Marlin Fishing an Ultimate Dream of Most Anglers

Marlin fishing is an ultimate dream of most serious saltwater sport anglers to hook on to one of this exceptional sporting fish in his or her fishing career. It is a fish of a lifetime. Pursuing this species as a sport can be very expensive because it’s considered as offshore big-game fishing. Fishing tackle, boats and skippers need to be the best which come at a price.

Marlin fishing consists of 4 different species; black, blue, white and striped marlin.

They belong to the Istiophoridae family of billfish.

Distribution

The blue species is the most widely distributed. It can be found in warm and temperate waters all around the world. Both species of the black and the striped marlin can be found in the Pacific and the Indian Oceans. The white is more an Atlantic fish.

Black Marlin (Makaira indica)

The largest amongst all the species it can reach a length of more than 15 ft. and a weight of more than 1500 lbs. The all- tackle world record for black marlin fishing is a 1560 lbs. giant caught off the waters of Peru.

Australia is the best place for the black species. They regularly produce fish of over 1000 lbs. in weight. Their national record is a fish of 1439 lbs., caught off Cairns in 1973.

Diet

Black marlin feed on mackerel, wahoo, trevally, squid, tuna, pilchards, herring, bonito and other fishes.

Technique

The best black marlin fishing technique is trolling. Trolling can be done with dead or live-baits usually whole and artificial lures. Trolling with artificial lures is very effective and often catches bigger fish. Marlin lures range from 6-16 inches or more in length with plastic or metal heads attached with skirts.

Tackle

Tackle depending on the targeted size of fish range from 20-130 lbs. class rods and same lbs. class reels, best with lever drag spooled with about 600 meters of monofilament or braided fishing line. The terminal tackle must be heavy wire or nylon trace with hook size of 8/0-12/0 flat forged.

To entangle and win the fight with a fish of such an enormous size and extraordinary power the angler needs the full assistance of the boat’s skipper and crew to a successful outcome.

Blue Marlin (Makaira nigricans and Makaira mazara)

As the most widely distributed in the world’s oceans and having all the characteristics of a top game fish, the blue marlin is the most sought after by blue water anglers and commercial long liners. It is highly exploited due mainly to it good quality eating flesh. It is often served as sashimi by the Japanese as well as steaks by some western nations. (click here to read more about Blue Marlin)

White Marlin (Tetrapturus albidus)

The smallest amongst the 4 species it’s one of the top game fish on light-tackle. Though it can grows to a maximum size of about 200 lbs. the average rod and reel caught is 100 lbs. The all-tackle world record for white marlin fishing is a fish of 181 lbs. 12 ounces off Brazil in 1979.

Distribution

The white is more an Atlantic fish but there’re quite a few recordings of them straying into the western Mediterranean. U. S. A. especially N.Carolina, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela and the Caribbean Islands are the prime places to fish for them.

Usually favoring deeper blue water, white marlins often forage into shallow-waters to search for food. Hence, it’s a favorite sport-fish for fly fishers. The larger fish usually swims alone but sometimes they do swims in small groups.

Diet

It feed on sardine, squid, mackerel, herring, pilchard and some other small pelagic fish.

Angling Methods

White marlin can be caught by trolling, drifting and casting.

Trolling can be done with striped-baits or small whole dead or live-baits as well as a variety of artificial lures.

Drifting with live-baits like mullet, squid, ballyhoo, mackerel, herring, sardine and some other fish is also very effective.

Casting with artificial lures like spoons and buck-tails can be fun too with this small billfish.

Tackle of the 20-30 lbs. class will be able to do the job well. Be prepared for its renowned leaping performances.

Striped Marlin (Tetrapturus audax)

Striped marlin is considered a highly prized catch by sport anglers and commercial fishermen. It’s famous for its fighting abilities with sizzling runs, tail-dancing and repeated acrobatic jumps when hooked. In the Orient, especially the people of Japan, the flesh is considered as a delicacy for sashimi and sushi.

Distribution

It’s found in tropical and warm temperate waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Occasionally found in the Atlantic Ocean, most are found in the southern Pacific Ocean, namely the waters off New Zealand which consistently produces the biggest catch.

Actually, the Kiwis hold the all-tackle world record of a 494 lbs. fish in 1986. Hooking on to fish averaging 300 lbs. is common in this part of the globe. Elsewhere of the globe the average hook-up weight is 100-200 lbs.

Diet

This particular predator feed on mackerel, sardine, herring, pilchard, squid, flying fish and whatever is around. Like all others billfish species it uses its bill as a weapon for defense as well as an aid for capturing preys for food.

Angling Methods

Angling methods for striped marlin fishing include trolling and casting. Trolling can be done with whole dead or live-bait, strip-baits or lures. Skirted offshore big game lures from 8-12 inches is best for trolling striped marlin. Using whole live-bait like mackerel from my own experience is the most effective. When fish is located and within sight on the surface, casting with strip-bait or lure will surely end with an exciting strike.

Striped marlin for fly fishermen using big streamer flies can give you one hell of an experience.

As sport-fishermen, I hope that we play a part towards conserving billfish stocks worldwide, practicing catch and release will be great.

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