The Most Impressive Destinations For Black Marlin Charters

The prized game fish, Makaira Indica, more commonly known as Black Marlin, is one of the world's fastest fish. It reaches speeds of more than 50 miles per hour. Generally weighing in at 1700 pounds, or 750 kilograms, larger beasts have been reportedly caught by Black Marlin charters. M. Indica is of the Perciformes order of fish and dwells in the coastal surface waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Makaira

Makaira, along with other genera of the Perciformes order, is on the Greenpeace seafood red list. This is a list of commonly available fish that are highly likely to be sourced from unsustainable sources. For this reason, most modern sport fishermen will return them to the sea once they have caught and photographed them. It is in the same family, Istiophoridae, as the Japanese white and Hawaiian silver marlins.

Old Salt

Santiago, the fictional ageing fisherman from the Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) novel, 'The Old Man and the Sea', had finally broken an 84-day run of bad luck when he hooked a specimen of this order. The remainder of the novel chronicles the man's struggle with nature.

Color

Strictly speaking, Makaira Indica is not black. It is dark blue and white. Only the rigid pectoral fins and the tail fins are black. It has a less rounded shape than its blue cousin and its ventral fins rarely exceed one foot long, regardless of how big the fish is. It prefers the warm, coastal waters of the tropics and the subtropics. Rarely, it has been seen to cross the Atlantic Ocean via the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa as far southwest as Brazil and northwest to the Lesser Antilles.

Fishing Tours

The eastern coast of Australia offers some of the best chartered fishing breaks on the planet. Approximately 75% of all marlin over the weight of one ton are caught along a 150-mile section of the Great Barrier Reef off the Cairns coast. Altogether, game fishermen off the coasts of Brazil, Hawaii and Portugal catch in the region of half this amount.

Brisbane's Gold Coast

The deep sea waters off of Brisbane's Gold Coast is a much frequented haunt for light tackle sport fishermen looking for M. Indica and other game species. Hobbyists can trawl for Mia Mia, Spanish Mackerel and Wahoo, among others. Jiggers, or bottom fishers, also flock here to capture the likes of Cobia, Kingfish, Peal Perch and Snapper.

Austrailia

More than twice the size of Sydney Harbor, Port Stephens on Australia's south west coast is a world class center for sport fishing. With its breathtaking scenery, clear waters and golden, sandy beaches, it attracts other tourists as well. Tours from here operate between the months of January and April.

In Central America, the Guatemalan Republic is evolving as a favorite location to seek Black Marlin Fishing. Some of the biggest hauls of billfish have been reported as coming from here, with anglers boasting catches of more than 20 fish in one day. Because of its location between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, the season for Black Marlin Charters depends largely on the weather. Some of its biggest storms in living memory have been Hurricanes Stan (2005) and Mitch (1998).