76-year-old angler battles massive blue marlin in Ocean City

After 75 years of fishing, Arlan Drenning was shaking as he attempted to reel in the catch of a lifetime.

Days before his 76th birthday, Drenning joined a group of anglers Sunday for a day of relaxation and fishing 50 miles off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland.

With four anglers, a mate and Captain Pat Svehla, the fishermen took turns netting fish, with multiple tuna, dolphin and white marlin making their way onto the angler’s rods.

“It was a great day — a beautiful day,” Drenning said. “We just wanted to go and see what we could catch.”

After hours of success — which included one 14-year-old’s first white marlin, requiring a mandatory jump in the water, per fishing tradition — it was once again Drenning’s turn to reel in whatever creature had hooked to the line.

But as Drenning and the rest of the crew saw the splashes in the water, they knew this wouldn’t be just any other catch.

On the line, just a few feet from the boat, was an estimated 800-900-pound blue marlin — the biggest Drenning or many of the anglers had ever seen.

Drenning and the crew made a judgment call on the weight based off the girth and length of the fish. The angler said the blue marlin was definitely female, because males don’t grow to get that big.

An 881-pound blue marlin was caught at the 45th annual White Marlin Open on Aug. 6, which earned angler Joe Rahman $924,936. 

With their eyes wide open, the group of fishermen quickly went to work trying to net the massive fish.

“The mate hooked it up and handed me the rod,” Drenning said. “I don’t think I realized what we had for a little white. It would take off again and again and go down under. I thought to myself, ‘If I’m ever going to die, I’ll die happy!’ ”

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The mate was Ellicott City, Maryland, resident, Will Connelly, who had been sitting in the cockpit when he heard the boat’s captain start yelling.

When he walked out to the deck, he was quickly told about the blue marlin, prompting Connelly to grab the line and help Drenning get the catch.

“When I first saw it, I thought it was a 400-500-pound blue marlin, but when we got it to the boat, we all looked at each other and thought, ‘Holy (expletive).’ ”

For the next hour and 20 minutes, Drenning sat with the rod in hand while Connelly maneuvered the line. Shortly into their battle, the crew realized getting the fish onboard was nearly impossible, but still wanted to get an official catch and release.

“It wasn’t one of these big tournaments, so we didn’t need it on board,” Drenning said. “If we caught this two days ago (during the 2018 MidAtlantic), it could have been worth $1 million.”

After grasping the leader — the length of the line attached to the business end of the main fishing line — it was official, but the crew still wanted something more.

“We would have loved to get a picture with it,” Drenning said. “The eye looked like the size of an eyeball, and the mate said the bill looked like the size of my arm. It was just an amazing fish to see, and you can’t really explain it to someone unless they were there.”

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While everyone’s adrenaline was rushing, Connelly was focused on not losing his hand.

With gloves on each hand, he held strong to the line, trying to help Drenning reel in as much as he could. But with a fish of that size, the thought of being dragged overboard and down below the surface flashed through Connelly’s mind.

In one final effort, with the marlin less than 10 feet from the boat, splashing on the surface, the 400-pound test line snapped. The fish swam back to freedom with the crew watching from the boat.

But none were upset — they were in disbelief over what had just transpired.

“Once we got the release, we all relaxed a little bit,” Connelly said. “It was cool, and everyone knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The whole boat ride in, I was just grinning thinking how crazy it was.”

The blue marlin was the topic of conversation throughout the rest of the day, with the crew celebrating and retelling the tale of the massive fish.

The next morning, Drenning woke up with blisters on his thumb and a hoarse voice.

But days before his birthday, they’re some of the best presents he could ask for, as memories of a fishing trip he'll never forget. 

“I couldn’t express how elated I was,” Drenning said. “Everyone couldn’t believe it, and it really was the fish of a lifetime.”

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