Every fisherman in the world dreams of one day landing the heralded black marlin. The black marlin is commonly linked to the blue marlin when it actually has more in common with the white marlin. Recently, scientists have reclassified the fish to be in the sailfish category. No matter what they call this beautiful specimen, fishermen will continue to hunt them down with vigor. Compared with blue marlin fishing, black marlin fishing is very different.
Comparing Species
Genetically compared to the striped/white marlin and the sailfish, the black marlin are more solid than their blue counterparts. They have a shorter bill and a rounder and lower dorsal fin. They are also the only marlin from the marlin family to have rigid pectoral fins that are unable to be pressed flat against their immense body.
Predatory Fish
Black marlins are known as power predators. The diet of the black marlin mostly consists of small tuna, cuttlefish, large crustaceans, and in general smaller fish. This is quite a generalization as most fish are smaller than black marlin.
Full Moon Fishing
Because of their size and their physique black marlin are popularly fished. Research off the coast of Australia suggests that the black marlin is much easier to catch around the full moon and the week afterwards. This is due to its prey moving to the surface layers which in turn forces the marlin to hunt in a wider area.
Where To Find
Where can you find black marlin? They love to swim in warm water, so the indo-pacific oceans are a great place to start looking. They have also been spotted in Chile and in some parts of southern California. They like to swim just underneath the surface of the water. They also especially like to swim near underwater structures like coral reefs.
Fishing Tours
Black marlins are a favorite target for anglers all over the world due to the fact that they are able to put up such a good fight when they get hooked on a line. Some black marlin can grow to be over fifteen feet long and weigh up to as much as 1,4000 pounds. These are just some of the things fishermen dream about at night when they think about black marlin. If you are interested, you can hire fishing charters that will take you deep out to sea to try and catch one of these marvelous creatures. They will be able to show you the best methods for catching them and have all of the latest in fishing technology.
Black marlin fishing is one of the most adventurous things anyone can attempt. They offer one of the greatest challenges any fisherman can face. Compared to Blue Marlin fishing, going after black marlins is much more difficult. Due to so many people going after these fish, however, their numbers are dwindling. There are actually restrictions on fishing for black marlin now that say if you catch one you must tag and release it.
