For Those Who Throw The Steel

For more than three decades, the owner of Metal Masher chased the dream of weighing a tournament winning blue marlin.

On the first full day of the Emerald Coast Billfish Classic, everything finally came together.

Captain Landon Bell and the crew aboard the 72′ Viking found themselves grinding through a slow morning in Green Canyon after raising several fish that simply wouldn’t commit. Eventually Bell made a short move and the sonar marked what looked like a good fish.

“We dropped the bait to it and it came up and did everything right,” Bell said.

A Fish That Never Jumped

Unlike many blue marlin, this one never showed itself with spectacular jumps.

Instead, it stayed 30 to 50 feet below the surface for nearly the entire fight.

Within twenty minutes the crew had their first leader touch. Bell could make out the fish beneath the surface, but rough seas and glare made it impossible to judge its true size.

“We knew it was the one we wanted to look at,” Bell said. “We were thinking maybe a 500- or 600-pound fish.”

What followed was nearly three hours of patience.

The blue marlin never ran far from the boat. Instead, it repeatedly dug back down, forcing the crew into an exhausting cycle of backing down, gaining line, touching the leader and watching the fish dig away again.

“I’d say we had 30 or maybe 35 leader touches,” Bell said. “She was just stubborn.”

Holding Their Nerve

The fish refused to quit.

Even after two hours it remained lit up, swimming hard just beneath the surface before making another determined dive under the boat.

Bell admits it became one of the most nerve-racking fights of his career.

The Gulf was rough, every leader touch carried risk, and backing down in the conditions demanded complete concentration from everyone aboard.

Eventually, after nearly three hours, the fish finally rolled high enough on the surface for the crew to capitalize.

A gaff found its mark, the marlin surged once more, and two additional gaffs quickly followed.

Only then did everyone realize just how large the fish really was.

At 780 pounds, it became the largest tournament blue marlin of Captain Bell’s career.

Thirty Years in the Making

The victory meant even more because of who was aboard.

The angler was the owner’s 17-year-old son, who handled the fight exactly as the crew hoped he would.

“He did awesome,” Bell said. “Everybody did what they were supposed to do.”

For the owner, who has competed in tournaments for more than 30 years, it marked his first blue marlin harvest and his first tournament victory with a qualifying marlin.

When the crew finally pointed Metal Masher toward Destin Pass, they knew the tournament had changed.

After fighting the fish through rough conditions, there wasn’t much left to prove.

“We headed in at ten knots,” Bell laughed. “We were done.”

The catch earned Captain Landon Bell 500 Captain of the Year points and currently stands as the largest blue marlin weighed in the Gulf Coast Division during the 2026 season.

Follow The Crew

Metal Masher Sportfishing – @metalmashersportfishing

Captain Landon Bell – southernbend

JT O’Grady – Jarrett_ogrady12

Teddy Tinney – teddy.tinney

Brad Tinney – Bradtinney

Zach Reman – Zackredman23

Connor McLeod – C_mcleod12

Dallas Hemeyer – Dallashemeyer

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🗳️Who Will Catch The Biggest Marlin in 2026? Cast Your Vote Here

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2026 Galati Gulf Coast Division Standings:(as of June 26, 2026)

Capt. Jason Buck / A Work of Art / 1,500 pts.

• Orange Beach Billfish Classic, 1st Place, 500 pts.
• MBGFC Gulf Coast Masters, 1st Place, 500 pts.
• Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic, 1st Place, 500 pts.

Capt. Landon Bell / Metal Masher / 1,300 pts.

• Orange Beach Billfish Classic, 2nd Place, 300 pts.
• Cajun Canyons Billfish Classic, 1st Place, 500 pts.
• Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic, Heaviest Marlin 780.4 lbs., 500 pts.

Capt. Hunter Smith / Boujee Marlin / 1,000 pts.

• Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic, 1st Place, 500 pts.
• Pensacola International Billfish Tournament, 1st Place, 500 pts.

Capt. Louis “Scooter” Porto / Nikki Bella / 600 pts.

• Cajun Canyons Billfish Classic, 2nd Place, 300 pts.
• Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic, 2nd Place, 300 pts.

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