The Pacific Blue Marlin. The ‘gold medal’ catch of Hawaiian Fishing!

The very largest of the Marlins are the Blue Marlins and of all the possible trophy fish found anywhere in the world, this is the prize! Yes, they are found in large numbers throughout the islands of Hawaii but they, and related species, are found throughout the tropical and subtropical oceans of the world. They can be found from the U.S Northeast seaboard south to the Caribbean and down to the eastern shores of South America. They are found in regions of the Indian Ocean and in the Pacific from Mexico and the coast of California, down as far as Chile off the western coast of South America, and of course Hawaii.

Most species of Blue Marlin are migratory and are capable of traveling many miles in short periods of time. Tagged Marlins off the coast of Hawaii have been found as far away as the Galapagos island (3000 miles) within a period of just 90 days. They can swim very deep but are often found within just 30 meters of the surface seemingly preferring the warmer waters found there.
As far as size, they can be enormous reaching in some cases as much as 2000 lbs. They are more likely to be in the 200 to 400 lb range however and it is the female of the species that is the largest of the two. Length of the big ones can be in the range of 14′ but the normal would be more in the range of 11′.

Perhaps these fish more than any others are known for the terrific fight they put up when hooked and this challenge in itself is part of the allure and mystique of the Blue Marlin. Hawaii is one of the best place in the world to catch them and these islands have some world class boats that set out to do just that.