Grander Black

News from my good friend Bill Boyce :

My good friend John Richardson of Belleville, TX owns the mother ship MAMA LIDO and the "trick" historic 43' custom Merritt sport fisher the PICAFLOR. On July 11th he caught a huge black marlin in Panama's Perlas Islands. Not known as a major marlin destination.. After this catch..It may well need to be one...!!!

John fishes with a complete set of my Boyce Custom Rods and he gives them a year round work out... Nice to know a fatty black marlin was subdued so quickly on one of my 50 lb. "shortie chair" rods. I designed them to be fished from a chair OR fished stand-up when the shortie AFTCO uni-butt is affixed..

Congradualtions to John and the expert crew on the PICAFLOR for this astounding catch...!!! I look forward to getting down there on his recent invite to sample some of that fine fishing myself on board the PICAFLOR.

Hope you are all enjoying your day in the office... LOL

Lenght- 152 inches (mouth to tailfork)- alongside boat measurement

Girth-92 inches (alongside boat estimate)

Calculated wt-1150# (+/- 50#)

Line- 50#, Suffix

Lure- Joe Yee Evil

Rod- Boyce Custom Rods, 50 lb. "shortie chair" special

Fighting time- 40 minutes

Witnesses- Travis Russell, Richard Smith

Captain- Adolfo Grajales

Mates- Ligorrio Sanapi, Aristotal Cordoba

Angler-John E Richardson

Boat-Picaflor, 43 Merritt

Location- San Jose Canyon, Perlas Islands, Panama

Current World Record on 50# line- 1124#

Fish released in excellent condition-07/11/10

Billfish Foundation Tag Number 477407

Whether or not it would have been a World Record will never be known but iether way, what a magnificent Black Marlin !