It’s a dream many fishermen have, landing a monster marlin out in the middle of the ocean. Like the famous Hemingway book The Old Man and the Sea, we picture ourselves hauling in that legendary fish and bringing it to shore to display. One of the best areas to go marlin fishing is the Caribbean and Atlantic Coast. If you happen to be on the southeast of Florida, there’s a special swordfish and trolling chart to help you find the best marlin fishing spots.. There are over 170 GPS coordinates for your marlin fishing adventure. Once you find your perfect spot, you need the right bait. It’s no use getting out there without knowing what marlin like! We’ll spell out the best baits for marlin fishing so you can land that behemoth.
Marlin fishing is unlike any other kind of fishing out there. The baits you use to catch them can be the size of a normal fish! That’s because marlin are generally in the 150-500 pound range, the world record in Florida weighed 1,046 pounds! There are three categories for marlin baits: artificial trolling lures, rigged natural baits, and live baitfish. This isn’t like fishing for snook or tarpon, you’re not casting out and constantly reeling in the bait. Instead you’re trolling, setting up your rods and reels and letting them troll behind the boat as you drive around.
Rigged Natural Bait
One of the most popular rigged natural bait for marlin fishing is the ballyhoo. Halfbeaks are also a top choice. These long, slender fish can be found fresh or frozen. Many fishermen will do a bait and switch with natural and artificial lures. They will draw a hookless artificial bait to tease the fish, then hook them with a live bait fish. Some will combine these rigged baits with a skirt to create a “skirted bait”.Artificial Lures
The average marlin fishing lure is anywhere from 7-14 inches long. They either have a metal or plastic head, with a plastic skirt attached. Different shaped heads provide different lure actions in the water. They also come in different weights and colors. It’s up to you (and the specific area you are fishing) to determine which artificial lure will do best. A certain color may do well in the northern Atlantic, but not as well in the Bahamas.
Ballyhoo (tonysbaitandtackle)
Live Bait
Live bait fish that blue marlin tend to go after are small tuna species. It’s important to troll these live bait slowly, in order to keep them alive. A species like skipjack is a top choice. Be sure you hook them properly, so when the marlin takes a bite it doesn’t steal the bait without getting hooked.
It’s important to figure out where you will be fishing and tailor your bait to that place. You may need to ask around for the best marlin fishing techniques for that spot or just test out a few different lure and bait combinations. Waterproof Charts offers nautical fishing charts to help you find the best spots whether it’s the Caribbean or the Atlantic. An area like the northern Bahamas is teeming with marlin, they even host the Bahamas Billfish Championship, one of the top marlin fishing tournaments around. No matter where you go, bring your Waterproof Chart with you!