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The Gulf Stream flows through the Florida Straights between the Keys and Cuba, at an average
of two to four knots, moving more water in a single day than all the rivers of the world combined.
Where the shoreward edge of the Gulf Stream encounters the slope of the Continental Shelf,
some twenty miles south of the lower Keys and Key West, exists a sport of kings.
Fishing for the almighty blue marlin.
Marlin fishing is not a sport for everyone. It requires for the most part a commitment to achieving the objective at all cost. Passing up on boards loaded with twenty pound dolphin, resisting the erg to race back to the reef if fishing is slow, and most of all leaving all those hyperactive anglers at home. Marlin Fishing is the purist form of big game sport fishing. Waiting hours or days for one fish to strike is not for everyone but for the anglers that make the commitment the rewards are immense. An angler once asked me why I preferred to fish for marlin over everything else? I gave my answer without a second of hesitation. I quickly stated; that when a yellowtail snapper could tail walk across the water at seventy miles a hour, scream drag off an 80TW with thirty pounds of drag and fill the air with the sights and sounds that only a marlin could, then I would consider a new favorite quarry. In the meantime the smell of black diesel smoke from roaring diesels while setting the hook, the hot pungent odor of reel drags beginning to melt, and watching hundreds of yards of line melt into the deep cobalt blue sea, followed by excited screams from shocked anglers bearing witness to the most powerful game fish in the sea, rank the blue marlin as number one in my book.
Historical Look at Keys Marlin Fishing In the Florida Straits where the Gulf Stream makes it’s way between Cuba, the Bahamas, and Key West there have been many anglers willing to test their skills and equipment against the powerful blue marlin. The most well known was Ernest Hemmingway. A celebrated author and angler who often frequented the waters of the Gulf Stream, Hemmingway pioneered the use of outriggers. These forerunners of modern day aluminum outriggers were made of wood and were installed in a fixed position, out. The fact that the outriggers could not be folded into the up position against the bridge required that the boat take up two slips. Needlness to say modern sport fishing boats and accessories have come a long way. Thankfully the days of linen line, iron pipe fighting chairs and wooden outriggers are long behind us. Today’s well equipped sport fishing yachts cruise along effortlessly at thirty knots, feature anodized aluminum fighting chairs, and are outfitted with large capacity offshore big game tackle all making the sport truly enjoyable. Twenty miles south of Key West lies an area known as “The Wall”. The Wall is the outer edge of the continental shelf where the ocean bottom drops sharply from 950 feet to 2000 feet in a very short distance. The wall itself first drops vertically from 300’ to 500’ and then again from 950’
straight down to the bottom. Extending from Big Pine Key westward to Key West, this deep trench almost parallels the Keys Island chain. The gulf stream, which flows at an average of two to four knots in this area, runs in a northeasterly direction. As it passes over the wall the strong upwellings created, push nutrient rich waters up from the depths. It is these nutrients that bring large concentrations of baitfish to the area and the bait in turn attracts numerous species of game fish. On a calm summer day fishing at “The Wall” large schools of tuna (blackfin, yellowfin and skip jack) as well as dolphin can be seen feeding under hundreds of circling terns and man-o-war birds. “The Wall” is also a favorite feeding ground for a number of different squid eating porpoises. Common bottle nose dolphin, risso dolphin and spotted dolphin can all be seen here at one time or another. There are particular areas along “The Wall” known as the east crack, middle crack and west crack. These are areas where the wall has cracked and valleys extend a half mile north into the face of the wall. These areas cause additional upwelling currents and are known hot spots for marlin. The Wall is actually known by many as Wood’s Wall. Captain Norman Wood was one of the first to explore the area in the early 80's. In 1981 Capt. Wood, better known as Storming Norman for his fast trolling, invited Miami Herald sports writer Jim Hardy down for a day of fishing aboard his boat, the Petty Coat III, Capt. Wayne Hunt, a long
time friend of Norman’s agreed to ride along and mate for the day. Their intention was to introduce Jim Hardy to the phenominal blue marlin fishing available on “The Wall”. Little did they know, that on that cool September morning they were about to make marlin fishing history. Is was another exceptionally beautiful day in the Florida Keys with a pleasant 10 to 12 knot northeasterly breeze as the Petty Coat III made the run from Oceanside Marina, on Stock Island just out side Key West, to “The Wall” some twenty miles to the south. Once on location Captain Wood slowed the boat to his usual 8 knot trolling speed as Wayne began to hang the first lure in the outrigger. Suddenly Norman heard a commotion in the cockpit and turned just in time to see Jim Harty push the lever drag forward on a loaded Penn International 80W while a fiesty 400 pound blue marlin broke the surface. As the mate was hanging the rigger line the marlin had struck, nearly taking off his fingers.
That blue marlin was the first of seven hooked that day including a double header. Jim Hardy had needed a single marlin release for his master angler in the MET that year and needless to say he achieved his goal. In October of the following year, Captain Norman Wood formed The Key West Blue Marlin Tournament. Which happens to still rank as the largest and most successful marlin tournament in the Keys. In l986 Mary Jo Spence fishing aboard the Mary Jo caught the first 500 pound blue marlin of the event, on the first day of the four day tournament. On the fourth day a second 500 pound blue was weighed in to take second place. In 1987 Martha (Rossie) Morrison fishing with me aboard the Sea Boots set a new tournament record when she weighed in a 520 blue. In 1989 angler Glenn Bennett fishing aboard the Thunnus with Capt. Brian Bennett broke the record once again with a 580 pound beast. Captain Woods largest marlin on the wall was a 578 pound giant but was not taken during his tournament. In 1990 the crew of the Rapa from Ft. Lauderdale, competing in the Gallon Round Up Tournament in Key West weighed in a new record blue for local waters, a 665 pound behemoth. Blue marlin are most commonly found in the deep blue waters beyond the Continental Shelf and inhabit the oceans of the world. Blues will obtain a size of fifty pounds in the first six months of life and can weigh a solid one hundred pounds on their first birthday. This rapid growth rate declines as the marlin matures and a 500- pound specimen could probably be thirty five years old. The female blues are the largest, growing
to a weight of over two thousand pounds. The males rarely exceed a weight of 250 pounds and the largest male recorded was 239 pounds. Blue marlin are world travelers with the longest recorded tagged fish traveling l,290 nautical miles, from San Juan Puerto Rico to Nantucket in 1991.* (NOAA TAGGING PROGRAM) Fishing for Blue Marlin Fishing for marlin can be very frustrating to some anglers, hours and hours of trolling with not even a knock down. Many fishermen wonder if there are any marlin in the ocean after several days with no luck. Here are some techniques and information that can shorten the search for the man in the blue suit. I will explain each of these areas but for now lets just skim over some of the techniques and objectives. Tackle must be suited to the marlin, depending on the time of the year. Off the Lower Keys and Key West you could catch and release a marlin on 30 or 50 pound test during the summer, however, you could get your clock cleaned in the early winter when the larger marlin arrive. The phase of the moon also plays an important part in the number of potential strikes and of course technique and rigging is all important. Lets cover each of these areas in depth so that you have a new bag of tricks to take into the Gulfstream in your hunt for the man in blue Timing, Wind, Tide, Moon Phases & Weather for Marlin Timing your marlin fishing trip to coincide with the right moon phase, wind and tide will greatly increase the chances of success. Marlin have periods of greater and lessor activity like any other fish. Fish in general are street wise or tide wise and can figure when the greatest concentrations of bait will occur. Conditions for surface feeding will be the best a few days before the new and full moon and a few days behind the moon. That period three days before the moon (new or full) and three days behind the moon is the best time for marlin success.
Other factors are that twelve hour period just before a cold front or change in the weather. On “The Wall” along the Lower Keys and Key West, a strong gulfstream current flows across the wall causing up wellings bringing nutrients to the surface increasing the bait and surface feeding activity. April thru July the marlin are smaller (100 to 250 lbs) and can be found closer to shore from 640 feet out to “The Wall”. August thru December the marlin are large and range further off shore, along “The Wall” and beyond and weather becomes a factor as winter arrives in the Gulfstream. Coupling any two or all of these factors into the same time period will bring even more positive results. The angler fishing for marlin on “The Wall” should expect to catch one marlin for every 24 hours of serious fishing time spent (3 8 hour fishing days). We have hooked five or six marlin in one day on “The Wall” but the average is one marlin for every three days of fishing and whether you boat the fish or not depends on many factors. In 1986 an angler by the name of John Boyle an Irishman and veterinarian from New Jersey made his first trip marlin fishing to “The Wall” aboard the Sea Boots. A strong northwest wind was announcing the arrival of a September cold front. Only thirty minutes after putting the lures in the water a big blue came up between the outriggers and raced back and forth — all lit up electric blue — trying to decide witch lure to eat. With the quickness displayed only by a marlin, he pounced on the left rigger and the battle was on. We chased the big blue for five miles east along “The Wall” before he settled down and began to sound. Our angler’s fishing harness had broken and forty minutes into the battle, John began to wonder if he would survive this fight. Finally, the big blue yielded to a heavy drag and the fish was brought to the flying gaff. In a different time, this fish would have been released and a replica mount made.
On the ride home our exhausted angler collapsed groaning in agony when a second blue of 300 to 400 pounds took the rigger down and began screaming off line. Our angler gave a sigh of relief when the hooks pulled. John Boyle returned a year later and repeated the feat releasing a 180 lb blue marlin, this time using 50 pound test tackle and again we hooked a second marlin on the way home only to pull the hooks. It was not until the third year fishing on “The Wall” that John discovered you don’t catch a marlin everyday. The statement by Earnest Hemmingway, “the longer the hunt the sweeter the kill” would apply in the case of John Boyle. One thing I can say with conviction, speaking only for myself, is that any of the small marlin that I have caught far surpass the excitement and joy that all of the yellowtail in the world could bring.
Large capacity lever drag reels and matching rods are a must for marlin catching, if you just want to go marlin fishing, you could use a spinning reel. Penn International, Shimano or Fin-Nor reels are absolutely a must for success. These reels offer the line capacity and large drag surface required to land a marlin. An angler can expect even a small marlin (200 lbs) to run off 200 to 300 yards of line in a matter of seconds. The larger drag surface of Penn, Shimano and Fin-Nor reels are capable of dissipating the heat build up with out drags becoming sticky resulting in broken off fish. Take my word for it, cheap, conventional reels will not handle the job. In the Summer along the wall marlin average from 100 to 250 lbs with occasional larger fish. International 30W or 50W reels with matching rods work well. The seas are generally calm and the boat can be manoeuvred with ease. In late August the adult marlin begin to dominate “The Wall”. These fish will weigh from 300 to 800 lbs and even larger tackle can become light tackle indeed. I would suggest a minimum of 50 wide or 80 wide reels. Larger marlin and rough seas make subduing a marlin of this size a formidable task. Line must be loaded on the reels with care. Caution! Be sure to put enough pressure on the line as it is wound on to the reel. Check by pressing on the line already on the reel — it should feel hard when pressed with the finger. If the line depresses or feels soft, rewind it, putting more resistance on the line as it is wound back on the reel. Line wound on without enough pressure will put down into the spool and break off the fish. Components of the line, double line and leader are very important.
Your line is only as strong as its weakest point and believe me when I say a 500 pound raging marlin will find any weak point in the line or the angler. The double line is a part of the leader and serves as a shock absorber to prevent breaking the line under the added stress of a sudden surge. The double line is formed with a Bimini Twist. The Bimini Twist offers 100 % breaking strength and also acts as an additional s h o c k absorber. The double line offers great protection against line breakage but the angler tying the rigs must be careful not to make the double line to long. The added elasticity can make setting the hook difficult. I would suggest using four feet of double line on 30 and 50 lb tackle and six to eight feet on 80 and 130 lb gear.
The double line is tied to the swivel using an offshore swivel knot. Heavy duty swivels are a must and under no circumstances should you use snap swivels. If the leader tangles with the snap it could easily open and good bye MR. Marlin. Aboard the Sea Boots we have found that using a stainless thimble and aluminum crimps (leader to swivel and leader to # 10 or 11 marlin hook) offer the best resistance against chaffing. The stainless thimble rides against the metal parts of the swivel and hook. The leader and hook size must be matched to the tackle being used. For example, with 50 pound gear, you would want to use a 10/0 Mustad #7732 hook and the leader could be reduced to 200 lb test in the hopes of attracting more strikes. Under current IGFA rules the leader length can be as long as thirty feet but the total length of the double line and leader combined cannot exceed forty feet. The double line alone cannot exceed 20 feet. The important thing to note here is that when using lighter tackle (30’s or 50’s) you definitely want to use a longer leader. I suggest the maximum length of 30 feet. Consider a marlin that is 12 feet in length. If you use a 12’-15’ leader, the fish’s tail will almost be in the prop as you are backing down to release it. Marlin don’t like boats as it is, and this can present a real problem. The 30 foot leader allows the angler to reach the leader before spooking the fish with the boat thus resulting in an easier and safer release. While fishing with 80’s & 130’s a twenty foot 300-400lb test leader would be adequate. The heavier tackle can over power the mighty fish and he will come to the boat head first, eliminating the need for a longer leader. There are still a few captains around that fish with natural baits when targeting blue marlin. Rigged mullet, mackerel and ladyfish have all accounted for numerous catches. For the most part, artificials are the way to go.
Natural baits not only require proper rigging techniques but they also require that the angler have the skills to drop back and hook a fish. Artificial, on the other hand, are simple and with the use of tag lines are almost fool proof. Matching lure and hook sizes to your tackle is perhaps the most crucial issue. We’ve previously discussed matching the rods, reels and terminal tackle, now let’s look at matching the lures to the size of the fish we want to catch. In the world of big game marlin fishing, BIG baits catch BIG fish. A small to mid size marlin will not hesitate on attacking what appears to be a big flying fish, ballyhoo, or small bonita. On the other hand, ‘mama’wants more! Large female marlin exert a tremendous amount of energy hunting for prey and need to eat a phenomenal amount to satisfy their insatiable appetite. Dolphin, blackfins, big bonita, and small to mid size yellowfin tuna are all on the big marlins menu. 14” to 20” lures with big profiles are customary when searching for a beast. A good recommendation is the original Sea Boots Kona Lure marketed by or own Sea Boots Outfitters here in Big Pine Key. The lure comes in various sizes for various size fish and has been proven over and over. This particular lure imitates a very large flying fish skimming on the surface and can be trolled in heavy grass due to the shape of the chisel cut head. The original Sea Boots Kona is also an extremely versatile lure. This lures unique hydrodynamic design allows it to swim perfectly while trolling anywhere from 6-14 knots. Another good choice for trophies in the 400 plus range is the Sea Boots Mega Marlin lure. This extremely large lure was developed aboard the Sea Boots for attracting and catching only really big marlin.
The lure resembles a small tuna and produces explosive surface strikes. The Key West Marlin Tournament record fish weighing in at 520lbs was caught aboard the Sea Boots on a Mega Marlin Lure. Tag lines are short twenty foot pieces of mono extending from the outrigger clips and can be attached to your fishing line with a rubber band. The tag line is designed to eliminate the drop back when a marlin strikes and pops the line out of the rigger clip. The reduced drop back will assist in more hook-ups. To estimate the proper length of a tag line, attach a piece of mono to the top of the outrigger and extend it to the center of the transom. This is a good length to start with. The perfect tag line would be 150 lb mono with a large snap swivel at each end. The size of the rubber band is also of importance. A # 32 is appropriate for 30 to 50lb test and a # 64 should be used for 80 to 130lb test. Attaching a tag line to the main fishing line is accomplished by connected one end of the rubber band to the snap and then wrapping the band around the main line five or six times — passing the end back onto the snap. When a fish strikes, the broken rubber band releases the line and the hook-up is accomplished. There are many lure patterns that work. The most important aspect of the pattern is to close all the holes and prevent lines from tangling. Closing the holes is defined as presenting a pattern that does not have large gaps where a fish could approach the spread without getting presented a lure.
Every lure should be at a different length to prevent tangling while turning. The spread will also present a larger area of uniform coverage. Turns can be made to either side very quickly without tangling the lines. Lures set at different lengths will pass over and under each other, each keeping their own space. Setting the Drags & Fighting the Fish Drags should be set at 25% to 30% of the line’s test. Using a hand scale, pull line off the tip of the rod and adjust the drag accordingly. Be sure to remind the angler that as a marlin dumps a half a spool of line off the reel there is a point where the drag must be reduced. With the lost line, the drag pressure on a half-filled spool has now doubled. If the drag is not reduced and the fish continues to run, the result will probably be a loud ‘snap’. There are a lot of different schools of thought on hooking marlin. Once a fish strikes, many captains throttle up for a few seconds just to help set the hook. My personal method of choice, with a carefully set drag in the strike position, is to leave the rod in the holder and stick the fish with the boat once the rod loads.
After the hook-up all other lines must immediately be cleared in order for the captain to maneuver the boat as necessary without worrying about tangles. Successful big game sport fishing is a team sport. Everyone should know and practice their duties well in advance. Often, marlin will start jumping right after the hook-up. This can work in your favor if the fish does not spit the hook, as you can judge the size of the fish. On other occasions marlin will eat the lure and go straight down, dumping several hundred yards of line off your reel. Sea conditions and the size of your boat will determine whether you can back down or have to run forward with the fish on the quarter. Either way, conserving the loss of line is crucial. Chasing the fish will also prevent a giant bow in your line, the number one cause of line failure second only to improperly set drags. Try to stay within one hundred yards of the fish at all times. Most marlin, even big ones, can usually be released in under an hour. It’s important keep the heat on the fish until the release. Don’t think for a second that you can relax and the fish will eventually give up.
The time to relax is when the marlin is taking line, the second he stops, the angler should be reeling in. In short, either you or the fish should be taking line at all times. There should only be very short periods when you are at a stand off. The short pump and wind tactic is a good technique for breaking standoffs. During the fight, expect marlin to suddenly turn right back at the boat and cause a tremendous amount of slack. Prepare the angler for this ahead of time and be sure he reels as quickly as possible to take up the slack line. I’ve often had to run a hundred yards or more to get the slack out on some fish. When the angler begins to work the marlin close to the boat —be ready — particularly if the fish is near the surface. Get aggressive, back down and get the leader. Be careful, but do not hesitate. Once the leader is touched, this fish is officially caught. When tagging the fish, be extremely cautious as to proper tag placement. Sticking a marlin in a vital organ could obviously defeat the purpose of a tag. Marlin fishing is truly the sport of kings and is not for everyone. Some people think that fishing all day, waiting for a single fish to strike is absolutely crazy. I, on the other hand, would rather fish for blue marlin than do anything else in the world. I constantly consider that the one fish could weigh 2000 lbs or more and is the undisputed, heavy weight champion of the sea! The challenge can definitely be frustrating, but well worth the wait for the select anglers that can appreciate the ultimate challenge in big game fishing. That’s Blue Marlin Fishing…Key’s Style!
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