Kayaker reels in monster marlin while kayak fishing off Coffs Harbour coast Tommie Strydom catches a marlin from his kayak off the coast of Coffs Harbour. Courtesy: isizinyo/YouTube IT was the one that didn't get away - a monster marlin which came off second best after a one-hour tussle with a kayak-paddling dentist off the northern NSW coast. But the estimated 90kg catch still lived to swim another day - lucky it wasn't considered a more flavoursome fish by its captor. Mr Strydom dips a line in after setting off from Diggers Beach. Tommie Strydom was coasting in his kayak near Coffs Harbour earlier this month with fishing buddy Paul Pallet nearby when the line suddenly started flying off his reel. The local dentist, who has been fishing in the waters for about the past five years, told the Telegraph his first thought was that a shark must have got a bite on his live bait. "I picked up the rod and the next minute there was a marlin," Dr Strydom said. That's quite a bite... getting ready to reel it in. The fish made several spectacular leaps out of the water before diving back into water, where it towed desperately on the line in a bid to get away. I thought I was going to lose him, to be honest; then it went down deep and it took about an hour to reel in. But the fish flagged before his arms gave way and he was able to pull it onto his kayak - where after a quick snap to record the monster catch it was time to revive the fish before releasing it into the wild again. Mr Strydom with his quarry - an incredible feat. I don't kill things I don't eat. If it was a mackerel, believe me it would have been inside my kayak and on the dinner plate that night. While trapping the man-sized marlin would seem a mean feat from the small craft, Dr Strydom said the kayak proved surprisingly stable for the task. "The biggest problem is just that your arms get tired - other than that the fish is towing me around," he said. It's not difficult, you just have to be patient and it takes time. You just take your time and reel it in.