The Top Destinations For Black Marlin Charters   by Ben Pate

in Sports / Other Sports    (submitted 2012-01-17)

The prized game fish, Makaira Indica, or the Black Marlin, dwells in the Indo-Pacific Oceans in surface waters near the coast. It is one of the fastest-moving fish on earth (50 miles per hour) and comes from the Order, Perciformes. The average weight of M. Indica that are routinely caught on Black Marlin Charters is around three quarters of a metric ton (750 kilograms) or roughly 1700 pounds. Heftier specimens have been reported.

Makaira

Makaira, along with other genera of the Perciformes order, is on the Greenpeace seafood red list. This is a list of commonly available fish that are highly likely to be sourced from unsustainable sources. For this reason, most modern sport fishermen will return them to the sea once they have caught and photographed them. It is in the same family, Istiophoridae, as the Japanese white and Hawaiian silver marlins.

Ernest Hemingway

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.

Fins

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

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.

Australia

More than twice the size of Sydney Harbor, Port Stephens on Australia's south west coast is a world class center for Black Marlin Fishing. With its breathtaking scenery, clear waters and golden, sandy beaches, it attracts other tourists as well. Tours from here operate between the months of January and April.

About the Author

The Central American Republic of Guatemala is emerging as a hot spot for M. Indica and for Black Marlin Charters. Some of the most spectacular hauls of billfish have been made here, with anglers bagging as many as twenty or more fish in one day. Owing to its location between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, the area is vulnerable to hurricanes. This tends to govern the months during which Black Marlin Fishing tours operate.