What are the different types of marlin and how do they differ?

Marlin fishing is one of the most challenging and exciting activities for an angler. Marlins are fast, strong and can be freaking huge! For example, the striped marlin is the second fastest fish in the world and swims at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. The speed of black and blue marlin will also leave most other big fish behind.

Once hooked, all species of marlin display tremendous energy and incredible acrobatic abilities. The process of fishing for marlin can be compared in its intensity and drama to a bullfight. They dance and jump in the air at the end of the line, frantically fighting for their lives. It’s no surprise that marlin fishing has an almost legendary status among anglers around the world.

Billfish Basics

All serious fishermen dream of catching a “Grander”, i.e. fish that weigh over 1,000 pounds. The record for the largest Marlin of all time is the huge 1,805 pound monster “Choy’s.” This incredible fish was caught on a charter fishing boat out of Oahu, Hawaii in 1970 and is still listed as the largest Marlin caught on rod and reel.

According to the IGFA (International Game Fish Association), the current record for black marlin was recorded in Cabo Blanco, Peru in 1953. The marlin weighed 1,560 pounds (707.61 kg). The IGFA also states that the largest Blue Marlin recorded weighed 1,402 lb (635 kg) and was caught in Vitoria, Brazil in 1992.

Like sailfish and swordfish, marlins are part of the Billfish family. These highly predatory species use their spear-shaped “beak” to slash and stun their prey. Marlins are a migratory species, and although they are usually found in tropical or subtropical waters, they change their location depending on changes in water temperature.

There are four types of marlin: blue, black, white and striped. Despite their names, they all have a fairly similar color scheme and structure, so that the untrained eye might mistake, say, a blue marlin for a striped marlin or a black marlin for a blue. Let’s find out a little more about each of these species.

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Blue marlin

Blue marlin has a habit of diving deeper and for this reason it gets tired faster than other marlin. However, it is a powerful and aggressive fighter that can move heavily and for a long time, jumping high and demonstrating amazing acrobatic figures in the air.

Female blue marlin can weigh four times as much as males, which rarely exceed 300 pounds. Some experts believe that blue marlin, found in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, are two different species, although this view is disputed. However, it appears that marlin in the Pacific tend to be larger than those in the Atlantic.

How to recognize a blue marlin:

Distinctive characteristics of blue marlin are as follows:

A pointed anterior dorsal fin that never reaches the maximum depth of the body (read, the hairstyle is never higher than the thickness of the fish’s body).
The pectoral (lateral) fins are not rigid, but may be folded back against the body.
Cobalt blue back that fades to white.
Pale blue transverse stripes that always disappear after death.
The general shape of the body is cylindrical.

Black Marlin

Black marlin usually live in the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans. They swim in coastal waters and around reefs and islands, but also roam the open sea. Very rarely they are found in temperate waters when moving around the Cape of Good Hope into the Atlantic.

Black marlin are generally larger than blue marlin, based on specimens caught on rod and reel. Although it is debated whether this is simply due to the fact that they inhabit more accessible waters. The largest of them are usually caught off the coast of Australia, Panama and Mozambique. Although males can sometimes grow to over 15 feet long and weigh up to 1,600 pounds, in most cases they are smaller than females.
The black marlin is sometimes called the “bull of the sea” due to its extreme strength, large size and incredible endurance. All this obviously makes them very popular in gamefish. They can sometimes have a silvery haze covering their body, which is why they are sometimes nicknamed “Silver Marlin.”

How to recognize a black marlin:

The main signs to make sure you have hooked a black marlin:

Low dorsal fin relative to body depth (smaller mohawk than most marlins).
The beak and body are shorter than those of other species.
Dark blue back, turning into a silver belly.
Stiff pectoral fins that cannot fold flat.

White Marlin

White Marlins live in tropical and seasonally temperate Atlantic waters, including the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and Western Mediterranean. They can often be found in relatively shallow bodies of water near the shore.

Even though they are the smallest marlin species, weighing a maximum of about 220 pounds, they are popular because of their speed, elegant jumping ability and difficulty in snaring and hooking lures. Unlike other marlin, they catch their prey by chasing it down, rather than slashing and stunning it with their beaks. White Marlins are also known as “Spikers”.

How to recognize a White Marlin:

White marlin are easy to recognize, here’s what you should pay attention to:

A rounded dorsal fin that often extends beyond the depth of their body.
Lighter, sometimes green color
Spots on the belly, as well as on the dorsal and anal fins

Striped marlin

‘Stripes’ are found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, typically in colder waters than black or blue marlin. They migrate according to the seasons, moving towards the equator in winter and moving away from it in the warm season.

Known for its fighting abilities, striped marlin have a reputation for spending more time in the air than in the water (once it has been hooked). They are known for their long runs and tail walks, and for “greyhounding” across surfaces in a series of jumps.