Marlin fishing facts for kids

Marlin fishing is a super exciting type of deep-sea fishing. It's also called billfishing because marlin have a long, pointy "bill" on their heads. Many expert anglers think catching a marlin is the ultimate challenge in ocean fishing. This is because marlin are huge, powerful, and not easy to find!

Back in the 1930s, famous writers and fishermen like Zane Grey and Ernest Hemingway wrote amazing stories about catching marlin. They fished for different kinds of marlin in places like the Pacific Ocean, the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and Cuba. Their stories made many people dream of catching these incredible fish.

Today, people spend a lot of money building special boats for marlin fishing. These boats are designed for the open ocean and have powerful engines. They often have fancy features like "outriggers" (long poles that spread fishing lines), "flying bridges" (high steering areas), and "fighting chairs" (special chairs to help anglers reel in big fish). They also use cool technology like fishfinders and navigation systems to find marlin.

Marlin are part of the billfish family. There are 10 main types that anglers love to catch. These include the Atlantic and Pacific blue marlin, black marlin, white marlin, striped marlin, and other billfish like sailfish and swordfish.

Blue Marlin: Ocean Giants

Blue marlin are the most popular marlin for sport fishermen to chase. They live in warm, tropical parts of the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans. Sometimes, they travel to cooler areas during certain seasons. Blue marlin can grow to be enormous and are known for their amazing fighting skills. This makes them a highly desired catch for many anglers.

Blue Marlin: Size and Life in the Ocean

Blue marlin are some of the biggest bony fish in the world! Male blue marlin usually weigh up to about 330 pounds. But female blue marlin can get much, much bigger, often weighing over 1,000 pounds.

The biggest blue marlin ever caught with a rod and reel was a Pacific blue marlin. It weighed an incredible 1,805 pounds! This giant fish, nicknamed 'Choy's Monster', was caught in Hawaii in 1970. It even had a 155-pound tuna in its stomach! In the Atlantic, the heaviest blue marlin caught by an angler weighed 1,402 pounds in Brazil. Commercial fishermen have caught even larger ones, with one weighing a massive 2,438 pounds!

Catching a blue marlin that weighs 1,000 pounds or more is called catching a "grander." This has always been a huge achievement for marlin fishermen. While many still aim for granders, smaller blue marlin are also popular. Anglers use lighter fishing gear or even special fly fishing equipment to catch them.

Blue marlin live in warm, tropical waters around the world. They often travel to cooler areas in spring and summer to find food. Warm ocean currents, like the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic, act like highways for their migrations. Blue marlin like water that is about 20°C or warmer. Bigger marlin can handle slightly cooler temperatures. This wide range means anglers can find blue marlin in many different parts of the world.

Blue marlin eat all sorts of things, from tiny fish to very large prey. Scientists have found small filefish in their stomachs. Common foods include tuna, squid, and mackerel. What's really interesting to fishermen is how big their prey can be! A 448-pound blue marlin was found with a 72-inch white marlin in its stomach! They also eat large yellowfin and bigeye tuna, sometimes weighing over 100 pounds.

How Anglers Catch Blue Marlin

The ways people fish for blue marlin depend on the size of the fish in the area, the local ocean conditions, and traditions. The main ways sport fishermen catch blue marlin are by using artificial lures, natural baits, or live bait.

Fishing with Natural Baits

Early blue marlin anglers used natural baits, like small fish, rigged to skip and swim on the water. Today, rigged baits, especially Spanish mackerel and ballyhoo, are still very popular for blue marlin. The American eel is also considered a great bait because of how it swims naturally.

Trolling (pulling bait behind a moving boat) with rigged baits is still common. Sometimes, an artificial lure is added to the bait to make "skirted baits." This is popular along the eastern coast of the United States, in the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and Venezuela. Rigged natural baits are also used as "pitch baits." These are thrown out when a marlin is seen chasing a hookless lure called a "teaser."

Fishing with Artificial Lures

Blue marlin are aggressive fish that love the splash and action of a well-presented artificial lure. Trolling with lures is probably the most popular way to catch blue marlin today.

Hawaii is famous for inventing marlin lure trolling. Skippers there developed many lure designs that are still used. The first marlin lures were made from wood or even chrome pipes! Today, you can find marlin lures in many shapes, sizes, and colors. Some are mass-produced, while others are handmade by special crafters.

A typical marlin lure has a shaped plastic or metal head and a plastic skirt. The design of the lure's head makes it move in a special way when pulled through the water. Some lures swim side-to-side, others push water aggressively, and many just track straight with a regular pop and bubble trail. The size and weight of the lure, the skirt, and the hooks all affect how the lure acts in the water. Experienced anglers often adjust their lures to get the perfect action.

Lures are usually trolled at speeds of 7.5 to 9.0 knots (about 8.6 to 10.3 miles per hour). Sometimes, boats go faster, up to 10 to 15 knots, especially when moving between fishing spots. This allows them to cover a lot of ocean in a day. Fishermen usually troll four or more lures at different distances behind the boat. Lures can be fished directly from the rod or from outriggers.

Fishing with Live Bait

Live-bait fishing for blue marlin usually involves using small tuna species, with skipjack tuna being a top choice. Since live baits need to be trolled slowly to stay alive, this method is often used in smaller fishing areas. These include places near fish aggregating device (FAD) buoys or close to steep underwater ledges.

Where to Find Blue Marlin

Blue marlin love areas where the ocean bottom has structures like islands, seamounts, or banks. These spots create "upwelling," which brings nutrient-rich water from deep below to the surface. This attracts lots of baitfish, which then attract the marlin.

Atlantic Ocean Spots

In the western Atlantic, blue marlin can be found as far north as the continental shelf canyons off Cape Cod, influenced by the warm Gulf Stream. They go as far south as southern Brazil. In the eastern Atlantic, they range from Portugal to Angola.

Sport fishermen first started catching blue marlin regularly in the Atlantic in the early 1930s. Anglers from Florida began exploring the Bahamas. Writers like Ernest Hemingway helped make places like Bimini and Cat Cay famous for big-game fishing. After the 1960s, anglers found blue marlin in many other tropical and subtropical Atlantic locations.

Bahamas

The Bahama Islands have always been popular for blue marlin fishing. Bimini has a long history, dating back to the 1930s. Later, places like Walker's Cay and the Abaco islands became popular. The Bahamas even hosts a very competitive marlin fishing tournament series.

Bermuda

The banks near Bermuda are great for blue marlin. Many fish caught here are 150 to 250 pounds, but every year, much bigger ones over 600 pounds are landed. The largest blue marlin caught in Bermuda weighed 1,352 pounds in 1995. This is one of the biggest ever caught in the Atlantic! Many top boats from the United States come here for tournaments each summer.

Brazil

Blue marlin are caught along Brazil's Atlantic coast. They're found as far south as São Paulo and regularly caught in tournaments off Rio de Janeiro. However, most attention is on Canavieiras, near the Royal Charlotte Bank, which is full of billfish and tuna. Cabo Frio has also produced several marlin over 1,000 pounds.

Vitória is considered one of the best blue marlin spots. Fishing is very popular here because of the many marlin and sailfish off the coast of Espírito Santo. The world record for Atlantic blue marlin, a 1,402-pound fish, was caught by Paulo Amorim in Vitória.

Cape Verde Islands

These islands in the eastern tropical Atlantic have been an amazing blue marlin fishery since the 1980s. You can catch blue marlin year-round in Cape Verde, but the best time is from March to May. Many fish are 100 to 350 pounds, with good numbers of larger ones up to 600 pounds. The biggest catch here was a 1,241-pound fish in 2006.

Mexico (Atlantic coast)

In the eastern Yucatán, boats from Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, and Playa del Carmen find blue marlin from late March through July. The Gulf Stream brings billfish through this area. These blue marlin tend to be smaller, usually 250 to 350 pounds, though some can top 500 pounds.

Portugal

While some blue marlin are caught off Portugal's Algarve coast, the main spots are the islands of the Azores and Madeira.

Horta, on Faial Island in the Azores, is famous for blue marlin. The season runs from late June to October. The Azores is known for very large blue marlin, with 400 to 600-pound fish being average. Every year, marlin over 1,000 pounds are caught here.

Blue marlin fishing in Madeira started in the 1960s. After the mid-1990s, it became very popular, with eight fish over 1,000 pounds caught in 1994 alone! June and July are the best months. A small fleet of charter boats operates from Funchal. Fishing usually happens close to the island, and many big fish are caught within a few miles of the shore. Lure fishing is the most successful method.

Spain

The Canary Islands are the best blue marlin grounds in Spain. Blue marlin appear seasonally from May to October. The average size is large, 400 to 600 pounds, with some over 800 pounds. Smaller fish (200-350 pounds) also show up.

You can charter boats from islands like Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Tenerife, and Gran Canaria. Recently, La Gomera has become popular, with many blue marlin catches, including fish over 1,100 pounds.

United States

The Outer Banks of North Carolina have been known for blue marlin fishing since the 1950s. Cape Hatteras, Morehead City, and Oregon Inlet are important fishing centers. The nearby Gulf Stream and continental shelf create perfect conditions for blue marlin.

While the average blue marlin here is 250 to 400 pounds, much bigger fish live in these waters. North Carolina was home to a former world record Atlantic blue marlin, a 1,128-pound fish. The state record was broken in 2008 with a 1,228-pound blue marlin caught off Nags Head.

Venezuela

Venezuela's La Guaira Bank has some of the best blue marlin fishing in the Atlantic. Blue marlin are there year-round, with especially good numbers in spring. Trolling with ballyhoo baits and lighter tackle is popular for the many billfish species found here.

Virgin Islands

The island of St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands is one of the most famous blue marlin spots. Around full moons from June to October, there can be intense blue marlin fishing in an area called the 'North Drop'. Lure fishing, natural baits, and bait-and-switch techniques are all popular. A former world-record Atlantic blue marlin, weighing 1,282 pounds, was caught there.

Indo-Pacific Ocean Spots

In the Pacific, blue marlin are found as far north as southern Japan and as far south as New Zealand. In the eastern Pacific, they migrate from Southern California to northern Peru. They are also found in the Indian Ocean, from Western Australia to Cape Town.

Japanese fishermen have likely known about blue marlin for centuries. However, the Pacific blue marlin was only officially recognized as a separate species in 1954. Before that, they were often confused with black marlin. The capture of a 1,002-pound Pacific blue marlin in Hawaii helped clear up the confusion. Hawaii continues to be a major center for blue marlin fishing, and its techniques have spread throughout the Pacific.

Australia

Blue marlin are found on both the east and west coasts of Australia. You can find them as far south as Tasmania and Albany.

Great places to fish for blue marlin in Australia include Cairns, southern Queensland, Port Stephens, and Sydney. On the west coast, Exmouth and Broome are good spots. The Gold Coast has seen some of the highest numbers of blue marlin catches.

While a blue marlin over 1,000 pounds has been officially recorded in Australian waters, many fish over 400 kg (about 880 pounds) have been caught or released. The Australian record capture, which is also the ladies' all-tackle world record, weighed just under 1,000 pounds (997 pounds). It was caught in March 1999 off Batemans Bay by Melanie Kisbee.

Larger blue marlin seem to be caught in years when the water is warmer than usual. The fishing season in Australia for blue marlin is from January to May or June. Lure fishing, live bait, and switch-baiting are all successful methods.

Ecuador

For over 60 years, the waters off Peru and Ecuador have been fished by sport fishermen. In 1951, the Cabo Blanco Fishing Club was set up in northern Peru. Some of the best marlin fishing in the world happened here until the club closed in the 1960s.

Today, the main fishing spots are further north in Ecuador. Fishing has moved from inshore areas to further offshore for blue marlin, striped marlin, and tuna. Salinas is a well-known billfishing spot, offering good fishing for large striped marlin and blue marlin. Manta is another popular blue marlin destination. Blue marlin here are known to reach large sizes, with one 1,014-pound fish caught by Jorge Jurado.

Hawaii

More blue marlin are probably caught with a rod and reel in the Hawaiian Islands than anywhere else! Over 60 fish weighing more than 1,000 pounds have been caught here. This includes the two largest marlin ever caught on rod and reel: the 1,805-pound 'Choy's Monster' from Oahu and a 1,656-pound fish caught off Kona.

The town of Kona on the island of Hawaii is famous worldwide for its blue marlin fishing. It's known for its skilled skippers and the long-running Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament. A large fleet of fishing boats operates from Honokohau Harbor. Hawaiian skippers use both lure-fishing and live-baiting techniques.

New Zealand

While striped marlin have traditionally been the main billfish in New Zealand, blue marlin catches have increased over the last 10 years. Blue marlin are now regularly caught along the eastern coast of the North Island. The Waihau Bay area is especially known for them. Blue marlin in New Zealand are usually large, averaging 300 to 500 pounds. Larger ones over 600 pounds are caught every year. Most are caught by lure fishing, but live and rigged dead baits are also popular.

Tahiti

In 1930, American angler Zane Grey caught the first blue marlin over 1,000 pounds in Tahiti. Even though it was damaged by a shark, it weighed 1,040 pounds! This was an amazing catch with the fishing gear available back then.

Offshore fishing in Tahiti really grew in the 1960s. Today, there are seven gamefishing clubs in the Society Islands. Like in Hawaii, blue marlin in Tahiti usually weigh 90 to 130 kg (about 200-280 pounds). However, many larger fish over 400 pounds are caught each year.

Vanuatu

The island nation of Vanuatu seems to be the top spot for blue marlin in the South Pacific. It's considered one of the best places in the world for Pacific blues. A 1,142-pound fish was caught there in 2007.

Black Marlin: Fast and Powerful

Black marlin live in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Some have even been seen in the South Atlantic.

How Anglers Catch Black Marlin

Black marlin fishing has traditionally been done with rigged dead baits, either skipping on the surface or swimming below. In the old Cabo Blanco fishery, fishermen would spot the marlin cruising on the surface and then present their baits. In the Cairns fishery, many different baitfish are used, including small tunas and scad. Baits can range from 2-pound scad to 20-pound dogtooth tuna.

Using live bait is also popular for black marlin of all sizes. It can be very effective, but sometimes sharks or other fish might go after the bait instead. Small live baits like mackerel are great for young black marlin. For larger black marlin, anglers use bigger live tunas (3 to 25 pounds). Sometimes, a "downrigger" is used to get the bait deeper in the water.

Artificial lures can also catch black marlin, from small 30-pound juveniles to giant females over 1,200 pounds. However, other fish like wahoo or barracuda can damage lures, making it expensive. Lure fishing allows boats to cover more area quickly, which is good if the fish are spread out.

Where to Find Black Marlin

Africa

The Bazaruto Archipelago in Mozambique is a top spot for giant black marlin. This fishery was discovered in the mid-1950s. Many fish over 1,000 pounds were caught here until the country had a civil war. Now, marlin fishing is making a big comeback. The all-African record, a 1,298-pound monster, was caught here in 1998.

Australia

In February 1913, Mark Lidwill caught the first black marlin ever on a rod and reel off Port Stephens. This 70-pound fish was the first marlin of any kind caught by a sport fisherman in Australia.

Today, the Australian town of Cairns is known as the black marlin capital of the world. The Great Barrier Reef is the only place where black marlin are known to breed. Many anglers visit from September to November hoping to catch a "fish of a lifetime." Black marlin up to 1,200 to 1,300 pounds can be caught here.

Black marlin travel south along the east Australian coast during the Southern Hemisphere summer. Young black marlin are often found in shallow water, making them accessible to smaller boats. Port Stephens is still a very popular fishing area and hosts the Southern Hemisphere's largest billfish tournament.

Costa Rica

Quepos in Costa Rica is famous for its amazing billfish. Anglers from all over have caught all three types of marlin here. Black marlin over 1,500 pounds and 16 feet long have been caught! A common way to catch them is by slow trolling with large live bonita or ballyhoo. Ernest Hemingway even caught a huge 18-foot marlin in Quepos, adding to its legendary reputation.

One reason Quepos has so many marlin is the FADs (Fish Aggregating Devices) offshore. These buoys attract open ocean fish like marlin, concentrating them in one area. This helps anglers catch record numbers of fish in a single day. Quepos is also known for great sailfish and blue marlin fishing. In one tournament in 2015, 940 sailfish were released in a single day!

Ecuador

While most marlin caught in Ecuador today are blue and striped, black marlin made this area famous in the 1950s. Many fish over 1,000 pounds were caught from Cabo Blanco in northern Peru. The inshore areas became known as 'Marlin Boulevard' because of the many large black marlin. The biggest grander caught here was a 1,560-pound black marlin in 1953. The fishing club closed in the late 1960s.

Black marlin are still found in Peru, but the main fishing spot now is Salinas, Ecuador. Black marlin are usually outnumbered by striped and blue marlin in catch reports, but some big ones are still caught. The traditional way to fish is by trolling with natural baits like large ballyhoo, while looking for marlin on the surface.

Mexico

Black marlin are consistently caught in Cabo San Lucas and other Mexican fishing centers. Black marlin are the target of the world's biggest-paying marlin tournament, the Bisbee's Black & Blue, held in Cabo San Lucas in October. Offshore structures like Corbetana Rock and "El Banco" off Puerto Vallarta offer the best black marlin fishing in Mexico.

Black marlin in Mexico, like in other places, tend to hang around reefs and banks. Slow-trolling live baits like skipjack tuna over these structures is often the most effective way to catch them.

Panama

On June 11, 1949, Louis Schmidt caught a black marlin in Panama that weighed 1,006 pounds after being cut in half. This is believed to be the first black marlin over 1,000 pounds caught on rod and reel.

Today, the productive reef areas in Piñas Bay and other reefs and islands along Panama's Pacific coast, especially Coiba Island, still offer some of the best black marlin fishing in the Western Hemisphere. Piñas Bay is home to Tropic Star Lodge, famous since 1961. Black marlin averaging 200 to 500 pounds hunt over these structures. Occasionally, fish over 600 pounds are caught. Slow trolling with live skipjack is the main technique. At Coiba Island, the Hannibal Banks is a very productive area where lure trolling works well.

Striped Marlin: Graceful Fighters

Striped marlin live in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

How Anglers Catch Striped Marlin

Live Bait Fishing

In Mexican hotspots like Cabo San Lucas and Southern California, anglers cast live baits like mackerel to striped marlin seen feeding on the surface.

Trolling live bait slowly is also very effective when many marlin are in one area. Experienced skippers off Bermagui in Australia have caught over 100 striped marlin in a season using this simple method. Larger baits like kahawai and skipjack tuna are often used for the big striped marlin in New Zealand.

Dropping live baits deep with sinkers can get them to fish feeding lower in the water. This is often used in Mexico and Australia.

Where to Find Striped Marlin

Mexico

More striped marlin are caught for fun in Cabo San Lucas than anywhere else in the world. The local fishing banks are fished by many boats. Striped marlin can be caught year-round, but the most show up in late autumn and stay into spring. In December 2007, a team released 330 striped marlin in a two-day tournament, setting a new record!

Australia

While Australia is known for black and blue marlin, striped marlin are also popular. The country's largest fishing tournament is held in Port Stephens, New South Wales. It has produced several striped marlin records on very light tackle. Larger striped marlin, over 250-300 pounds, often appear in the southern part of their range. Batemans Bay, Ulladulla, and Bermagui are places where these big fish can be found. Live baiting and trolling artificial lures are common techniques.

Ecuador

The Galápagos Islands are home to many striped marlin. While "sport fishing" is technically not allowed, visitors can legally fish with licensed local guides. Guides targeting marlin operate from San Cristobal island. The warmer season (December to June) is best for numbers, but larger striped marlin (over 200 pounds) are caught in the colder late summer months.

Striped marlin are also fished from mainland Ecuador. Salinas and Manta are the main fishing bases. The cold Humboldt Current meets the equatorial current here, creating conditions that attract many baitfish, which in turn attract large striped marlin, as well as blue and black marlin.

Kenya

Striped marlin are one of three marlin species found in East African waters. Kenya has the most developed sport fishery in this region. Every year, boats from Malindi, Lamu, Watamu, and Shimoni have excellent striped marlin fishing.

New Zealand

Marlin fishing in New Zealand dates back to the early 1900s. Some of the largest striped marlin, over 400 pounds, have been caught here. The world record for striped marlin, a 494-pound fish, was caught in New Zealand. Many fish over 300 pounds are caught every year. Anglers, often in small boats, chase striped marlin from the far north to as far south as Gisborne. Lure fishing is popular, and many good fish are also caught on live and rigged dead baits.

White Marlin: Small but Mighty

White marlin live in the tropical and sometimes cooler waters of the Atlantic Ocean. They are the smallest marlin species, usually weighing up to about 220 pounds. Anglers love them not for their size, but for their incredible speed, amazing leaps, and how challenging they are to hook. They are considered a top gamefish for light fishing tackle.

The "hatchet marlin" was once thought to be a type of white marlin. It has fins that look "chopped off" instead of rounded. But now, it's confirmed as a separate species called the roundscale spearfish. It looks very similar to a white marlin, and most tournaments treat catches of hatchet marlin as white marlin. Both species are fished for in the same way.

White marlin eat many kinds of schooling baitfish, like sardines, herring, squid, mackerel, and smaller tunas. Like their relatives, the striped marlin and sailfish, white marlin often work together to gather baitfish into a tight ball. When this happens, it's common for two or more marlin to chase the baits or get hooked at the same time!

Where to Find White Marlin

When conditions are right, white marlin often feed in shallow water close to shore. They take advantage of the many baitfish found in these areas.

Brazil

Brazil is home to most of the largest white marlin in the world record books. The all-tackle world record for white marlin, a 181-pound fish, was caught in Brazil. Areas like the Charlotte Bank have huge numbers of white marlin, as well as blue marlin, sailfish, and other open-ocean fish like tuna.

United States

Cape Hatteras, Oregon Inlet, and other fishing areas along the coast of North Carolina benefit from being close to the Gulf Stream. White marlin are often targeted by skilled charter crews and recreational fishermen here. August and September often offer exceptional fishing.

From mid-July onwards, white marlin, along with other Gulf Stream fish like dolphinfish and tuna, start showing up in the continental shelf canyons off Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware. The Jack Spot, an area south of Ocean City, Maryland, was famous for white marlin for many years. In 1939, 171 white marlin were caught there in a single day!

Venezuela

The La Guaira Bank off the coast of Venezuela has many white marlin during their season. White marlin can be found year-round, but autumn is considered the best time to target them. Venezuelan anglers have developed many light-tackle billfishing techniques in these fish-rich waters.

Threats to Marlin

The biggest danger to marlin, and other fish that travel long distances in the ocean, is commercial fishing. Marlin of all kinds are caught by large fishing boats, either on purpose or by accident (as "bycatch") when they are trying to catch tuna and swordfish.

Another big threat comes from some fishing competitions that use methods like "longline" fishing or "driftnet" fishing. These methods catch many different types of fish without being selective. Also, there aren't always enough rules to make sure fisheries follow the guidelines.

Low oxygen levels in more and more large areas of our oceans, called "hypoxia," may also be a threat to billfish populations.

In 2010, Greenpeace International added several marlin species to its "seafood red list." This means these species are at high risk due to overfishing or harmful fishing practices.

Protecting Marlin

The Billfish Foundation (TBF) was started in 1986 to help protect billfish and other ocean species around the world. They work to keep our oceans healthy and support coastal economies. TBF's main research project is a "tag and release" program. Anglers help by tagging marlin and then releasing them. This provides important information to scientists and fisheries managers.

People are becoming more aware of the need to protect billfish. Because of this, more and more recreational anglers and boat captains are releasing the marlin they catch. They try to release them in the best possible condition. In some parts of the world, commercial fishing for striped, black, and blue marlin has even been banned.

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