Finest Destinations 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.

Ernest Hemingway

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

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.

Popular Tours

Some of the best charter fishing tours for M. Indica originate off the eastern coast of Australia. Nearly three quarters of all marlin of more than one ton in weight are caught over a 150 mile-long stretch of the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns. This is roughly twice the amount caught around Brazil, Portugal and Hawaii combined.

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.

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 Black Marlin Fishing also offers spectacular views, golden, sandy beaches and crystal clear waters. Tours here run from the month of January to April.

The Central American Republic of Guatemala is emerging as a hot spot for M. Indica and for Black Marlin Charters.This tends to govern the months during which Black Marlin Fishing tours operate.