The Top Areas For Black Marlin Charters
The Black Marlin (Makaira Indica from the order Perciformes) that lives in surface waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. One of the fastest fish on earth (50 miles per hour), M. Indica weighs in at around 750 kilometers (approximately 1700 pounds), although larger specimens have been caught. It is a highly sought after commercial game fish. Black Marlin charters offer a thoroughly satisfying sports fishing experience.
Seafood Red List
As with other genera of Order Perciformes, Makaira appears on the Greenpeace seafood red list. This list documents species that have a high likelihood of being harvested from supplies that are unsustainable. This is why the modern sport fisherman will pause only to photograph their prize and then return it to the sea from whence it emerged. Other species in the same family, Istiophoridae, include the Japanese White Marlin as well as the Hawaiian Silver Marlin.
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.
Color
Despite its descriptive name, M. Indica is not actually black but white and deep blue. It’s tail fins and inflexible pectoral fins, however, are black. Its cross section is more oval than round, unlike its blue cousin, and its ventral fins are rarely longer than 12 inches, no matter how big the fish itself is. It likes warm tropical and subtropical waters near coastland. Occasionally it makes an appearance as far south as Brazil and as far north as the Lesser Antilles.
Fishing Tours
Some of the most popular tours for M. Indica cruise the waters of Australia’s east coast. Roughly 70 per cent of all Makaira larger than 1000 pounds in weight have been found along a 150-mile long section of the Great Barrier Reef located off the coast at Cairns. The combined hauls of Portugal, Brazil and Hawaii only amount to half this collective mass.
Game Fish
The Gold Coast at Brisbane is a very popular gathering place for light tackle enthusiasts seeking Makaira and other game fish. Here they can trawl for Spanish Mackerel, Mia, Wahoo and others. Bottom fishers, otherwise known as ‘jiggers’, come here to find Kingfish, Cobia, Peal Perch and Snapper.
Port Stephens
Off the south west coast of Australia lies Port Stephens, a port more than twice the size of nearby Sydney Harbor. This world-class spot for sport fishing also offers spectacular views, golden, sandy beaches and crystal clear waters. Tours here run from the month of January to April.
In Central America, the Guatemalan Republic is evolving as a favorite location to seek Black Marlin Fishing. Some of the biggest hauls of billfish have been reported as coming from here, with anglers boasting catches of more than 20 fish in one day. Because of its location between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, the season for Black Marlin Charters depends largely on the weather. Some of its biggest storms in living memory have been Hurricanes Stan (2005) and Mitch (1998).