Weighing in at 70 kilograms and measuring 2.7 metres long from tip to tail, the leviathan took an hour and a half to land with all three family members playing crucial roles in the battle.

"This was too good an experience to keep to myself; we took turns to battle it, each of us had a 30-minute stint, everyone had their roles to play, no one panicked, it was all well organized," Graeme said.

"They are a very powerful fish, and very hard to land especially when they are this size; we were very lucky to land him with our three-generation tag team, it was an amazing experience for us all to share.

"It was definitely on all of our bucket lists, I caught a black marlin last year, he was an 80-kilogram beast, but Jayden has been waiting to land one for about three years now, after this, I think he will be hooked on fishing for life."

Unfortunately, after the long fight, the marlin was too exhausted to swim away, and despite their best efforts to revive him, the fish eventually died. Graeme made sure to put the worthy adversary to good use though.

"After we landed him, we intended to let him go, but he was too worn out from the battle; unfortunately, the marlin couldn't be revived," he said.

"He didn't go to waste, it was shared with neighbour's, friends and family, every part of him was used."

While this wasn't the first time the South West Rocks locals have come across marlins, this particular encounter was entirely unexpected for this time of year.

"Marlins are rare here for this time of year, they are more of a travelling fish and go wherever the good water is," Graeme said.

"That's what I love about fishing, it's never-ending, there is always something new to learn, and unexpected things can happen."

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