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ALL ABOUT BLUE MARLIN
By Redacción

 
Of all the existing types of marlin, the blue marlin is undoubtedly the bravest and most spectacular of the combatants. It possesses the strength of black marlin, the agility of stripped and the speed of white. A blue marlin, in full faculties, in waters of temperatures between 20 and 26 degrees and, in depths of 400 to 600 meters, is going to unleash the hardest fight that a fish with a sword can ever perform.

 
 
We can identify two types of blue marlin, the Atlantic and the Pacific. Both are very similar, the only difference lies in size. The largest, it seems, are in the Pacific Ocean. On the other hand, IGFA -International Game Fish Association- considers that it is the same, although it takes into account the world records of the two blue marlin categories, the Pacific and the Atlantic. Those from the Indian Ocean are classified in the Pacific category. Blue marlin is the least abundant of all marlins and is not always easy to find, especially in the Pacific

In general, blue marlin that are fished out of season are less numerous, but often of larger sizes. For example, in Mauritius, in the month of August they approach 1000 pounds and, in Hawaii, one of 1656 pounds was caught in March 1984.

PACIFIC BLUE MARLIN
Generally found in the warm waters of the equatorial regions, moving away from the equator in summer and returning in winter. Apparently, its migration depends more on temperature than with black marlins. In order to live they need depth, that is why it is not easy to find them near the coasts except in places like Hawaii or Canary Islands, where very near the coast there are great depths that allow them to swim comfortably.

Longliners have sometimes caught 2,000 pound marlins, but the largest caught in sport fishing weighed 1,805 pounds in Hawaii, although it was not certified by IGFA, as it was not caught by a single fisherman, but by several who took turns in combat.
Marlins over 300 pounds are usually females. The blue marlin feeds on skipjacks, bigeye and yellowfin tuna, all of which can reach up to 150 pounds, so it is common to find them swimming among the tuna banks. Blue marlin feed both in depth and on the surface and sometimes small swordfish have been found in their stomachs. The first blue marlin caught with a rod and reel weighed 1040 pounds and was caught by the famous writer Zane Grey.



When to get blue marlin in the Pacific:
  • Australia, in January.
  • Costa Rica, in June and July.
  • Islas Carolinas,, in September and October.
  • Colombia, en Februar and Marzo.
  • Ecuador, in Octuber and Noviembre.
  • Hawai, in July, August and September.
  • Kenia (Shimoni), from December to March.
  • Mauricio, from December to March.
  • Baja California, from Octubre to December.
  • Mozambique, from August to December.
  • Nueva Zelanda, in February and March.
  • Filipinas, in June and July.
  • Réunion, from December to March.
  • Panamá, from January to April.
  • Seychelles, from October to Decembre and from May to June.
  • Tahití, from January to April.
ATLANTIC BLUE MARLIN
Like the Pacific, the blue marlin of the Atlantic also prefers warm waters that do not exceed 30 º C. They are found in the deep waters of the Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and West African Coast off the Gulf of Guinea.

The best concentrations are found in the northern part of Cuba and the western edge of the Bahamas Islands, smaller in proportion to the blue marlin of the Pacific, its average weight ranges between 300 and 400 pounds, although sometimes can exceed 1000 pounds. Some fishermen certify to have seen them weighing 1500 pounds; the largest are found on the longest migratory routes such as Venezuela, Brazil and the west coast of Africa.

The average weight of marlins caught in the Gulf of Guinea (Abidjan) is around 600 pounds, almost double the overall average. They generally do not move in schools, but in the mating season they go in pairs, male and female. Their migration can be very long, the best known is that of the Virgin Islands to the Gulf of Guinea, crossing the entire Atlantic, turning around during the same year. This could be demonstrated thanks to the tagging of the fish.

It is believed that they reproduce throughout the year, but no study so far can confirm it. Mating occurs in July and August in Puerto Rico; the Virgin Islands would be a meeting place before migration begins; in the Gulf of Mexico mating is in July and August and both Brazil and Bermuda are also mating areas. On the islands of Sao Tome and Principe, opposite Gabon - in the middle of the Gulf of Guinea - is another mating area and they would possibly stay longer than estimated, to release the eggs.

Fishing months:
  • Ivory Coast (Abdijan): Noviembre, diciembre, abril y mayo.
  • Guadalupe: September to April.
  • Bahamas (Bimini, Cat Cay, Walker’s Cay, Club Lay): From May to August.
  • Bermuda: From July to September.
  • Brasil: November to February.
  • Canary Islands: July to August.
  • Cayman Islands: May to June.
  • Cuba: May to October
  • Dakar (Senega)l: From May to October.
  • Gulf of Mexico: June to October.
  • Gabon: January and February.
  • Jamaica: September to October.
  • Madeira: From July to September.
  • Azores: August and September.
  • Puerto Rico: September and October.
  • North Carolina: From June to August.
  • Virginia: July and August.
  • Venezuela: August to June.
  • Virgin Islands: From July to September.
 
Capture techniques for blue marlin differ according to places and times. We can distinguish between fast and artificial trolling, semi-rapid with dead natural bait, slow trolling with live natural bait and drift fishing, and fly fishing.
 

FAST TROLLING WITH LURES

This method is used when the boat has to travel many miles looking for the fish or when the natural bait is difficult to get, or also in case of excess of small fish, the marlin goes for the artificial one. We will be able to see how they practice this technique in Ivory Coast, Seychelles, Hawaii and sometimes also in Mauritius and Reunion. With this tactic the speed of the troll depends on the type of artificial bait. Artificial bait with articulated head requires a speed of 5 to 6 knots, while when the bait is caught, the speed will be 8 to 9 knots. The artificial bait will work the same time in and out of the water, with the exception of the artificial squid, which must be on the surface all the time.


The artificial ones must keep a distance of 20-25 m from the boat. Sometimes the marlin attacks a dozen meters from the boat, while in others, you have to practice the troll further away. The most commonly used colours - apparently the most attractive for marlin - are blue, white, red and yellow. For clear days, it is believed that the shades that go better are of pale tones and for grey days, the dark tones. There are plenty of artificial models and every fisherman has his preferences -kona head 1500 V, kona clone, clone, striker (both light and heavy head).


The use of outriggers is recommended when using artificial lightweight or a soft head similar to squid. The low line can measure up to 9.14 m, if the double line does not exceed 3'05 m, but never exceed 12.19 m. It can be made of grain rope (Australian method), steel or nylon and steel together. Normally blue marlin is fished with lines of 50 to 170 lbs resistance. When fishing with 80 lb line it is advisable to set the brake at 25 lbs for the bite and then raise the brake to 30-32 lbs to fight the fish. With a line of 130 the brake is set at 35 lbs for the bite and then at 40-42 for the fight. With a 50 lb line the brake is set at 25 lbs. These rules are variable depending on the type of reel we use.
As for hooks, two can be used in series in size 10/0-12/0 or only one. For the latter, take size 12/0-14/0. The success of fishing with artificial hooks is largely due to the quality and shape of the hooks and how they are mounted at the time of the bite and if it is violent, the skipper must accelerate quickly. Not so that the hook penetrates better into the throat of the fish, but because often the marlin after having bitten the artificial follows the boat at high speed, being faster than the boat itself and even goes beyond what causes the line to be loose and this is a reason for it to unhook often. This acceleration will be more or less long depending on the reaction of the fish. If it flees backwards, the boat must be stopped immediately. Sometimes the bait gets caught in the marlin's throat and this drags it on its escape, but the hook is not stuck. In these cases, the marlin does not jump. This small game can last several minutes until the marlin realizes that the bait is not edible and decides to spit it out. The fisherman believes that the marlin has been unhooked but the truth is that the marlin has released the bait.

SEMI QUICK-TROLLING WITH NATURAL BAIT

This method consists of trolling with the help of outriggers at a semi-rapid speed with dead natural bait on the surface. The speed is approximately 5 knots. The best distance between the boat and the bait is approximately twenty meters. The bait must be either fresh or frozen. The best baits are the 2-3 kg bonitos, the 2 to 5 kg skipjack, a small mahi-mahi, barracuda... In the case of not having a whole bait, the belly of one of these prey can be used. This last trick is used by those fishers who use thin lines of 30 lbs or less.
In this mode of fishing, at first the reel has to be unbraked when the marlin bites, because if you notice any resistance let go of the bait. You have to wait with the slack line until the marlin swallows the bait up to the stomach. It is in this precise moment in which the fisherman sets the brake and at the same time the skipper accelerates the boat, simultaneously setting the brake the fisherman takes the rod down and up several times to fix the hook definitively in the stomach of the animal. Unhooking is unusual with this type of bait.
The technique of fishing with dead natural bait allows shorter combats, as the marlin has usually swallowed the bait deeply and the hook is stuck in the stomach, which reduces the fish's ability to fight. The low lines are the same as for the artificial bait. Only one hook is used (12/0-14/0) and the mounting system on the bait can be in different ways - the catalina, the New Zealand and the classic. The catalina system consists in that the hook is attached to a dracón thread of 50 lbs of approximately 30 centimeters, which goes through the bonito that serves as bait, remaining the hook at 2 centimeters of its head. The dorsal and pectoral fins are also modified so that they adopt a perpendicular position as if the fish were alive.

In the New Zealand system, the hook is taken in reverse on the back of the bonito and, in the classic, the hook is introduced into the bonito and comes out the belly. Although fishing with natural bait uses the Drop Back method, which consists of letting the fish go for a certain time with the reel without brakes and then braking it abruptly, the fact that the fisherman controls the process by himself, allows you to use thinner lines than with artificial bait. The ideal for this type of fishing is 50 lbs or 20 and 30 lbs can also be used.

 
 
The success of artificial fishing is due, in large part, to the quality and shape of the hooks and how they are mounted at the time of the bite.
 
SLOW TROLLING WITH NATURAL BAIT

In this modality, live bait is found between two waters. The outriggers here are preferable but not indispensable. This technique is used when there are reefs in the fishing area -deep waters- and the marlin is presumed to be there. The advantage of this technique is that the live bait irresistibly provokes the marlin attack, as often the predator chooses an isolated victim swimming like a wounded fish.
This technique varies very little compared to dead bait but there are some small differences. The speed of the troll is reduced to three knots, and it is more than ever indispensable to use the drop back technique. The distance between the bait and the boat is between 10 and 20 metres.

The hooks should be made of nylon rather than steel, as nylon is lighter and makes the bait less tiring. The most effective baits are the bonito or the small skipjack, and are mounted according to the Catalina system. The number of live baits used at the same time should not exceed three. Two on the outriggers and the third in the middle a few meters behind the boat. The complicated thing is sometimes to get the three bonitos at the same time to be able to put them as bait. The hooks are the same as for trolling with dead natural bait.

The recommended thread strength is 50 pounds. The adepts to the light tackle use up to 16 pounds and even 12, conditioned to use bigger bonitos and to benefit from good material and a very competent equipment. DRIFTING

This tactic is practiced in places where there are deep waters that range between 60 and 120 m well defined and where the waters are colder than usual, have large amounts of nutrient, or are very hot - above 30 º C -. The drift fishing method is preferable to the others in those hours in which the marlins feed around 60 meters deep. A live bonito or mackerel, hooked to a hook, is placed at a depth of 60 meters. If there are currents, a floating anchor is placed in place to avoid a great drift of the boat, which is detrimental to fishing. Sometimes it is necessary to put a lead of 100 to 300 gr in the line so that it is maintained in tension. Before the dive, the reel must be unbraked and, at the time of the dive, the fisher performs a drop back. In five seconds, when the marlin has attacked the bait, it rises to the surface in the opposite direction and can be released easily.

The same lines are used as for the live bait trolling. The hook should preferably be all nylon, as it is lighter and the bait tires less when swimming. The recommended hooks are 10/0-8/0. If the bait is a bonito it is recommended to stick the hook between the central pelvic fins, where the skin is harder. If it is a mackerel, it is hooked on the back near the neck. Finally, we will carry a nursery on board the boat, with water to keep the baits alive.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


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