Seasons: September, October and November are normally
the best months for Marlin. But…big Blue, Black and Striped Marlin are always around and the boats that target them usually have some success. You may need to go a little farther and fish a little harder, but Marlin fishermen are familiar with that.

Method: Generally caught 20-50 miles out while trolling lures and/or ballyhoo with circle hooks. The “bait and switch” with teasers and pitch baits is the most popular method on the big boats. Live bait is best when you find the fish. Marlin can also be caught on the fly if the Marlin is small and you are really lucky.

My best day: Thanks to Captain Glen and the crew of the Bethina for helping me get my first Marlin the day before this issue went to print. My 300 pound Blue Marlin pounced on a ballyhoo with circle hook and went deep before anyone got a good look at her. We all assumed it was a Sailfish since we had already caught 3 Sails in that same spot. After a 15 minute fight the fish came up right under the boat. As she broke water we all realized it was a nice Marlin. Once she saw the boat she took off and “snowplowed” about 100 meters…almost in slow motion. I was using 30 pound line and 80 pound leader so I offered little resistance as she made her runs. It took another 10 or 15 minutes to get her back to the boat were we got a clean release without harming that beautiful fish.

World Record:
1402 lbs. Vitoria, Brazil (Atlantic blue) - 1376 lbs. Kona, Hawaii (Pacific blue) – 1560 lbs. Cabo Blanco, Peru (Black Marlin)

Please catch and release.