Reel In A Giant Catch With Blue Marlin Fishing

If there is an exciting hobby one can engage in at sea, it is blue marlin fishing. Few other things equal the thrill of capturing one of the most prized marlin species. Overcoming their spirited fight to come out with one of them with their marvelous form and sometimes, enormous size is quite rewarding.

Location

This fish is found in all the tropical ocean waters worldwide. To ensure their population does not go down, spawning is done. This is done in locations like Mauritius, the Caribbean islands on the western side of the Atlantic, Hawaii and the Guinean Gulf on the eastern side of the Atlantic.

Species

There are two species which include the Pacific and the Atlantic blue marlin. Scientific research has found that most of the species found in the Atlantic are genetically similar to that found in the Pacific. This is attributed to the prevalence of the p-phenotype in both oceans compared to the a-phenotype that has not been found in the Pacific and Indian oceans.

Gender

The male and female differ substantially. Fully grown males reach 300 pounds at the most. The female species on the other hand can grow to reach 1,000 pounds and even more. This is a fact that researchers and anglers still differ about. The largest catch ever made was in Hawaii. It was a Pacific blue marlin that weighed in at 1,805 pounds. The largest Atlantic species catch was in Brazil and it was found to weigh 1, 402 pounds.

Methods

Various fishing techniques and equipment are used. The size of the targeted catch and the sea conditions determine the method that will be used. Local practices have also influenced the methods used. The choices are using live bait, rigged natural bait or manufactured lures.

Lures

The use of artificial lure is quite popular as blue marlins wage quite a war. This method has its origins in Hawaii. Locals first made lures using lures carved out of wood and shelled in drinking glasses. Others were made with chrome pipes that had vinyl upholstery or rubber attached on them. Today they are made in a number of sizes, shapes and shades.

Natural Bait

Rigged natural bait is the other option. These have been used from as far back as the 1900s until today. Anglers in the eastern seaboard of the US, the Caribbean and the Bahamas favor this method. In the Bahamas it is used with Spanish mackerel and horse ballyhoo to entice the Atlantic blue marlin. The bait can be used together with manufactured lures. The third alternative is bait fishing and for this, small tuna and skipjack are the thought to be the best bait. However, this method can only be used in smaller fishing areas. Also, trolling has to be done slowly to keep the bait alive. This is how fishing is done in the Kona, Hawaii fishery.

As blue marlin fishing has developed, the leading fishing spots have been identified. Some of them are the Bahamas, which is home to the highly competitive Bahamas Billfish tournament, the Atlantic, Vitoria City in Brazil where the International Fish Game Association is held, and Bermuda. Other top spots are Hawaii, New Zealand, Wales, the coast of Kenya in East Africa, Venezuela, Portugal, Cape Verde Islands, Mexico, the Spanish Canary Islands,Ecuador, the high seas of Japan and the west and east coasts of Australia are other top hunting spots. Call up a marlin fishing charters.