A 746-pound blue marlin was pulled from the waters offCabo San Lucas on Tuesday, a day before the annual big-money Bisbee's Black & Blue marlin tournament was set to begin.
The massive billfish, which died less than an hour into the fight, was caught aboard the Tracy Ann out of Pisces Sportfishing.
Had the same fish been caught during the Bisbee's event, which is billed as the world's richest billfish tournament, it could have been worth a few million dollars.
The marlin was hooked less than two miles offshore on the Pacific side of the Baja California peninsula. A more specific location was withheld, presumably, because of the impending three-day tournament and a desire to keep top fishing locations secret.
Florida anglers Patrick Neville, his wife Jean, and Thomas Heinz and his wife Penny were credited with the catch. The 31-foot Tracy Ann is captained by popular skipper Julio Castro.
It took nearly two hours to raise the marlin after it had sounded and perished. Oddly, the marlin lacked a bill.
Late last month, a significantly larger marlin was caught off Cabo San Lucas after a 28-hour fight.
The Black & Blue runs through Friday.