Enjoyable And Large Achievements 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.

Spawning

Blue marlin inhabit all the tropical oceans. Their population is kept at steady level through spawning. It is done in select locations including Mauritius,Hawaii, the west of the Atlantic where the Caribbean islands are and the eastern end of the Atlantic where the Guinea Gulf is.

Species

There are two species of this fish; the Atlantic and the Pacific blue marlin. Research has verified that both species are genetically alike. This has been put down to a lot of the p-phenotype being in both oceans. This is in contrast to the a-phenotype which has not been found in either ocean.

Weight

There are significant gender differences. An adult male ranges at 300 pounds in weight, rarely exceeding this. Females are usually much larger, reaching up to 1,000 pounds. This is however still contested by scientists and anglers. Records have the largest species captured as a Pacific breed at 1,805 pounds that was captured in Hawaii. In the Atlantic, the largest haul was a 1,402 pound fish that was caught in Brazil.

Techniques

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 marlin fishing charters practices have also influenced the methods used. The choices are using live bait, rigged natural bait or manufactured lures.

Lures

Due to the usually large size of this fish, artificial lure fishing is commonly used. It originated in Hawaii where lures were first made in the form of carved wood that was put in drinking glasses. The Hawaiians also made lures with chrome pipes surrounded with either vinyl upholstery or rubber. Today, lures come in form of forms, colors and sizes.

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.