PUBLICATION MAGAZINE VOLUME ONE final magazine siap | Page 22

ATLANTIC
BLUE
MARLIN
ROD , REEL AND LINE
Think heavy-duty everything. 80-class lever drag reels
mounted on Penn Tuna Sticks are standard blue mar-
lin fishing outfits. Despite the popularity of braided line
and fluorocarbon in today’s fishing circles, old-school
100-pound test monofilament is the line of choice for
chasing marlin. It knots easy, crimps like a champ, and
is a whole lot cheaper than more technical alternatives.
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WHERE BLUE MARLIN ROAM
As migratory creatures, blue marlins
spend all their lives in the open ocean
traveling great distances along prevailing
warm water currents throughout the Pa-
cific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. Pelag-
ic in nature, Atlantic blue marlin travel
primarily in the upper portion of the wa-
ter column—that’s where their dinner is.
Constantly on the hunt, these incredible
fish work schools of smaller fish into bait
balls before charging in with their power-
ful bodies and using their long, lethal bill
to stun their prey before chowing down.
TERMINAL TACKLE AND MARLIN
RIGS
The last 5 feet of monofilament main line is doubled
over with a bimini twist. A ball bearing swivel is at-
tached to the main line with an offshore knot—though
some crews prefer to skip knots altogether and crimp ev-
erything. A 300- to 400-pound extra-hard monofilament
leader is attached to the swivel and a circle hook in siz-
es 12/0 to 22/0 is attached to the leader. Note: the hook
size will depend on the size of the bait you choose to use.