Page 107 - Visitor Guides

FISHING GUIDE

Behold Bermuda

THE ATLANTIC ARCHIPELAGO IS A FISHING WONDERLAND.

ishermen have never had a problem
F locating fish around Bermuda’s world- MARLIN
famous cluster of islands. Situated 640 miles
east of Cape Hatteras, Bermuda earned its
spot in the big-game fisherman’s playbook
decades ago by providing easy access to
exceptional offshore fish species. In the
world of big-game fishing, three species
take the cake in terms of size, power and
mystique: marlin, tuna and wahoo. Visitors
to Bermuda will find all of them just a short
run offshore.

TOPS FOR MARLIN
Bermuda is perhaps best known for its blue
marlin, and these powerful billfish grow to
enormous size. In May 2012, Rich Davies
landed a 1,289-pounder while fishing the
southeast side of Argus Bank. The 15-foot
fish died during a four-hour fight and was
brought back to the docks. But Davies’ catch
is still overshadowed by a 1995 catch. On the
charter boat DeMako, Capt. Allen DeSilva
caught the largest blue marlin ever recorded
in Bermuda — it weighed 1,352 pounds.
Well-known Capt. Alan Card has caught a
half-dozen marlin exceeding 1,100 pounds. those monster blues sometimes show up a WHAT ABOUT WHITES?
For the best chance to tangle with a bit early. And while not quite as many blue Local boats also encounter the largest num-
blue, plan your trip during the peak season, marlin are caught in May or early June, they ber of white marlin during the early portion
which runs from June through August. But make up for it in size. of the season. The smallest of all the marlin
species, white marlin put up acrobatic fights
BONEFISH marked by high-flying aerial displays. The
current IGFA-record marlin weighs 181
pounds, 14 ounces. Anglers identify the spe-
cies by the characteristic rounded tips of its
pectoral fins, first dorsal fin and first anal fin.
As for seasons: You may see two white marlin
for every blue in May, but late in the season,
boats tend to see more blues than whites.

BANK ON IT
The Bermuda charter fleet targets two
famous hot spots when looking for mar- TOP: DAVE FERRELL; BOTTOM: CAPT. IAN LINNELL
lin: the Challenger and Argus banks. These
banks — located 12 and 20 miles offshore,
respectively — were formed by the same
volcanic activity that formed Bermuda itself.
Challenger, the closer of the two, rises from

Offshore World 2014 | 62 | Bermuda Edition

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