IT was the magnificent seven for fisherman Zyg Gregorek recently when he landed the elusive Black Marlin in Mozambique to complete his quest to catch all the Billfish species in the world within seven years.

Zyg, who runs Angler?s Paradise near Halwill, has just returned from his most recent voyage which saw him land the final name on his list, the Black Marlin, in Mozambique. The challenge to catch each of the Billfish has taken Zyg all over the world.

?In the course of my quest I have hooked and lost Black Marlin many times but never succeeded in catching them,? said Zyg.

?I persuaded my wife Rose to join me on an expedition to the Bazaruto Archipelago in Mozambique to do some snorkelling and fishing, and as a softener the second week would be spent in the Seychelles.

?I found that the best time for marlin when they were supposed to be prolific was November and December. The Archipelago was chosen because 99 percent of marlin caught were always black,? he said.

Zyg started out at 6am the day after arriving, following a gruelling three plane flight from Heathrow via

Johannesburg.

?I was in my lucky shorts and t-shirt and brought my special engraved pewter goblet and my own special wine,? he added.

However, it was not all plain fishing for Zyg, who encountered some problems along the way ? none more so than when he opened his lunchbox on the first day.

?Imagine my horror when I found a banana there. Although I am not superstitious, every time there was a banana on the boat I always blanked and more often than not the boat would break down.

?Back on shore I gave strict instructions to make sure never to put a banana on board again,? said Zyg.

Zyg?s original plan to catch a black marlin in the first few days and then contentedly sit back and watch England in the Rugby World Cup final was thrown into disarray as he continued to have no luck landing the big one.

Next Zyg was off to Indigo Bay on Bazaruto Island, where he arranged to fit in one final day of fishing starting at 4am so he and the skipper could be at sea at first light.

Later that day Zyg finally struck lucky: ?I grabbed the rod and started fighting. While the crew reeled in all the rods my heart was pounding, I had seen the fish jumping. It was a marlin.

?In half an hour or so the fish was caught, tagged and photographed before being released, a beautiful pristine 300lb plus black marlin. I was over the moon,? he said.

Zyg added: ?It is tradition to jump in on your first marlin, which I did in Madeira.? Though he had no idea whether or not it is tradition to do it on the last, Zyg was determined to do it anyway.

However, the skipper suggested the ecstatic Zyg wait until they got back to the corner bay, as where they were sailing at the time was full of sharks!

?I am a very proud and happy man to have caught all the Billfish species in the world,? added Zyg.