If you've ever had to battle a fish for over an hour, you know the pain that comes along with the fight. Cramped fingers, sore back, you're thirsty, the beer's well over its optimum drinking temperature. But once that guy is in the boat, strung up on the scales, it's all worth it.

How do you think Byron Milne feels this week, after a 2 hour unassisted fight with an 800ln Black Marlin off Exmouth in Western Australia. The monster Marlin latched onto a tiny little lure and for the next two hours had him pinned to the side of the boat, battling to reel in each centimeter of line. After all that time, knowing just how big that fish was, it became too much for Byron, and he had to make the heartbreaking decision to ask his mates for a hand. In doing so, he threw away taking the record for the largest Black Marlin to be caught single handed in Western Australia.

You see the rules for catching game fish are simple. You hook it, you reel it in.

"The monster rose from the depth to eat a Pulsator Marlin Magnet lure from the surface." Told Byron after the catch. "The fight lasted 3 hours, of which I fought 2 hours on my own, until the pain became too much to handle due to lack of fitness I guess. It took a lot for me to ask Dirk Funnekotter to support me, if I hadn't the fish would have pulled me in as my back began to spasm and legs gave way but also I wouldn't ever hear the end of it. Once we had the fish up along side the boat, all of us were completely exhausted from the battle."

Mr Milne is still understandably stoked with his catch however, because after all; he does get to tell his mates over the bar that he once caught an 800lb Marlin on a fishing charter off WA. Not only did they catch WA's largest every recorded Marlin, they hauled it on board and got it weighed. There was a picture taken, it's now on his wall at home, and that night they ate a few tasty fillets from her too.

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