 3 more times before I got him to the boat for the 5th time, time 25:30, captain reaches with the gaff, just touching his back and he surges under the boat and wraps the outboard's prop, captain jumps on the fantail and the fish is six inches to far for the gaff. EL Captain jumps over board, gaffs the fish on the way into the water and grabs him by the tail, comes up about 6 feet behind the boat, gaff in one hand, fish tail in the other.

Baddest, meanest and most beautiful 45# fish I'll ever tie into. Never caught a Marlin that came close to that fish. It was the fight you dream of, the one that never happens, never be another one like it. I'll watch that fish the rest of my life and I'll never forget that captain, Santiago, leaping off the fantail.

You just should have been there!!!

Paul Phillips