Heavy Hitter Update: Captain Jonathan Henry’s 566-Pound Bahamas Blue

For Those Who Put the Steel In

May 20, 2026 Sometimes the biggest fish of the tournament starts with a move that could just as easily go wrong.

Captain Jonathan Henry aboard the 64’ Valentine made a big move during the Production vs. Custom Shootout, leaving an area southeast of the lighthouse and making a rough run north toward Guana Cay looking for better water and cleaner conditions. The gamble paid off with a 566.2-pound blue marlin, the heaviest fish of the tournament and a valuable 500-point addition to the Captain of the Year standings.

“We were mainly fishing the release side of the tournament and looking for more numbers of fish,” Henry explained. “I honestly wasn’t sure running north was going to pay off.”

Finding the Right Water

The move worked into a defined temperature break where conditions improved quickly with cleaner blue water, a visible color change and concentrated bait. After releasing a sailfish in the area, the crew soon marked another fish on sonar.

“We got the mark on sonar and my sonar guy said the fish was following us,” said Henry. “At first we weren’t even sure what it was.”

Moments later the marlin appeared in the spread near the dredge and teaser chain.

The Bite and Tackle Change

The initial opportunity nearly fell apart immediately. As the crew prepared a heavy pitch bait, the swivel on the preferred rig failed before the bait even reached the fish. Forced to improvise, the crew switched reluctantly to lighter tackle already rigged and ready.

After a missed attempt on one of our 50’s, Henry’s crew finally hooked the marlin on a second 50-wide setup featuring a similar horse ballyhoo behind a chugger with 150-pound leader, 200-pound wind-on and an 11/0 Mustad hook.

“It wasn’t exactly the tackle I wanted to have her on,” Henry admitted. “But it was better than nothing.”

Once tight, Henry knew the crew would need to stay aggressive.

“We weren’t going to baby that fish,” he said. “I wanted to stay on her even while she was still green because you don’t know when you’re going to get another shot.”

Light Tackle Battle

The marlin quickly proved to be much larger than initially thought. Fighting stand-up in rough seas, the angler applied steady pressure while Henry maneuvered aggressively to stay close during multiple jumps and a few modest runs.

The fish then spent much of the battle deep in the current before eventually beginning to tire after more than an hour into the fight.

“We had the right guy on the rod,” Henry said. “We’ve fished together a lot so there wasn’t much talking needed. I could tell what the fish was doing and how I needed to maneuver the boat.”

“Think of it Like Dental Floss”

Things became even more complicated boatside. The crew’s original plan had changed completely once the fish was hooked on lighter tackle, forcing a couple younger crew members into gaff positions during the final moments of the fight.

“There wasn’t going to be any traditional wiring on that fish,” Henry explained. “I told the mate to think of the leader like dental floss.”

Eventually the marlin surfaced alongside the boat where the crew secured the fish.

“We got lucky,” Henry said. “A lot of things went opposite of what we planned, but everything worked out.”

The catch secured the tournament’s top marlin honors and earned Captain Jonathan Henry and the Valentine team 500 points in the International Division standings.

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