January 20, 2012
Top Spots For Black Marlin Charters
The prized game fish, Makaira Indica, or the Black Marlin, dwells in the Indo-Pacific Oceans in surface waters near the coast. It is one of the fastest-moving fish on earth (50 miles per hour) and comes from the Order, Perciformes. The average weight of M. Indica that are routinely caught on Black Marlin Charters is around three quarters of a metric ton (750 kilograms) or roughly 1700 pounds. Heftier specimens have been reported.
Seafood Red List
Makaira, along with other genera of the Perciformes order, is on the Greenpeace seafood red list. This is a list of commonly available fish that are highly likely to be sourced from unsustainable sources. For this reason, most modern sport fishermen will return them to the sea once they have caught and photographed them. It is in the same family, Istiophoridae, as the Japanese white and Hawaiian silver marlins.
Santiago
Santiago, the fictional ageing fisherman from the Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) novel, 'The Old Man and the Sea', had finally broken an 84-day run of bad luck when he hooked a specimen of this order. The remainder of the novel chronicles the man's struggle with nature.
Fins
Strictly speaking, Makaira Indica is not black. It is dark blue and white. Only the rigid pectoral fins and the tail fins are black. It has a less rounded shape than its blue cousin and its ventral fins rarely exceed one foot long, regardless of how big the fish is. It prefers the warm, coastal waters of the tropics and the subtropics. Rarely, it has been seen to cross the Atlantic Ocean via the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa as far southwest as Brazil and northwest to the Lesser Antilles.
Fishing Tours
The eastern coast of Australia offers some of the best chartered fishing breaks on the planet. Approximately 75% of all marlin over the weight of one ton are caught along a 150-mile section of the Great Barrier Reef off the Cairns coast. Altogether, game fishermen off the coasts of Brazil, Hawaii and Portugal catch in the region of half this amount.
Deap Sea
The deep sea waters off of Brisbane's Gold Coast is a much frequented haunt for light tackle sport fishermen looking for M. Indica and other game species. Hobbyists can trawl for Mia Mia, Spanish Mackerel and Wahoo, among others. Jiggers, or bottom fishers, also flock here to capture the likes of Cobia, Kingfish, Peal Perch and Snapper.
Port Stephens
Port Stephens is more than twice the size of Sydney Harbor. With its beautiful scenery, glassy clear waters and golden shoreline, it is a world-class focus for Black Marlin Fishing. Tours from this area depart during the month of January through April.
In Central America, the Guatemalan Republic is evolving as a favorite location to seek Black Marlin Fishing. Because of its location between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, the season for Black Marlin Charters depends largely on the weather.
Filed under Fishing Rod Building by Mick