The Best Areas For Black Marlin Charters
The prized game fish, Makaira Indica, more commonly known as Black Marlin, is one of the world’s fastest fish. It reaches speeds of more than 50 miles per hour. Generally weighing in at 1700 pounds, or 750 kilograms, larger beasts have been reportedly caught by Black Marlin charters. M. Indica is of the Perciformes order of fish and dwells in the coastal surface waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Greenpeace
Makaira and other genera are on Greenpeace’s seafood red list. What this means is that they are very likely to be drawn from unsustainable sources. This is why the modern sport fisherman will capture them humanely, photograph them for posterity and return them to the sea from whence they came. Genus Makaira is from the same family, Istiophoridae, as the Hawaiian Silver Marlin and the Japanese White.
Old Salt
Ernest Hemingway’s old fisherman, Santiago, made his fictional claim to fame when he broke a nearly three-month dry spell when he finally hooked a Makaira. The remainder of the novel, ‘The Old Man and the Sea’, captures the chronology of the old man’s brave struggle with the beast and Mother 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
Brisbane’s Gold Coast is a favorite spot for light tackle enthusiasts seeking M. Indica as well as other game fish. Here fishermen can trawl for Wahoo, Spanish Mackerel and Mia Mia and others. Bottom fishers (’jiggers’) gather to haul in Snapper, Peal Perch, Kingfish and Cobia.
Austrailia
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).
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