Blue Marlin Fishing in Puerto Rico

Blue marlin tours in Rincon, Cabo Rojo, Combate, and Aguidilla.

Spend a day trolling large Marlin Magic, Coggins, Aloha, Joe Yee, ana Moyes marlin lures or large dead bait in search of the majestic Blue Marlin around the Mona Trench. It only takes one Blue Marlin bite to make you a believer! This trip is great for people with long attention spans looking for a memory of a life time. This fishing trips is primarly focused on trolling. So sit back with a cold drink as he could bite at any second!

What to expect on a Blue Marlin Fishing Charter with Simply Caught…

This Private Blue Marlin Fishing Trip usually begins around 6:30 out of one of the three ramps we use on the west coast of Puerto Rico. After communication with Capt. Frank, we will decide where and how to fish depending on the weather and how the Marlin bite has been lately. This often is corelated to the Skipjack and Blackfin Tuna population and where we have been seeing these schools. Upon arrival we all become familiar to the fishing boat and saftey gear. Simply Caught Charters does supply drinks and snacks but feel free to bring any beverages or food you would like. We have a big cooler! After a short run to the fishing grounds the hunt begins. We fish one of two methods. Big lures trolled at speeds of 8-11 kts or a combination of lures, teasers, and ballyhoo. This is often decided during the intial meeting when the captain is figuring out the fishing plan. Once the lures are in the water the search begins. We often look for birds, tuna schools, Rips, humps, or any sign of life to focus in on good habitate for Blue Marlin. This type of fishing is not for short attention spans. It often takes hours of trolling looking for the one bite but rest asurred we have a good stereo on the boat to help pass time. If we are lucky enough to catch a Marlin we do recomend catch and release. Simply Caught offers a 5 hour trip and a full day trip (8-9 hours). Alot of clients do choose the full day fishing trip for the sole reason that more hours with lures in the water equills a better chance at cathing one of these huge fish.

When and Where to Catch Blue Marlin in Puerto Rico

Truth be told there is really not a bad time to fish for Blue Marlin here on the island of Puerto Rico! However, there are times of the year when the bite and size of the Marlin are better than others. It is general knowledge that June thought the end of September is the ideal time for the migration. During the peak of the Puerto Rican Blue Marlin migration, especially on a full moon, it is not uncommon to have 3-6 shots a day at catching a Blue. This is also a great time to troll big lures looking for big fish. We often see the 300-600 pound fish during August. Often overlooked the month of Febuary, which is one of Capt. Franks favorite times to troll ballyhoo for Blue Marlin. During the 2024 season his boat caught a Blue Marlin in five straight trips in a row. Most of our offshore fishing is done to the west of the island. There we have access to the Mona Trench and the many humps of Placer. To the North West we have access to several FADS near Aricebo. The Mona Trench also runs along this coast line so access to extremely deep water is not very far. The Souther Coast is very similar to the North with very quick access to deep water.

How to Fish for Blue Marlin in Puerto Rico

Blue Marlin fishing is a combination of being in the right place at the right time and presenting lures that mimic thier prey. That said, there are alot of small details that can certainly make your day more sucessful on the water. This begins with rigging tackle and having the appropiate equimpment to do battle with Blue Marlin. Blue Marlin are top preditors in the ocean. They prey on Tuna, Mahi, Flying Fish, Mackerel, and many other gamefish, which are all big baits. We start with Penn International 80s spooled with 1700 yards of 200 lb Jerry Brown Hollow Core with a 200 pound monofiliiment top shot. From there we connect a 150 to 400 pound Flourcarbon leader to a lure. This heavy set up allows for drag setting upward of 50 pounds.

Finding good areas to fish is critical to a sucessful day on the water. Puerto Rico is home to a pelethora of trenches, deep water humps, and undwater pennenisulas. All these areas can produce good concentrations of life. Combined with upwelling and currents these areas can make great places for Blue Marlin to hunt. Once our fishing grounds have been decided on we often deploy one of two methods. Hard Marlin lures trolled at speeds upward fo 12 kts will often produce the larger fish. The second method is a combination of ballyhoo fished with teasers to bring the marlin into the spread. A general rule of thumb is you will get more bites on the ballyhoo / teaser method but the bigger fish generally jump on the larger more active lures. Once we get the bite we often push the drag up to 35-40 pounds to “drive” the hook set for about 10 seconds. Once the hook is burried we then back the drag to the fighting poundage of around 17 -22 pounds till he calms down. After the initial fight we then slowly start pushing the drag up throughout the fight. We always want to release a healthy fish so getting the Marlin to the boat as fast as possible helps its chances of survival!

This type of fishing is defiantly for the big game angler. It’s not for the faint of heart.. It requires patiance and a strong back but once you catch one you will be itching to catch another big Blue Marlin!

Fishing regulations for Blue Marlin in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States. It therefor opeates under the same Highly Migratiory Species regulations as the rest of the continental states in regards to bag limits and minimun size limits. A fishing vessel with a HMS Charter / Headboat license is allowed to harvest Blue Marlin over 99”. Simply Caught Charters does recomend and encourage catch and release of Blue Marlin however if your party has the capability of managing the meat you are permited to bring one to the docks. Blue Marlin make are great on the Smoker! Click here for a great resource for catching and realease of big game. No fishing licenses are needed when you fish with us on any of our charters!

Our trips are all inclusive : Bait and Tackle - Processional Coast Guard Captain - All Fuel - Drinks and Snacks

Tips are customary for the Crew if you think they worked hard with your best interest in mind. ( 20% is customary )