Monster fish gets boat by hook, line and sinks it

The crew brace themselves as the sports-fishing boat Abundancia starts to go under. Photo / www.West Coast Fishing Club.com

It was the 270kg fish that caught a boat.

The black marlin took the chartered sport-fishing boat's line in the Gulf of Panama, capsized it then got away.

The marlin misadventure involved the Abundancia, an offshore fishing boat run by the West Coast Fishing Club, which does charters off Panama.

Dave Saenz, the angler in the chair at the time of the strike, described the fish as "extremely acrobatic, which certainly adds to the adrenalin rush.

"It all happened so fast but the memory will last a lifetime."

Mr Saenz hooked the 270kg fish and the boat started reversing to reel in the line. But a wave knocked the stern, causing the captain to slip and hit the throttle, the company said.

The movement swamped the boat, causing it to capsize and sink.

A crew on the boat's sister vessel caught the struggle on camera before plucking the others out of the water.

Getting sunk by a fish hasn't put Mr Saenz off - he's already booked his next trip with the same company.