Financial consultant Kevin Graetz has been involved in private equity and venture capital for decades. Outside of his professional life, Kevin Graetz enjoys fishing, and once caught a 600-pound marlin at Hudson Canyon off the East Coast.
Blue marlins are some of the largest fish in the world. They can grow up to 14 feet long and weigh up to 1,985 pounds. Aptly named for their cobalt-blue appearance, these marlins love deep blue waters and are often found far out at sea in the Atlantic and Pacific.
Blue marlins are carnivores, feeding on smaller fish such as mackerel and tuna, many of which are found on the warmer ocean surface. However, they have been known to go deeper to hunt squid. Marlins have a long, sharp upper jaw that they use as spears to slash through their prey before coming back to eat them.
In the fishing world, marlins are famous for putting up fights when hooked. Given how big, long, and heavy they are, it is a very impressive feat to catch one. Most marlins caught weigh between 200 and 400 pounds. Some of the largest ever caught weighed over 1,000 pounds. The International Game Fishing Association’s record for the biggest marlin was a 1,402-pound fish caught in Brazil in 1992.
Kevin Graetz leverages nearly two decades of experience as a venture capitalist and private equity investor as a consultant and silicon valley investor. A graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, Kevin Graetz has successfully raised more than a billion dollars for investments in companies that ranged from early stage startups to late-stage private equity transactions.
In his free time, Mr. Graetz regularly fishes for big game and has caught a 600 pound Marlin in addition to big eye tuna and yellowfin tuna. Yellowfin tuna are a large, torpedo shaped fish that can often be found close to the surface of tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide. The fish, which grow as large as 400 pounds, can be identified by their bright yellow dorsal fin and metallic blue color on the back.
Catching a yellowfin tuna can be challenging. To increase the odds, sports anglers recommend dropping lures deeper where the fish spend most of their time feeding. In addition, putting more distance between the fishing boat and the lure can increase the likelihood of a bite. Other recommended tips include “chumming,” dropping large amounts of baitfish in order to lure yellowfin close to the boat, and kite fishing, which involves pulling along live bait suspended by an airborne kite behind the boat.
