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Feeding Makaira nigricans Scomberomorus maculates.
That’s just a fancy way of saying,
troll Spanish mackerel for explosive blue marlin action!
For blue-water enthusiasts scouring the world’s oceans, there is no
greater challenge than accomplishing the pinnacle of all angling feats,
catching and releasing blue marlin.
And while most anglers are under the misconception that achieving the strenuous feat requires a multi-million dollar battle wagon, a small mortgage worth of tackle and accessories, and a lifetime of big-game angling experience, it doesn’t have to be so. With increased fuel economy and extended range, an ever-increasing number of small to mid-size boaters are taking full advantage of this big time billfish challenge.
Sure, while being well equipped and heavily armed will be crucial to your success, a proper presentation is actually quite simple to achieve. While every tournament winning billfish team deploys its own special blend of secret trolling spreads, there is one constant across the leader board, which is including Spanish mackerel in their presentations. It doesn’t matter where around the Florida Peninsula or throughout the Bahamian Islands chain you intend to ply your craft, Spanish mackerel are without a shadow of a doubt a mainstay in almost every marlin pattern used by professional crews.
Interestingly enough, more than fifty years ago, the University of Miami conducted a wide-spread survey on the contents of Atlantic blue marlin stomachs. Scientists produced an extensive list of blue marlin prey which included triggerfish and lobster - although I've never heard of anyone using either of these as marlin baits. The researchers concluded that blue marlin pretty much eat whatever is most readily available. I have personally seen juvenile billfish and even porpoise in large blue marlin stomachs, and while I wouldn’t use either for bait, we all know that blue marlin of all sizes jump all over Spanish mackerel anywhere in the world.
The first and probably biggest challenge one encounters when attempting to fish Spanish mackerel for blue marlin is actually getting your hands on the bait. Fortunately, for those of us who reside here in South Florida, from early fall well into the winter season, there are literally millions of mackerel cruising our beaches. Spanish mackerel are also available commercially from big-game bait suppliers, though they are quite expensive and no where near as fresh. Plus, by purchasing them, you miss out on all the fun and satisfaction of catching your own bait.
There are many methods which can be used to procure Spanish mackerel, but we all know trolling is the overall best approach as far as preservation (no nicks, no scars, no tears) of the bait is concerned. To make short work of the task, ask around to find where the bulk of the Spanish mackerel are being caught in your particular area and what time of the day is producing the best results. You will find most tackle shop personnel and professional charter boat captains will be happy to share this valuable information which will surely save you a tremendous amount of time and effort.
The trolling setup is easy. Simply pull a pair of #1 planers with 30- to 40-feet of monofilament leader armed with 0 or 00 Clark Spoons. I have found that the shiny Clark or similar spoons with green reflective tape have been the most effective as of late. You can also add a pair of short tube lures above the spoons to assist in the bait catching task. This set-up is often referred to as a mackerel tree and is all you need to accomplish your mission. Be sure to rig with black swivels, and it also wouldn’t hurt to paint your planers black so as to avoid unnecessary cut-offs from the toothy macks. Troll at four to five knots around the edges of the birds which you will surely see diving and screeching when mackerel are on the feed.
Now, if you really want to go about the business of obtaining prime baits the right way and are serious about ending up with nothing less than first class, top-quality baits, you should prepare your fish box with a ‘special sauce’ well before leaving the dock. “Special sauce” is a term used for the brine solution needed to insure your baits are well preserved and properly toughened. If the lack of available space or other considerations prohibit this type of preparation, be sure to handle your mackerel as little and as gently as possible and place them in the brine solution immediately after returning to port. Be assured that if you do not brine your mackerel, they will quickly wash out and all of your hard work obtaining the baits will most assuredly be in vain.
When preparing the special sauce, I prefer a slushy mix of seawater and ice to which I add about six-ounces of kosher salt and two-ounces of baking soda for every gallon of water. The more salt, the tougher the bait as the salt draws out the moisture. The baking soda slows the natural breakdown process of enzymes in the bait and helps preserve both color and scent. If your mixture isn’t perfect, it’s okay. Another alternative is to use a product such as Bait Master’s “Magic Brine” or Bionic’s Bait “Bionic Brine.” Both work great and make finding the correct proportions easy.
After the mackerel have soaked for a while, you will need to gill and gut them. If you skip this important step, you may as well just throw your baits away. Nonetheless, after carefully gilling and gutting the Spanish mackerel, place the intended baits back in the brining solution and allow them to soak for several more hours. If you intend to high-speed troll or would prefer to end up with a selection of baits that are practically bullet-proof, add a heavy dose (12 to 14 ounces in a medium size cooler) of formaldehyde for the last 45 minutes to “cook” your baits. If you decide to take advantage of this step, I must warn you to use extreme caution: be careful not to spill the formaldehyde, and wear gloves and safety glasses to protect yourself from exposure. Finally, remove your baits from the brine, dry, package in vacuum sealed bags, and immediately freeze. You now have premium, professional quality marlin baits ready for the upcoming season.
As for rigging Spanish mackerel, volumes have been written on the subject, so I won’t go there in detail, except to offer some advice and point out a few errors to avoid.
Do not over-hook the baits. In other words, don’t rig with too big of a hook, and don’t place your hook too far back in the bait – either error will ruin the bait’s natural swimming action. The hook should be placed about two-inches behind the mackerel’s pectoral fins. Do take the time to scrape out the Spanish mackerel’s teeth before rigging. You will regret not doing so. A couple of additional key points include making the hole in the bait's head dead center and keeping the bait’s mouth tightly sewn shut. Back in the day, many skippers rigged mackerel with the mouth left open. A lure was slid down over the mouth, but this method is no longer preferred. Rather, if the bait's mouth is sewn tight, it will swim true and natural and will usually last until something monstrous smashes it.
As for the mono loop which secures the leader to the hook and the hook to the bait is concerned, here’s a tip that many top deckhands use, including my deckhand, Captain Chad Meeks. Notch out a small “V” in the lower jaw of the mackerel and pull your crimp tight to this “V.” You will find that your bait will alternately skip and swim with an extremely natural and enticing action. The bait will appear vibrant and look like it’s swimming its little butt off.
There is no question that the trend in marlin circles has been leaning towards downsizing dead baits when targeting average size blues in the 200- to 400-pound range. We all have, and many seasoned veterans still do, pull large mackerel – over sixteen-inches. These big baits are generally double hooked. And while there’s always a place in the spread for large, double-hooked baits, today, my crew prefers to pull relatively small twelve-inch mackerel on single hook rigs. It’s my personal belief the average size blue marlin encountered locally and throughout the islands can easily turn and swallow small baits which greatly increases hook-up ratios. When fishing exotic destinations where larger blues exceeding 500 pounds are much more prevalent, larger baits will be more appealing.
Keep in mind that it is universally believed that blue marlin can consume prey species that weigh ten pounds for each hundred pounds of body weight. Theoretically, a 350 pound blue can easily swallow a 35 pound yellowfin tuna, so regardless how big the Spanish mackerel is, it’s never anything more than a mere morsel.
I know of no professional captain who pulls only mackerel. This marlin bait is sort of a specialty item, or as we like to call it, “a show and tell bait,” pulled in conjunction with other natural baits and lures. When specifically targeting blues, we typically pull one and sometimes two Spanish mackerel in combination with lures and horse ballyhoo rigged behind Hawaiian Eyes. I almost always position the mackerel on the short riggers behind large teasers which create a lot of commotion. The higher up the outrigger you run the release clip, the more the bait will skip and slap across the surface. The lower you place the clip, the more the bait will swim. Do your best to find the best height and distance combination given the existing sea conditions during each particular day of blue marlin fishing. Whatever you do, don’t just throw the mackerel back in the spread and hope for the best. These are diabolically clever blue marlin we’re talking about, not savage bluefish that will readily crush anything you put in front of them. When the overall presentation is correct, you’ll know it.
Aboard Waterdog, a 48ft. Garlington, we pull Spanish mackerel with a very light drag setting- just enough to keep the line from coming off the spool with the clicker on. When a marlin strikes, the boat remains in gear while the angler feeds the bait to the billfish until we firmly believe the fish has had ample time to turn and eat the bait. The designated angler then advances the drag to the strike position, which is usually set at about 18 pounds with 100lb.line on 80lb.class tackle. All of this is done with the rod still in the holder in the covering board. Unless the fish comes up jumping, we will let the blue run a fair amount of line off the reel before the angler repositions to the chair. This, I believe, assures a solid hook-up and means less risk of ultimately pulling the hook.
So now that you are rigged and ready, where do you go to find blue marlin? While there are many potential destinations around the State, such as off the Florida Keys, up off the Panhandle, or out in the east coast’s Gulf Stream currents, for local anglers calling South Florida home, it’s really hard to beat the Abacos from late spring through the summer season. However, if you put your time in anywhere throughout the Bahamian island nation from the edge to around 3,000 feet of water, you will likely get your marlin shots. Like everywhere else, look for clean, temperate water with well formed current rips or temperature breaks. Also, you should look out for schools of big dolphin. Although dolphin make up a large percentage of a marlin’s diet and are a good indication of possible billfish activity in the nearby vicinity, there is no better way to ruin your deckhand’s day than by having his meticulously rigged Spanish mackerel destroyed by big dolphin. If you get invaded, wind-in the macks and feed out the ballyhoo.
Lastly, once a blue marlin is hooked, expert boat handling and extreme caution in the cockpit will be critical to a successful and safe outcome. Though the majority of the fish encountered in this portion of the hemisphere are manageable, granders exceeding the thousand pound mark are always possible. Regardless what size fish you connect with, inexperienced anglers should take no part in the leadering or releasing process. One wrong wrap or a last swipe of the dangerous bill and an awesome experience can quickly turn tragic. If at all possible, cut the leader as close to the hook as you can and do your very best to revive the worn-out fish prior to letting it swim free. Once the marlin regains its composure, it will let you know it’s ready to go.
All in all, blue marlin fishing is a big-game adventure like no other. If you have never had the privilege to get in on the unforgettable fun, now is definitely the time to give it a try.
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