Blue Marlin are often considered fishings’ greatest challenge and thrill amongst sport and big game fishing communities. Distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, they’re a true bluewater species that spend the majority of their life in the open ocean, mainly near the surface of the water, far away from land; they are also highly migratory.
The Marlin are one of the largest species of bony fishes, beginning as microscopic larvae and reaching lengths of more than 16ft and weights of over 1000lb. The largest ever caught by IGFA angling rules is a fish that weighed 1,402lb. Fish of over 1,000lb are often referred to by big game anglers as ‘Granders’, and females can grow up to four times the weight of males.
The Blue Marlin are one of the fastest and hard fighting fish in the ocean, renowned for their scintillating bursts of speed and acrobatic fighting style; they can test tackle and anglers to their limits and battles lasting many hours aren’t uncommon. They’re aggressive predators and feed on Mackerel, Tuna and Squid, using their bills to slash through dense schools of baitfish, stunning and injuring their prey before returning to eat their wounded victims. Anglers targeting them use a range of different fishing methods; however, the most popular and effective is trolling artificial lures, typically five to seven baits in a ‘pattern’ to imitate a school of baitfish.
Below are the top destinations in the world for Blue Marlin Fishing.
Bluewater Fishing Panama offers travelling anglers the chance to enjoy a fantastic week of mixed fishing for an array of hard-fighting species. Fishing the rich waters of the Gulf of Chiriquí, an area responsible for over 50 IGFA World Records, you'll wet a line in some of the most famous fishing marks on the planet.
This fishing adventure is like no others out there! Rodrigues Island in Mauritius offers anglers a unique opportunity to fish for some of the worlds most incredible species. The fishing style used is completely down to you and we can tailor the itinerary to suit how you wish to fish and the species you wish to target.
The Zancudo Lodge, where over 70 IGFA records have been set, is world-renowned for its lure and fly fishing inshore and offshore and its finest service. You will receive access to all the required fishing tackle from ultra-light to heavy fly fishing tackle with all poppers, lures, jigs and small flies will also be included.
Due to the amazing fishing at Rodrigues Island, Sportquest Holidays decided to put on their very own hosted Jig fishing trip to the fish packed waters that surround Rodrigues Island in Mauritius. This trip is for the anglers out there who seek adventure and excitement with some pretty extreme fishing for fish that absolutely pull your arms off.
Often referred to as the Billfish capital of the world, Guatemala is famed for its insane averages and yearly release numbers of Sailfish and other hard fighting pelagics. Although many anglers travel to this beautiful region for big game fishing, it’s become increasingly popular amongst the saltwater fly fishing community.
El Bahia de Los Suenos, also commonly referred to as the ‘Bay of Dreams’, offers travelling rods mile upon mile of open and accessible coastline, as well as some of the richest offshore waters found anywhere in the world. Here, the Roosterfish is king, and the area is probably the number one destination for both numbers and the large average size of fish.
Every sport fisherman has heard of stories of how world-class the fishery is in Panama and it's no wondering when Panama is the home to so many IGFA records of all manner of species and our lodge is right in the thick of it. The Gulf of Chiriquí is a real treasure of Panama and with the likes of world-renowned areas such as Hannibal Bank and Isla Montuosa being the fishing grounds
Astove Atoll gives six lucky anglers each week the exclusivity of one of the wildest, most rugged atolls on the globe for a wide range of saltwater flats species. This is a wild, secluded and remarkably remote small-scale destination for anglers seeking adventure and a unique fishing experience not to be missed.
Madeira for many years has produced some of the worlds biggest Blue Marlin and back in 1995, 1996 and 1997 Madeira was the world cup winner. So, if you are a true specimen hunter, we can’t think of a better place to head to for a fish of a lifetime. Perfect for a family getaway with it only being a couple of hour’s flight.
Palma de Cortez resort in Mexico is the ideal big game fishing destination. Not only is the resort located next to all the prime fishing grounds but all tackle is included too. On top of this, we now offer light tackle packages on all Panga boats for bait fishing which include all hooks, weights and leaders free for you to use.
Our fully hosted holidays to Mexico have been running for many years and this is due to how incredible both offshore and inshore fishing is, for a huge variety of different species. Each year we help many anglers catch their target species and 9 times out of 10 these anglers will book year after year. Fully packaged for your convenience.
The world-class resort in Costa Rica called Crocodile Bay has won so many awards on Trip Adviser that we class it as a must go for any big game angler. It is also the perfect destination to take your non-angling family, as the eco tours onsite are unbelievable and if you were to stay there for a whole month, you would never get through them.
This is a very exclusive trip based on only a few anglers plus a Sportquest Host. The holiday is ideal if you are looking at travelling on your own and would like to fish with like-minded anglers. If you have wanted to go big game fishing but struggled to find other friends to travel with then now is the perfect time to join us.
Guatemala is the most prolific and talked about Sailfish destination in the world. Home to so many world records it really is classed as the number one place in the world. With regular 50 shot days in peak season and 15 – 25 shots on a regular day you will soon find your self realising that this part of the world is a must visit Sailfish destination.
La Gomera is the ideal big game fishing destination for anyone who does not like long flights. It is also perfect for a family fishing holiday as the island is packed with other attractions to keep the entire family entertained. You will be fishing some of Europe’s most prolific waters for species such as Blue Marlin and massive Giant Bluefin Tuna.
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