MARLIN, BLUE (PACIFIC)
Scientific Name:
Makaira nigrican, Makaira mazara
Fish Group:
Billfish
Salt/Fresh:
Salt
Also Known As:
Blue Marlin; MARLIN, BLUE (PACIFIC)
Rating:
Countries:
Description:
Marlin are the pinnacle of big game fishing and sort generally with big boats and big bucks! Blue Marlin grow to almost as large as the black marlin and have a cult following around the world. Their never give up and often fight to the death attitude is what makes them a spectacular challenge for anglers.
How To Identify:
Blue Marlin are less heavily built than Black Marlin and usually longer for a similar weight. Unlike the Black Marlin the pectoral fins of the blue marlin are never completely rigid and can be folded completely along the sides. The Blue Marlin is cobalt blue on top and silvery white below, it has vertical stripes of light blue and lavender which often causes confusion with the striped marlin however in the blue marlin these fade rapidly after death. The easiest way to distinguish the blue marlin from the striped marlin is the striped marlins dorsal fin is higher than the blue and very pointed. Blue Marlin can grow nearly as large as the Black Marlin and records to date have been over 600 kgs
How To Catch:
Whole books and DVD's have been dedicated to the catching of Marlin and we will shortly have some great articles in our articles section. However as a brief introduction... There are three main ways the majority of people fish for Marlin. 1. Trolling Lures 2. Trolling with baits (live or dead) 3. Anchored (or slow drifting) with baits (live or dead). Trolling with Lures - the main style of lure used for trolling is the Konahead style skirted lures. There are literally thousands of variations and most anglers have their favourites. Trolling speeds are usually about 7-12 knots. 2. Trolling with baits. The bait here depends greatly where fishing, in Cairns for example the bait maybe as large as 15kg Spanish mackerel and oversized striped tuna right down to live slimie mackerel and yakkas for the run of small blacks down the Queensland Coast. 3. Anchored (or slow drift) with baits. This consists of finding a large patch of bait and fishing the same bait around the patch of bait. Circle hooks are mostly used as it greatly increases the odds of being able to safely release the marlin with the least of damage.
Where Found:
The Blue Marlin are found in tropical and warm temperate oceans around the world. Attempts have been made to distinguish between the pacific and Atlantic blue marlin however the differences as so small that they have the same name. The IGFA (and other associations) do however recognize two separate groups for the sake of records. In Australia Blue marlin are found right down both the east and west coast.