Want To Learn How To Catch Marlin?
Game Fishing can be daunting to many newcomers to the sport especially if there is no guidance from someone already experienced in the field and even with that comes many different opinions and preferences. Many systems work, it is just about finding the one that works for you and you find comfortable incorporating into your game plan (pardon the pun).
Different Ways Of Capturing Marlin
TROLLING
The easiest method to get started and can be very effective when you have dialled into a productive system of rigging and lure presentation (along with the fish eating well too!). Trolling skirted lures 6-8 knots is a great way to fish and importantly cover ground. Having a well rigged and balanced skirted lure will ensure the best combination of presentation and hook up rate, along with a variety of sizes and colours to cover your options.
LIVE BAITING
A highly effective method when you have established an area where marlin will most likely be. The best factor for this method is bait - marlin will usually always hang close to their food source and often travel up and down the coast with a biomass of bait. Bait will usually always be structure based - another reason why the continental shelf is one of the best areas to target. For the best results we slow troll live baits bridled rigged with an appropriate circle hook with the mainline connected to a release clip for a bite indicator with the reel in almost free spool, going up on the drag once we have fish that has eaten the bait for a sufficient amount of time.
SKIPBAITING
A bit of a blend of methods - covering ground by going at a decent speed (5-7) knots but having a bridled rigged dead-bait and the mainline connected to a release clip with the reel almost in free spool. The dead-bait will ‘skip’ on the surface and once eaten, the mainline will pop off the release clip and the drag is increased once the fish has had a sufficient amount of time to eat the bait and turn allowing the circle hook to set into the corner of the jaw. For this method you will need to know how to rig a skip bait with waxed thread.
SWITCHBAITING
A very interactive way to fish which will consist of anglers teasing up fish with a variety of teasers options (hookless lures, dredges, daisy chains etc) and then feeding either a live bait or dead bait to the fish, hence ‘switching’ the fish from the teaser onto the bait. Another good way to cover ground as you are going trolling speed (6-8 knots) but with the added benefit of hooking your fish on a circle hook which will always be a more effective method to having your fish staying on! For this method you need a very attentive and switched-on crew that knows how to follow procedures during the chaos of when you have a ‘hot’ fish at the boat.
When And Where Should I Be Fishing?
Marlin can show up anywhere, remember they are caught off the stones so catching them close to shore should not be hard to believe. Any structure based bottom can start the upwelling required to stimulate the whole circle of life - this is why we used the shelf and certain reefs as regular points of references. Water colour and temperature, bait, current speed and direction are all important factors looking for marlin. Depending on where you are all these factors can slightly differ in terms of what is more favourable.
Species of Marlin
The Blue Marlin is the largest species, growing up to 14 feet and 1,800 pounds, found mainly in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It is known for its striking blue colour, powerful speed (up to 82 mph), and strong, acrobatic fights. The Striped Marlin, smaller at 10 feet and 400 pounds, is agile and fast, known for its vertical blue stripes and acrobatic jumps, primarily in the Indo-Pacific. The Black Marlin is slightly smaller but incredibly powerful, reaching 15 feet and 1,000 pounds, typically found in the Indo-Pacific. It is recognized for its flat, broad bill and aggressive behavior.
Blue Marlin
The Pacific Blue Marlin (Makaira nigricans) shares many traits with its Atlantic counterpart but has distinct characteristics that differentiate it in its native range in the Pacific Ocean.
Key Characteristics of Pacific Blue Marlin:
Size: One of the largest marlin species, Pacific blue marlins can grow up to 14 feet or 4.3 meters (short length) in length and weigh over 1,800 pounds (800 kg), though most are smaller.
Colouration: They have a deep cobalt-blue back that fades to a silvery-white underside. Their colour can be particularly vibrant and is one of the distinguishing features of the species.
Body Shape: Small blue marlin can look more slender and streamlined but usually carry their weight nicer through to the tail. Larger blue marlin can be very well conditioned and have a very large tail.
Dorsal Fin:The dorsal fin is tall and triangular but not quite as tall as the Stripe marlin dorsal fin.
Feeding: Their diet will include: tuna, mackerel, dolphinfish and squid with studies on our east coast blue marlin stomachs mainly consisting of small to medium tunas.
Behaviour: Aggressive and strong, Pacific blue marlins are known for their explosive, acrobatic jumps when hooked. They often engage in long, high-speed runs and long ‘tailwalks’ sometimes going on for hundreds of metres.
Black Marlin
The Black Marlin (Istiompax indica) is known for several distinctive characteristics:
Size: One of the largest marlin species, it can grow up to 15 feet (4.6 meters) and weigh over 1,200 pounds (544 kg), though most are smaller.
Colouration: Dark, almost black-blue on its back with a silver-white underside. Its colour can appear darker or lighter depending on water temperature and activity. Smaller fish can still have light stripes.
Body Shape: It has a robust, muscular body designed for fast swimming and strength. The tail is powerful, aiding in its speed. One of the most defining characteristics is a curved, stiff pec fins.
Dorsal Fin: The dorsal fin is large but not as large as the blue and stripe marlin. When they grow larger the dorsal may look comparatively small compared to their body.
Habitat: Found mainly in the Indo-Pacific, particularly around Australia, the Philippines, and Indonesia, typically in warm, offshore waters.
Feeding: They primarily feed on baitfish, squid and reef fish. Black marlin being more of a coastal based marlin have more reef and ‘bread and butter’ fish in their guts.
Behavior: They are aggressive and often make long, fast runs when hooked, sometimes leaping out of the water. Can be very stubborn in the last parts of the fight.
Striped Marlin
The Striped Marlin (Kajikia audax) has several distinctive characteristics:
Size: Striped marlins typically grow to around 10 feet or 3 meters in short length and weigh up to 400 pounds (180 kg). They are smaller compared to blue and black marlins but still large and powerful.
Colouration: They are known for their striking vertical blue stripes along their body, which are more visible when the fish is agitated or excited. Their back is dark blue, and their underside is silver or white.
Body Shape: Striped marlins have a more streamlined, slender body compared to Blue and Black marlin. They have a more slender head shape that tapers faster to their bill.
Dorsal Fin: They have a very tall, prominent dorsal fin, which they often raise when swimming at high speeds, giving them a distinctive "sail" appearance. Their tall dorsal is one of the defining characteristics for a Stripe marlin.
Feeding: Their diet consists mainly of smaller fish, such as sardines, mackerel, and squid. The main stomach content on our east coast stripe marlin is slimy mackerel and yellowtail.
Behaviour: Explosive and acrobatic jumps with their long slender bodies. Can be stubborn but usually performs fast and aggressive jumps with some acrobatic jumps.
Game Fishing Rods
Rods with rollers are best at avoiding friction build up when a marlin is running HOWEVER this only applies if the roller is WORKING. Misuse and lack of maintenance can easily render a roller useless causing more harm than good. These days high quality guides can be just as good as reducing friction as a working roller - a popular option with braid based game reels. We only sell rods with high quality rollers, cheaper rods use cheap rollers for a reason - they tend not to last.
Game Fishing Reels
There has been some drastic change in modern day game fishing equipment, particularly with one of the biggest advancements in fishing to date - braid. This has allowed us to use lighter, smaller reels whilst still getting the capacity to gamefish with a more angler friendly fish fighting unit (Penn International VISX, Shimano Talica and Speedmaster & Daiwa Saltiga LD). There is no question, the original heavier reels such as the Tiagras and Penn Internationals have a more robust and reliable feeling to them - it really is up to the angler as to what they are willing to compromise for more comfortability.
Marlin Lures
Depending on the conditions, boat, gear being used and angler preference there are many variables. It is important to find what works for your boat as various conditions and set ups may give off different action to your lures. If you are looking to get started we don’t usually recommend anything larger than a 10 inch lure - we even often tend to lean towards a smaller size due to the better hook up rate and increased bycatch (7-8inch) especially considering the often inconsistent hook up rate with Stripe Marlin. If you study the head shape and weighting of your lures you will get an idea of what the intended action of the head, a more aggressive slant face will drive the lure into the water giving off a more violent action with ‘rooster tails’ and often a more prominent bubble trail. This may be a fantastic fish raising tool but the hook up rate can be hindered especially with rough weather or an unenthusiastic fish. Straight pushers have a more simple and consistent action and give the marlin a nice ‘eat’, the very same reason why the bullet is such a popular option too. As mentioned, find out what works for you! Marlin love to come up to large lures on instinct, this is why we use large teasers (12 inch minimum) and even in this case we will use a variety of straight pushers and more aggressive slant faced lures for a mix in our spread even when teasing. We usually upsize our lures for larger black and blue marlin fishing as their aggressive bite and big mouths leads to an improved hook up rate.
Set your spread for success
Where should you position your lures & teaser/dredge?
In this diagram we can see two options to get your spread started. There is no one specific way to set your spread as it differs from boat to boat and conditions of the day. The best way is to experiment with different lures to see what works best for you!
Hooks
The main factors to choosing a suitable trolling hook will be line class, lure size and fish being targeted. Lighter line classes will require thinner gauge hooks with the added hook setting power from using larger reels with heavier line will accommodate the thicker wire of heavier gauge hooks. Heavier line class outfits can put out more drag which will require the strength of the thicker gauge hook during the fight, light gauge hooks require less drag to ‘open’ which is why we fish these on lighter class lines - along with good drag management during the fight. We do classify some hooks as a ‘standard’ gauge such as the Sabre/Maruto 192 which we have used to set on 10kg and 15kg outfits but still not open on normal fighting drag of 24kg, making these one of our most popular options for our prominent Stripe Marlin. We also have a myriad of quality trolling hooks designed for every line class from TTS (Tantrum), Fudo, Sabre, Owner, BKK, Pakula and Gamakatsu.
Leader
Leader choice will rely on the line class, lure size and fish being hooked/targeted. Some brands and models of leader will be varying in hardness and diameter which will affect abrasion resistance and lure action. As a very general guide to follow we will use: 6’ - 7’ lures = 150lb-200lb, 7’ - 9’ lures = 250lb - 300lb, 9’ - 12’ + lures = 300lb - 550lb, 14’ + lure = 550lb - 700lb. Get in touch with us if you need any assistance with deciding on the correct leader for yourself. MORE OPTIONS AVAILABLE IN-STORES.
