Marlin are the king of the sportfishing world. They are the most exciting fish to catch for any experienced angler. They are fast aggressive and some of the largest fish in the sea.
Marlin evoke the classic images of a fishing battle at Sea. The Old Man And The Sea written by Ernest Hemingway was written about fishing for blue marlin.
Among the many things that make this such a prized fish to go after is that once they take the bait all species of marlin exhibit in athletic display worthy of a dancer or maybe even a raging bull.
Every angler has seen the image of a Marlin rising out of the water battling the fish hook. Marlin can give you the fight of your life and to bring a Marlin on board a fishing boat often takes hours of battle that has physically worn out many that have tried to do it.
4 Different Species of Marlin
There are several different varieties of marlin. Of course, Blue Marlin are the most famous of the species but there is also Black, White, as well as Striped Marlin.
The Marlin is part of the pelagic species of fish which is a migratory animal that usually prefers warmer and more tropical ocean climates.
An interesting fact about the very biggest Marlins, the giant Marlins, is that they are all female. Male Marlins never really grow that large topping out at 300 lb, whereas the largest female Marlin was more than 1500 lbs.
Marlin primarily feed, interestingly enough, on other pelagic fishes like tuna and mackerel and they also like to snack on squid.
So, are you interested in fishing for some powerful Marlin?
Trolling Lures for Marlin Fishing
Well the best trolling methods are to use large entire complete baits like mullet, bonefish, and even bonito. You can also have success with SR squids as well as dolphin lures with the occasional dead bait setup.
These are all artificial lures.
The reason why they work is because marlin lures are aggressive and they respond well to the bubble trails that these artificial lures produce. Plus, you can troll these lures at a higher speed which also is good at getting the Marlins attention.
As well as artificial lures work, you don’t want to forget about testing with live bait. Live bait we’ll work if the area that your fishing in is relatively small. And it is important to remember that if you are trolling with live bait, you’ve got to dramatically lower your speed to keep the bait alive.
Places to Fish for Marlin
You might be wondering where you can catch these athletic fighting fish. Well, they are only in a select few spots around the world.
Sportfishing Mag has also written a great article covering this very topic that you can read here: https://www.sportfishingmag.com/10-top-places-to-catch-monster-marlin/
Here are the best places in the world to fish for Marlin.
Australia
Australia is home to more 1000 lbs. Marlin catches, also known as granders, than anywhere else in the world.
The best time of year to go to Australia to fish for Marlin are during the months of September through January. While this is the winter time in North hemisphere, which is not good for Marlin fishing, in the southern hemisphere it is during their summer and it’s the optimal time to attempt to catch these pelagic beasts.
The best places to go in Australia for Marlin fishing are the fishing grounds that are located near the Great Barrier Reef.
This is a prime area for Marlin, just a few dozen miles from the continental shelf, because of the food supply. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world’s largest underwater ecosystems. It is teeming with food. So, there is no surprise there is an abundance of wildlife, everything from Marlin to Dolphin to Great Whites, under the water.
It just makes sense if there is a lot of food for Marlin, there’s going to be a lot of very large Marlin to fish.
Hawaiian Islands
If you want to try your hand at landing the mythical giant Pacific blue Marlin there is only one place to go, and that of course is Hawaii.
Hawaii is the most remote island chain in the world, surrounded by the deepest waters in the world of the Pacific Ocean. It is no wonder that this oasis in this vast blue ocean is teaming with all manner of aquatic wildlife including Marlin.
The best thing about hunting the mythical Giant Blues in Hawaii is that even if you don’t catch anything you’re still in Hawaii and it is still an awesome experience.
Portugal
One of the lesser-known places that is perfect for Blue Giants is the island of Madeira off of the coast of Portugal.
Better known for its fortified wine, the island of Madeira has been a hot spot in the northern Atlantic Ocean for some of the best blue marlin fishing in the world.
One of the peculiarities or challenges of fishing out of Madera is trying to pick the best season to go.
The peak seasons seem to change depending on the year. This is highly unusual and it may have something to do with the ocean currents that engulf this island.
Before you go be sure to talk to several different charter operations in Madera and see what the current fishing season is.
East Coast of USA
The East Coast of the United States is not really known as an exotic place to go and fish for this exotic fish. But the truth is that the East Coast of the United States is a prime hunting ground for all types of marlin. From the lower Florida Keys to the top is a prime spot for Marlin as well as the coast off of North Carolina is ideal for catching large Blue’s.
If you go higher up the coast as far as Maryland, those cool northern Atlantic Waters are great for White Marlin. White Marlin are a smaller species of marlin but they are they might be the most prized.
Evidence of this is the White Marlin Open (this is their website: https://whitemarlinopen.com/), which runs out of ocean City Maryland. It is the world’s largest billfish tournament. It is also the world’s richest billfish tournament with over six million dollars in prize money in 2019 alone.
This just goes to show you that you can catch excellent Marlin all up and down the east coast of the United States.
Trolling for Marlin: The Best Lures and Spots To Fish
Marlin are the king of the sportfishing world. They are the most exciting fish to catch for any experienced angler. They are fast aggressive and some of the largest fish in the sea.
Marlin evoke the classic images of a fishing battle at Sea. The Old Man And The Sea written by Ernest Hemingway was written about fishing for blue marlin.
Among the many things that make this such a prized fish to go after is that once they take the bait all species of marlin exhibit in athletic display worthy of a dancer or maybe even a raging bull.
Every angler has seen the image of a Marlin rising out of the water battling the fish hook. Marlin can give you the fight of your life and to bring a Marlin on board a fishing boat often takes hours of battle that has physically worn out many that have tried to do it.
4 Different Species of Marlin
There are several different varieties of marlin. Of course, Blue Marlin are the most famous of the species but there is also Black, White, as well as Striped Marlin.
The Marlin is part of the pelagic species of fish which is a migratory animal that usually prefers warmer and more tropical ocean climates.
An interesting fact about the very biggest Marlins, the giant Marlins, is that they are all female. Male Marlins never really grow that large topping out at 300 lb, whereas the largest female Marlin was more than 1500 lbs.
Marlin primarily feed, interestingly enough, on other pelagic fishes like tuna and mackerel and they also like to snack on squid.
So, are you interested in fishing for some powerful Marlin?
Trolling Lures for Marlin Fishing
Well the best trolling methods are to use large entire complete baits like mullet, bonefish, and even bonito. You can also have success with SR squids as well as dolphin lures with the occasional dead bait setup.
These are all artificial lures.
The reason why they work is because marlin lures are aggressive and they respond well to the bubble trails that these artificial lures produce. Plus, you can troll these lures at a higher speed which also is good at getting the Marlins attention.
As well as artificial lures work, you don’t want to forget about testing with live bait. Live bait we’ll work if the area that your fishing in is relatively small. And it is important to remember that if you are trolling with live bait, you’ve got to dramatically lower your speed to keep the bait alive.
Places to Fish for Marlin
You might be wondering where you can catch these athletic fighting fish. Well, they are only in a select few spots around the world.
Sportfishing Mag has also written a great article covering this very topic that you can read here: https://www.sportfishingmag.com/10-top-places-to-catch-monster-marlin/
Here are the best places in the world to fish for Marlin.
Australia
Australia is home to more 1000 lbs. Marlin catches, also known as granders, than anywhere else in the world.
The best time of year to go to Australia to fish for Marlin are during the months of September through January. While this is the winter time in North hemisphere, which is not good for Marlin fishing, in the southern hemisphere it is during their summer and it’s the optimal time to attempt to catch these pelagic beasts.
The best places to go in Australia for Marlin fishing are the fishing grounds that are located near the Great Barrier Reef.
This is a prime area for Marlin, just a few dozen miles from the continental shelf, because of the food supply. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world’s largest underwater ecosystems. It is teeming with food. So, there is no surprise there is an abundance of wildlife, everything from Marlin to Dolphin to Great Whites, under the water.
It just makes sense if there is a lot of food for Marlin, there’s going to be a lot of very large Marlin to fish.
Hawaiian Islands
If you want to try your hand at landing the mythical giant Pacific blue Marlin there is only one place to go, and that of course is Hawaii.
Hawaii is the most remote island chain in the world, surrounded by the deepest waters in the world of the Pacific Ocean. It is no wonder that this oasis in this vast blue ocean is teaming with all manner of aquatic wildlife including Marlin.
The best thing about hunting the mythical Giant Blues in Hawaii is that even if you don’t catch anything you’re still in Hawaii and it is still an awesome experience.
Portugal
One of the lesser-known places that is perfect for Blue Giants is the island of Madeira off of the coast of Portugal.
Better known for its fortified wine, the island of Madeira has been a hot spot in the northern Atlantic Ocean for some of the best blue marlin fishing in the world.
One of the peculiarities or challenges of fishing out of Madera is trying to pick the best season to go.
The peak seasons seem to change depending on the year. This is highly unusual and it may have something to do with the ocean currents that engulf this island.
Before you go be sure to talk to several different charter operations in Madera and see what the current fishing season is.
East Coast of USA
The East Coast of the United States is not really known as an exotic place to go and fish for this exotic fish. But the truth is that the East Coast of the United States is a prime hunting ground for all types of marlin. From the lower Florida Keys to the top is a prime spot for Marlin as well as the coast off of North Carolina is ideal for catching large Blue’s.
If you go higher up the coast as far as Maryland, those cool northern Atlantic Waters are great for White Marlin. White Marlin are a smaller species of marlin but they are they might be the most prized.
Evidence of this is the White Marlin Open (this is their website: https://whitemarlinopen.com/), which runs out of ocean City Maryland. It is the world’s largest billfish tournament. It is also the world’s richest billfish tournament with over six million dollars in prize money in 2019 alone.
This just goes to show you that you can catch excellent Marlin all up and down the east coast of the United States.
5 years ago • Blog