Fish Species
Blue Marlin
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Blue Marlin, likely the most coveted catch for big game fishermen, is one of the largest of our Sea of Cortez billfish. Worldwide travelers found in temperate waters, Blue Marlin follow the earth’s ocean currents in search of warm waters and abundant prey. Heading toward the equator during winter, they move longitudinally north during summer months, often finding their way into our abundant, warm waters of the Sea of Cortez. An interesting fact is that not only are they Blue marlin, they prefer blue water - with temperatures no cooler than 75 degrees and conversely are comfortable with surface waters up to 88, even 90 degree waters. Nicely designed, that’s our summer surface temperatures in Baja and the best months for pursuing Blue Marlin are July, August, September, October - although we’ve released a Blue Marlin as late as Thanksgiving. Blue Marlin get their name from the 15 rows of light, cobalt colored stripes that when hunting absolutely glow with pigment containing light reflecting cells.
When Blue Marlin are caught they turn into greyhounds with the strength of a Mack truck and the speed of a rocket. You can see them tear off your transom and in seconds they have skipped across the surface of the water, ripping a quarter mile of line from your reel before the Captain can even begin to turn the boat. They are tenacious and fight ferociously both at the surface and below; unfortunately their strength coupled with their tenacious attitude may be their biggest weakness. Blue Marlin fail during the fight at a much higher level than striped marlin. It’s a catch and release quandary that requires anglers and their Captains to understand the delicate aspect of this incredible fish to assure it can be caught, fought and successfully released. Although male and female Blue Marlin don’t reach sexual maturity until 2 – 4 years, females continue to grow monumentally larger than males, which plateau at around 350 pounds and live as long as 18 years. Female blues, in contrast, grow to as much as 1200 pounds (IGFA world record is 1402 pounds), can stretch to 16’ long and live for as many as 27 years. (The cultural tournament conflict about fishing ‘Big Blues’ is that they are mature females, the most reproductively viable and remind us always that they are the best mothers for future Blue Marlin.) Females spawn during late summer and fall, sometimes 3 to 4 times, laying as many as 7 million eggs; few reach maturity. With just two true predators beyond commercial long liners or as a by-catch, Blues keep a wary out for White Marlin and Mako shark that target them for dinner.
Blue Marlin have been known to stomach tuna as large as 100 pounds, and prefer them, mackerel, squid, including Humboldt, and a feast of smaller bait fish. Debated for many years, we now know Blues use their bills for slashing, stunning, poking and stabbing whatever it is they are after in an attempt to slow it down enough to eat it. When on the hunt, they have been clocked at speeds as high as 68 miles per hour and tuck all their fin paraphernalia into clever grooves to keep them streamlined and fast.
Likely the best known Blue Marlin is the one that played such an important role in Ernest Hemingway’s iconic fish story ‘The Old Man and the Sea’.
Black Marlin
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The Black Marlin is an elegant, aerodynamic muscle machine which is debated against the Wahoo as the fastest fish in the sea, propelled by the ‘motor’ it has on its crescent shaped tail that can push it to 80 mph. Really. This record breaking speed was scientifically proven by gauging how quickly the line was stripped off a fishing reel in Australian waters. The Black Marlin is one of the three marlin species in the Makaira clan and echoes many of the patterns of the Blue Marlin, except they are even bigger, reaching as much as 1700 pounds. And Blacks pursue their prey even deeper, or perhaps they just like heading down more than 3000 feet to the bottom of the sea floor.
In the past three years, the Black Marlin has returned to the Sea of Cortez in better numbers after falling off dramatically for about seven years. A fearsome fighter, Blacks are as coveted as Blues in big game pursuits and when caught and released reward an Angler with a well deserved, hard fought stripe for their catch of a lifetime record books.
Striped Marlin
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If it’s on an anglers wish list, there is no better place and no better odds for catching a Striped Marlin than in the East Cape of the Sea of Cortez. On a good day in June, or even a good day in February, it is true that more than ten ‘Stripers’ can be caught – and that’s a good day indeed.
In the species category with white marlin and spearfish rather than in the category of Blues and Blacks, Striped Marlin are a highly accommodating big game fish. First, they like to stay near the surface and don’t dip below 300 feet – the ‘pelagic’ surface zone where light still penetrates. Another reason Striped Marlin are so reliable in the East Cape is because they will comfortably remain in waters with sea surfaces as cool as 70 degrees, which is often the winter surface temperatures in our region. Yet they’ll hang out even during the hot summer months. Another reason Striped Marlin are locally so abundant is they eat a wide spectrum of fish so when they are being pursued respond with vigor to a lure or chase a well thrown bait – most of the time they will rush up to check out just about any bait fish and likewise give those on board the rush of a chase. When eating shrimp or small squid they leap and jump and fly out of the water like they are on ‘Red Bull’. They’ll also go crazy to scoop up a bait ball of sardines, and they often prefer ballyhoo, an East Cape bait fish staple. They are a ‘chummy’ type of fish, hanging around with others and don’t seem to mind sharing their fishing grounds. It’s not uncommon during warmer months to find 5 or 6 at a time, sunning on the surface.
The first dorsal fin of a Striped Marlin is likely what you’ll see, as it is extremely high and most often measures as deep as the marlin’s body. When they are heading out on a hunting prowl and need to hit a stealthy speed, their fins cleverly tuck into a perfect fitting groove. When hooked, they are acrobatic, dancing, leaping and putting on a show for all; they are hardy and our records reflect 19 out of 20 fish will survive a fight if they are carefully released. This requires leaning over the gunnel holding their sand paper sharp bill while resuscitating them by forcing slow moving water through their gills while the boat gentle goes forward. In order to release a hook, Striped Marlin will even disgorge their stomachs from their bodies. Often confused with a lung, if properly managed the stomach can be reinserted into the bodies and will flow back into their abdominal cavity with the same flow of water. Sore arms and great photos of a dancing East Cape billfish are the best reward for an Angler with our proliferous Striped Marlin.
They’ll range as far north as Oregon, but are most common south of Point Conception, California. They usually appear off California in July and remain until late October. Commercial fisheries catch them all the way across the Pacific. Striped marlin have traveled up to 31 miles per day. The longest migration of any billfish was by a striped marlin, tagged and released near the tip of Baja, and then recovered 200 miles southwest of the Hawaiian Islands three months later, a distance of about 3,120 miles.
Pacific Sailfish
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Having a different coloration and being much larger than the Atlantic Sailfish, the Pacific Sailfish with its large dorsal fin is a prize trophy. The blue colorations with the many hues of gold and its size make the Pacific Sailfish is a formidable foe and a trophy for any angler.
Swordfish
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Swordfish, no other fish in the ocean resembles the "Purple Gladiator" with its most dangerous sword-like bill. Its larger eyes and the slash of its bill, make the Swordfish a most feared predator.
Dorado (Bull Dolphin)
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Dorado (Bull Dolphin) is the male of the species and has a blunt square head. Often referred to as "Dorado" for its beautiful gold, green and blue colorations, it is one of the ocean's most beautifully colored fish.
Yellowfin Tuna
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Yellowfin Tuna is designed for speed and endurance. The tuna is the world's largest hardest running fish providing the angler with a long and tiring battle. One of the most colorful of the Tuna family, the Yellowfin can reach the weight of several hundred pounds.
Wahoo
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Wahoo is a razor toothed predator that relies on speed. It is one of the fastest fish in the ocean and has bright blue bands that light up when the Wahoo feeds. Rooster Fish is a hard fighting trophy identified by the rooster-like comb on its head. This fish is found from Mexico to Panama. This prized game fish is brightly colored and easily identified.
Rooster Fish
Rooster Fish is a hard fighting trophy identified by the rooster-like comb on its head. This fish is found from Mexico to Panama. This prized game fish is brightly colored and easily identified.
Yellowtail Snapper
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Aptly named for its colorful tail, the Yellowtail Snapper is a highly prized game fish in South Florida and the Bahamas. It is most often found along reefs but feeds in mid-water depths. Although abundant, anglers find the Yellowtail a wary eater and a master of de-hooking itself.
Mako Shark
A known man-eater, the Mako Shark has a cobalt blue back and cold black fearless eyes that will send a chill through the most experienced fisherman. The hydrodynamic shape combined with great agility has given stories of a hooked Mako jumping into the boat.
Thresher Shark
Thresher Shark is generally pelagic and rarely come close to shore. Threshers are easily recognized as their upper tail lobe is usually as long as the rest of the body. The teeth are small and pointed. The thresher shark is usually solitary but can be found hunting in pairs. Typically they will slap the water with their tails while feeding.
Bonita
Bonita is known for its hard strikes and long runs and is the most common tuna in the Atlantic. Known in Hawaii as Kawa Kawa and in the Northeast U.S. as the False Albacore, it swims in large schools and is a much sought after game fish.
Skipjack Tuna
Skipjack Tuna is a fast swimming medium-sized school tuna. It can be caught worldwide on the surface and is easily recognized by the dark horizontal lines on their bellies.
Spanish Mackarel
Spanish Mackarel is a shallow water migratory game fish offering great sport on light tackle. The schools will follow rising water temperatures along the east coast of the United Sates
Images generously provided by Gray's Taxidermy