My friend snapped this picture of a marlin in mid jump off the coast of California…
What a stunning picture and a stunning fish!
Billfish (marlin, sailfish, swordfish) are highly sought after game fishes, and most everyone practices catch and release. The primary method of catching a billfish is by trolling topwater lures so the strikes are a sight to behold.
I personally have never targeted billfish on the ocean before. The primary reason is that they are scarce and tough to catch, so you can go all day without a single bite, and all you do is troll around. The skill is not really in the angler, but in the boat captain. Due to this, it can cost $200+ to go out and troll around for the day in boat gas, so the cost vs reward of landing and releasing a billfish is not something I have felt is worth it. I would like to get out there and give it a try one time… there are places where the fish are closer and more plentiful (some places down in Mexico), so I am sure it will happen at some point… just hasn’t happened yet!
In the meantime, I will continue to stare in awe at these majestic fish! So cool!
I appreciate you stopping by!
Brian